Today's message: 3rd Sunday of Advent A
Isaiah 35: 1-6,10; James 5: 7-10; Matthew 11: 2-11
Christmas is a short ten days away. I say short because all of us are ‘rushed’: we have so much to do and not enough time, so we worry if we will ever finish our ‘assigned tasks.’ If we check our ‘track history’ we have always finished in time but we still worry. We are thankful for Amazon and all those websites that help us so much ... but we just seem to find more things to do. This ‘rushing’ also carries over to our spiritual life and our relationship with our loving Lord and God. Could it be possible for us to continue these days, just knowing that the Lord is right next to us and within us as we are ‘rushing’? Could we come to relish our Lord being with us each moment throughout the day, caring for us, loving us and lifting us up? What do we need in our lives these days to be aware of God’s presence and His love? We look to our readings which are ‘right on the spot,' or as the original English said, ‘right on the mark.’
The Israelites had experienced a horrible time during their captivity in Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar had besieged Jerusalem. As a result King Jehoiakim had paid a hefty tribute for four years to keep their ‘relative freedom.’ Then he refused to pay and another siege came: the king was killed and his court and leaders of the people were exiled to Babylon. This lasted for sixty years after which they were allowed to return home. Today the prophet is offering a vision of Israel’s restoration after the exile. The people were afraid; will we ever return to past glory? We have so much to do and so few assets; hopelessness abounds. Isaiah reminds them that God is delivering His people; His plan never fails. Isaiah uses the contrasting images of the lifeless conditions of a desert and a lush garden brimming with life. The blooms and abundant flowers pose a stark contrast to the thorns and briars of the desert. This shows the transformation that God brings. Can they trust in the Lord? Do I trust in the Lord? Do I believe that He cares for me right now when I struggle to find time to pray? It is a commonplace occurrence that when I struggle, I am more conscious of my sins and they are harder to control which leads me to be spiritually weak and feeble. Isaiah tells the people, and you and I, “Be strong, fear not!” God’s grace “strengthens” and “makes firm” our efforts and our hearts. God is always with us each day to save us. The people were living in the negative. They do not realize that God is love and when love is an active part of our lives, we walk with a ‘spring in our step’; we feel happy and confident. We have a smile on our face and are experiencing a portion of God’s love. Do we realize this? Just the ‘joy’ that we exude this season shows us God is present and within us, helping us care for His creation. Am I letting God be God in my rushing? One of the ‘traits’ of shoppers is that they talk to themselves; trying to remember or redo special presents for special people. While talking to yourself realize God is always within and bring Him into the conversation. This awareness brings many smiles to our faces. Give it a try!
James is taking a different approach: he is asking his readers to be patient. He mentions patience four times. James’ audience realized and believed that the Lord’s final coming would be very soon. This brings joy but also much anxiety. James tells them not to lose hope. These ‘delays’ have a tendency for them to have lost hope and grown slack in their spiritual life. He is very practical; he shares that complaining about another is a form of judging. When Christ comes, He will come as Judge. He is the one who judges, not me. Am I living this teaching of Jesus?
Even John the Baptist had problems understanding who Jesus was and his role in being the precursor. John is in prison. He is just sitting, worrying about his fate. What is he to do? Is Jesus really the “... one who is to come ...?” So he sends his disciples to ask Jesus if He might be the one. I’m sure John expected a point-blank answer: Yes or No! Jesus, as always, surprises and delivers His own message which is so often different from our own. Jesus enumerates the corporal works of mercy: feeding the hungry, give water to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned or ransom the captive, bury the dead. These characteristics are the prime living modules for the daily life of a follower of Jesus. We include these in our lives but it seems at this time of year an awareness of others moves to the more supreme part of our list. Why? What do I have to do to make this a full part of my life? What Jesus is reminding John’s disciples is that they are a part of the old age. Jesus has ushered in the new age of love, forgiveness, mercy and care for all people.
It’s a daily question for each and every Christian: what is truly important in being a follower of Jesus? Jesus reminds us that religious observance is about service, healing and justice which enables the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, the poor and downtrodden to realize their dignity along with the homeless, migrants, persecuted and neglected. All these are realized though my actions and each Christian’s actions to the people God places in our lives each day. One of the occupational hazards of being a Christian at Christmas is that when the season ends and the decorations and gifts are put away or returned or re-gifted, we put Jesus away in the closet or storage place too. Why? That’s the message of the corporal works of mercy. Perhaps it would be a good time, before the end of this season, to spend some time looking at the Spiritual works of mercy. Do you remember them? They are: to instruct the ignorant, letting them know God’s love ... to counsel the doubtful, letting them be aware of God’s presence in their life by my sharing my life with them ... to admonish the sinners, helping them heal through me, a fellow sinner ... to bear patiently those who wrong us, all of them especially through prayer ... to forgive offenses, how so very necessary, it starts with me ... to comfort the afflicted, one is never alone ... to pray for the living and the dead. Always pray.
So I reflect on:
Sacred Space 2020 shares:
“Two strands run through the Scriptures regarding people’s expectations about the Messiah. In one strand the dominant idea is that the Messiah will focus on chastisement and correction — where corruption has grown, He will lay an ax to the root of the tree, or He will come armed with winnowing fan to separate the noxious elements from the good. Although not imposing a regime of penance as such, John the Baptist insisted on high moral standards and so he might seem to veer toward the stricter view.”
“John is unsure, apparently, about the approach taken by Jesus, so he is making inquiries. And Jesus’ answer recalls that other strand, when the dominant idea is building up people wherever they are in need of healing. All the miracles listed here are in line with the prophetic vision of Isaiah, in which strength and salvation are brought to the people. What is my dominant view of the Messiah?”
Christmas is a short ten days away. I say short because all of us are ‘rushed’: we have so much to do and not enough time, so we worry if we will ever finish our ‘assigned tasks.’ If we check our ‘track history’ we have always finished in time but we still worry. We are thankful for Amazon and all those websites that help us so much ... but we just seem to find more things to do. This ‘rushing’ also carries over to our spiritual life and our relationship with our loving Lord and God. Could it be possible for us to continue these days, just knowing that the Lord is right next to us and within us as we are ‘rushing’? Could we come to relish our Lord being with us each moment throughout the day, caring for us, loving us and lifting us up? What do we need in our lives these days to be aware of God’s presence and His love? We look to our readings which are ‘right on the spot,' or as the original English said, ‘right on the mark.’
The Israelites had experienced a horrible time during their captivity in Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar had besieged Jerusalem. As a result King Jehoiakim had paid a hefty tribute for four years to keep their ‘relative freedom.’ Then he refused to pay and another siege came: the king was killed and his court and leaders of the people were exiled to Babylon. This lasted for sixty years after which they were allowed to return home. Today the prophet is offering a vision of Israel’s restoration after the exile. The people were afraid; will we ever return to past glory? We have so much to do and so few assets; hopelessness abounds. Isaiah reminds them that God is delivering His people; His plan never fails. Isaiah uses the contrasting images of the lifeless conditions of a desert and a lush garden brimming with life. The blooms and abundant flowers pose a stark contrast to the thorns and briars of the desert. This shows the transformation that God brings. Can they trust in the Lord? Do I trust in the Lord? Do I believe that He cares for me right now when I struggle to find time to pray? It is a commonplace occurrence that when I struggle, I am more conscious of my sins and they are harder to control which leads me to be spiritually weak and feeble. Isaiah tells the people, and you and I, “Be strong, fear not!” God’s grace “strengthens” and “makes firm” our efforts and our hearts. God is always with us each day to save us. The people were living in the negative. They do not realize that God is love and when love is an active part of our lives, we walk with a ‘spring in our step’; we feel happy and confident. We have a smile on our face and are experiencing a portion of God’s love. Do we realize this? Just the ‘joy’ that we exude this season shows us God is present and within us, helping us care for His creation. Am I letting God be God in my rushing? One of the ‘traits’ of shoppers is that they talk to themselves; trying to remember or redo special presents for special people. While talking to yourself realize God is always within and bring Him into the conversation. This awareness brings many smiles to our faces. Give it a try!
James is taking a different approach: he is asking his readers to be patient. He mentions patience four times. James’ audience realized and believed that the Lord’s final coming would be very soon. This brings joy but also much anxiety. James tells them not to lose hope. These ‘delays’ have a tendency for them to have lost hope and grown slack in their spiritual life. He is very practical; he shares that complaining about another is a form of judging. When Christ comes, He will come as Judge. He is the one who judges, not me. Am I living this teaching of Jesus?
Even John the Baptist had problems understanding who Jesus was and his role in being the precursor. John is in prison. He is just sitting, worrying about his fate. What is he to do? Is Jesus really the “... one who is to come ...?” So he sends his disciples to ask Jesus if He might be the one. I’m sure John expected a point-blank answer: Yes or No! Jesus, as always, surprises and delivers His own message which is so often different from our own. Jesus enumerates the corporal works of mercy: feeding the hungry, give water to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, visit the imprisoned or ransom the captive, bury the dead. These characteristics are the prime living modules for the daily life of a follower of Jesus. We include these in our lives but it seems at this time of year an awareness of others moves to the more supreme part of our list. Why? What do I have to do to make this a full part of my life? What Jesus is reminding John’s disciples is that they are a part of the old age. Jesus has ushered in the new age of love, forgiveness, mercy and care for all people.
It’s a daily question for each and every Christian: what is truly important in being a follower of Jesus? Jesus reminds us that religious observance is about service, healing and justice which enables the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, the poor and downtrodden to realize their dignity along with the homeless, migrants, persecuted and neglected. All these are realized though my actions and each Christian’s actions to the people God places in our lives each day. One of the occupational hazards of being a Christian at Christmas is that when the season ends and the decorations and gifts are put away or returned or re-gifted, we put Jesus away in the closet or storage place too. Why? That’s the message of the corporal works of mercy. Perhaps it would be a good time, before the end of this season, to spend some time looking at the Spiritual works of mercy. Do you remember them? They are: to instruct the ignorant, letting them know God’s love ... to counsel the doubtful, letting them be aware of God’s presence in their life by my sharing my life with them ... to admonish the sinners, helping them heal through me, a fellow sinner ... to bear patiently those who wrong us, all of them especially through prayer ... to forgive offenses, how so very necessary, it starts with me ... to comfort the afflicted, one is never alone ... to pray for the living and the dead. Always pray.
So I reflect on:
- The theme of the season is light shines in a darkness: Where could I use more of the Lord’s light?
- I lose hope: What small ways have I seen that give me hope?
- Do I search for something or someone who will make me happy? Why?
- How many ‘things’ control my life? Would the quality of my life be lessened or improved without those things?
- Can I make these ten days ‘awareness days’ knowing the Lord is with me every moment?
Sacred Space 2020 shares:
“Two strands run through the Scriptures regarding people’s expectations about the Messiah. In one strand the dominant idea is that the Messiah will focus on chastisement and correction — where corruption has grown, He will lay an ax to the root of the tree, or He will come armed with winnowing fan to separate the noxious elements from the good. Although not imposing a regime of penance as such, John the Baptist insisted on high moral standards and so he might seem to veer toward the stricter view.”
“John is unsure, apparently, about the approach taken by Jesus, so he is making inquiries. And Jesus’ answer recalls that other strand, when the dominant idea is building up people wherever they are in need of healing. All the miracles listed here are in line with the prophetic vision of Isaiah, in which strength and salvation are brought to the people. What is my dominant view of the Messiah?”
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