This Christmas there were people I expected to give a present. And I did. There was of course uncertainty as to the actual item. Would it be something off their Amazon wish list, which freed me from the responsibility of understanding what it does or whether it fits? Or would it be kitchenware for the daughter setting up housekeeping? Maybe the young couple would welcome more camping equipment. I had elbow room.

They were not being greedy but if nothing appeared in a brown cardboard box or under the tree, my kids would be disappointed.

There were others, however, who expected nothing. One said she was teary when she found a package by her door. Her first thought was that it was there by mistake and was actually intended for a neighbor. But then she read the tag. 

One afternoon I left a bag with paper whites dangling out, on a friend's desk. She has a rambling list of relatives and coworkers and did not anticipate anything from me. Which made surprising her all the more enticing.

 

Mary was not expecting to be the mother of Jesus. Although there had been prophecies for hundreds if not thousands of years, the birth of the Christ Child was still startling. The vast majority of humanity was caught unaware, tending their sheep, traveling to their homeland, burning incense in the temple. 

 

But there were a triplet of wise men who dared to anticipate the Savior's birth. They had wishes for the salvation of a darkened world, and brought costly gifts of their own to honor Him. It is impossible to know how long they waited, or how methodically they studied the stars. But they knew He would come.

 

And He did.