There is a saying, to expect the unexpected. Recently, I was sharing with a friend of mine that it increasingly seems like what I have always seen as exceptions to a normal, smooth pace of life increasingly seem to be the rule. I continue to learn to expect the unexpected.

Today's readings speak to the reality of a world of the unexpected. This is fitting, isn't it? After all, God has proven himself to be a God of the unexpected. In this way, the created world is the apple that doesn't fall far from its Creator, the proverbial tree. Take our first reading. Naaman cannot conceive how Elisha could tell him to wash in the waters of the Jordan, of all places. A note from 2 Kings explains how the waters of the Jordan were muddy when compared to those of Damascus. How could these possibly be of help? Today, Jesus recounts this story along with another that does not align with his audience's expectations. As the chosen people, they could not conceive of others also being chosen, namely Naaman and Zarephath. This was unexpected. 

When faced with such unexpected (and unwelcome) circumstances, our reflex can be to hurl [them] down headlong as Jesus' audience was aiming to do to him. We shy away from tension, don't we? It can be uncomfortable, even unbearable, to face the unexpected; to face what challenges us, what we think and what we feel. But this is precisely where Jesus calls us to be. He doesn't come to smooth everything over for us or to shield us from difficulties. Instead, he calls us to trust in him and to place our hope in him. As we hear in the Psalms today, I hope in the Lord, I trust in his word. This Lent, let us welcome where God comes to us in the unexpected, and let us place our trust in him when we meet it.