We started are Christmas series, titled “Unexpected” last week, which will go all the way up to Christmas eve, highlighting characters from the Christmas story, and the idea behind “unexpected” is that the Christmas story we celebrate of God incarnate, Jesus, the Son of God taking on flesh and entering into human history, is unexpected. Israel was expecting a Messiah at this time, who would come and liberate them from the Roman Government, and this Messiah would come in great strength, but Jesus rather came in great vulnerability as a baby. This Messiah was expected to come and overthrow the nations with the sword, and yet Jesus came and was pierced with the sword for the nations. Along with the Christmas story being unexpected, there was a period of time from the last book in the Old Testament to the beginning of the gospels, where God is silent for 400 years. No prophet arises to speak for God to the people in that time frame. And some of you this morning are in a season of life that seems that way. Where there is a hard season in life right now, perhaps the Holiday season brings up old wounds and hurts and it seems as though God is absent because of His silence. And what I am here to preach on today is not only what we all need but what the people of Israel in that time needed as well, and that is hope!