“Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” From his cell in Herod’s prison, John sends his followers to ask Jesus this earnest, pregnant, hopeful question.
It’s a fair question; a question probably on the minds of others who had heard John’s proclamation about the coming Messiah. Do you remember the language John used? We heard it in last week’s Gospel reading: “Even now the ax is lying at the root of the tree…The one who is coming after me is more powerful than I…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire…His winnowing fork is in his hand…”
Pretty forceful, descriptive language, right? And that doesn’t even include language from the prophets about the coming Messiah’s judgment. Nor does it include expectations from those living under Roman occupation that any Messiah worth his salt would use force and might to liberate them from Rome’s oppressive ways. And yet, from all John can tell, the reality of Jesus’ ministry is…not any of that. It seems that the “ax lying at the root of the trees” could use a little sharpening.
If we are being honest, I think there are many days that we, too, share John’s question. We are inundated with all kinds of bad news and overwhelmed by the burdens of the world. People in our own homes and communities as well as those across the world are suffering from illness and disease, grief and loneliness, hunger, poverty, broken relationships, violence, political unrest. So what is it, Jesus? Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?
The response that Jesus sends to John is…complicated. Jesus doesn’t say, “Yes, it’s me! I’m the Messiah! Don’t worry, I’m playing the long game, but everything’s under control.” Instead, Jesus instructs John’s followers to report back to John with their own evidence. “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with a skin disease are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.”
The list Jesus compiles finds some parallels in the list we heard from the prophet Isaiah in today’s first reading. In that joyous time when God's people will return home from exile in Babylon, they will experience that good news in their body. “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be opened; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.”
There are parallels, too, to Mary’s song, sung as our psalmody for today. “You have shown strength with your arm and scattered the proud in their conceit, casting down the mighty from their thrones and lifting up the lowly. You have filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.”
In other words, when we’re painting a picture of what God is up to in the world, we do well to look among the poor, the powerless, and the suffering. That’s where God promises to be, and that’s where God is at work, bringing healing, wholeness, and liberation to those who have been beaten down by the world.
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| One of three cars filled with Angel Tree gifts from members and friends of ORLC. |
Like John’s disciples, we too can tell what we hear and see, and, in so doing, offer hope and assurance to those who are suffering, unsure, and discouraged. So, what is God doing? What have you heard and seen? Where are there glimmers of hope and joy? What's the good news?
Here’s what I’ve heard and seen this week:
The children receive their gifts! On Monday, Jackie and I drove two minivans full of the generous gifts you provided down to the fairgrounds, and Carol’s car was stuffed full with gifts for Glade Run.
The cold are clothed with warm coats. Two huge boxes overflowing with coats were picked up by folks from City Mission this week to be distributed to the residents there.
The hungry are filled with good things. Over the past few weeks you’ve provided thousands of pounds of food for our neighbors served by Abiding Missions, Blessings in a Backpack, and City Mission.
The lonely are comforted, and the suffering receive prayer and support. Just this week here at church there have been opportunities to connect with one another for fellowship, learning, support, and prayer.
On your own street, I bet you’ve also seen examples of neighbors looking out for one another, providing a helping hand (perhaps shoveling or plowing some snow!), or words of encouragement, or simply their presence.
What else? What have you heard and seen?
Mary’s song is often called the Magnificat, which is the Latin word used at the beginning of her song: “My soul magnifies the Lord.” In this season in particular, we, too, are invited to the work of magnifying - of noticing, of making more visible, of pointing out to ourselves and others the wonderful ways God is already at work among us. This work of noticing is especially valuable for how it continues to magnify, to make bigger what God has done and continues to do. Once we see or hear one example, we’re suddenly primed, attuned to notice more and more of God’s work in the world.
We know by what we’ve heard and seen that Jesus is the one who is to come, our promised Savior. And, also, still we wait. We wait for the fullness of time; we wait for all creation to be reconciled to God; we wait for that day when we will not need to ask, “is it you?”
In the meantime, as we wait, we are sustained by God’s unfailing presence, made known to us in big and small ways: in the ordinary and extraordinary bread and cup we share at the communion table; in words of grace and healing shared with one another; in the waters of forgiveness and life poured over parched and longing people. As these gifts are magnified before our eyes, we give thanks and praise.
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