​    Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle! It’s an old family saying usually accompanied with the shaking of one’s head.  Just when you think you’ve seen it all or think you know what’s going on, God surprises you.  Some of us have Gomer Pyle’s “Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!” on continual loop in our brain.  I’m almost to the point in this crazy world that nothing shocks me anymore…but that’s not entirely true…December is full of surprises.
     We spend a great deal of energy in keeping gifts secret until we give them.  The mystery makes it more exciting and the anticipation is bliss. Some of us are downright giddy!  I have family and friends who give the best gifts and time and time again the recipients confirm, “It’s just what I needed!”  One assumes the giver had an inside scoop to our wants, needs, and hopes …probably because they’re good listeners even though they humbly say a little birdie told them.  I wonder about that little birdie; it knows things. 
     Birds, in general, don’t usually get much credit now until spring, seeing how turkeys took all the attention during Thanksgiving.  However, there are a few “gifted” avian examples worth singing about this season.  In the Twelve Days Of Christmas song, a Partridge in a pear tree represents Jesus. (It’s one of the only birds that will give its life for its young.) Two turtle doves were given to the true love on the second day and they represent the Old and New Testaments. Three French hens appear on the third day (named Faith, Hope, and Love). The fourth day’s calling birds, or Colly birds which means black or coal, represent the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  (Remind me to tell you later about another black bird mentioned in scripture.) The sixth day of Christmas has six geese a-laying which represent the six days of creation and new life. And the last birds gifted to the true love  in the song are seven swans a-swimming, actively in motion for seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:1-3). 
     Now for the black bird scripture surprise I could hardly wait to share. While the dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit, gets credit for first finding land after the Biblical flood, it was a raven Noah chose to send out first. Ravens have always been known as restless birds that eat carcasses so it made sense to send one forth. They are scavengers and even steal food from other animals. With all these things in mind, let’s look with amazement at 1 Kings 17:1-6. God had Elijah deliver a bold declaration of a long consequential drought to a disgustingly violent King Ahab, after which God told him to take refuge near a certain hidden brook.  Here comes the surprise part—God said, “I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.”  Yes!  God had ravens (unclean and greedy) door dash Elijah every morning and every evening.  Can you imagine Elijah’s surprise?  I’m sure he was shaking his head, and if Darwin’s theory had been a thing to poke fun at back then, he’d have exclaimed, “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle!” 
     A chapter later in I Kings 18 we see one of the boldest acts of faith recorded.  Elijah proves the authority and authenticity of God by calling fire to fall from Heaven.  Perhaps it was surprises like the ravens bringing food that taught him with God, anything is possible. For sure, he learned the certainty of God’s care and provision. 
     Enjoy your surprises this month and as we celebrate the birth of Jesus, may we realize His coming to Earth and giving His life for us is truly the best gift ever…and may we all say, “It’s just what I needed!”