The beaches of the small island of Langeoog recently experienced a surprise—thousands of colored plastic eggs. Photos of the beach show the eggs scattered on the sand, with more riding in on the approaching waves. Local children were allowed to go investigate the eggs, which were found to have toys inside, "much to [the children's] delight."

But where did these mysterious eggs come from? Local police forces "suspect the eggs came from a freighter that lost part of its cargo during an intense storm." Not everything about this surprise from the sea proved to be fun and games, however. Uwe Garrels, the local mayor, said, "At first I thought this was a wonder, because everything was so colorful and so on, but then we realized that this is a huge mess in the end."

Another addition to the "mess"? The notes tucked inside the toys, which had so excited the children, were in Russian.

Potential Preaching Angles: (1) Gifts from God; God, goodness of—Unlike the mixed blessing of the eggs, we know that our good God only gives "good and perfect" gifts (James 1:17). (2) Sin, power of; Temptation—The things that sparkle with delight and promise, may lead us into more messes than we ever imagined.