The Gospel text this Sunday reminds us that, we are just about to enter Advent -- the Season of Surprise -- and we had better be on our toes. Our God is a surprising God, who has acted in surprising, unpredictable ways since the creation of Adam. Advent is a time to prepare for the miraculous birth of Christ into our world -- but from year to year we can never really predict just when that event will occur for us in our own lives.
Christ does not enter the world at the stroke of midnight on December 25. If you think you have a sure handle on the "day" and "hour" of Christ's arrival, you can pretty much count on the fact that you are wrong.