Unexpected Jesus

“When I needed him, God showed up.”

Jesus shows up where we least expect him—to Mary Magdalene in the garden, to the disciples on the road to Emmaus, to Thomas when he is full of insecurity. Just as the resurrected Jesus surprised his disciples, he also surprises us today, showing up in the midst of our sorrows, uncertainties, and joys.

In Unexpected Jesus, pastor Eric Rivera examines Jesus’s appearances after his resurrection to show us how Jesus meets us today. Eric shares his own stories of God showing up amid financial uncertainty, pregnancy loss, a grim medical diagnosis within his family, and the unrest and uncertainty of 2020. Eric’s insights will encourage readers as they look to meet God in their own times of uncertainty.

The same Jesus who was present with his followers meets us in our mess today. When we feel confused or abandoned, Jesus finds us. When he arrives, the master teacher meets us with questions and guides us into a revelation of who he is. And as we walk with him, he heals us and is faithful in his promise to be with us always.

Eric Rivera is lead pastor and church planter, with his wife, Erikah, of The Book, a multi-ethnic church in Chicago. He and Erikah are national speakers for FamilyLife’s Weekend To Remember marriage getaways and contributors to FamilyLife’s The Art of Parenting video series and The Story of Us couples devotional. Eric is the author of Christ is Yours: The Assurance of Salvation in the Puritan Theology of William Gouge.