not what it appears!

Appearances can be deceptive!

At least, I was thinking that this morning when I did the weekly shopping at the superstore. My trolley was quite laden with whole boxes full of cider, beer and wine.

All of which is really rather difficult to hide!

And sure enough, sod's law sort of thing, although there are some days you scarecely meet a soul you know, today I seemed to meet them all! Mind you, the last Saturday morning before Christmas Day, that's hardly surprising, I suppose!

I almost wished I had some sort of sign to say - 'Please, sir, it's not for me!'

Which is true. It's not for me at all! Except that sounds a pretty lame excuse. They all say that!

So it got me thinking how much appearances can be so deceptive.

And how much there is that element embedded in the Christmas narrative.

A young girl in her teenage years getting pregnant and the poor girl not yet married to her man. It doesn't look too clever! But appearances can be so deceptive.

A child being born in a shed reserved for animals and sleeping in a cattle trough. It doesn't look too promising at all - the sort of child you might as well ignore! But, again, appearances can be so deceptive.

And men from the east, not sure of the way, not smart enough to have got their AA route map in advance, and popping a pretty odd question. That also doesn't look too clever!

But appearances can be so deceptive.

It's those with ears to hear that end up not just hearing, but finally getting what it is this Jesus guy is always harping on about.

And it's those with eyes to see that end up seeing clearly what is actually going on.

The bottles of booze don't mean that I'm a drinker. Any more than a birth in a barn meant Jesus was a good-for-nothing baby from an out-of-wedlock union.

Appearances can be deceptive! He's the King who's come. And one way or another I will celebrate!