Reverend Ref +

ADVENT III-A

Our friend John is in prison, just a few chapters away from being decapitated. He has heard about Jesus, and sends his disciples to ask if he is the one who they are waiting for. After John’s disciples get an answer, Jesus turns to the crowd to ask why they went out into the wilderness to see John. Between John’s question and Jesus’ questions to the crowd, I think this whole gospel lesson can be summed up in one question: What are you waiting for?

What are you waiting for? That question can be taken so many different ways. All you need to do is put the emphasis on a different part of the question. Let me ask you this question three different ways.

WHAT are you waiting for? The Messiah, the promised one. The one of whom John, the last great prophet of the old order, announced. The one of whom Isaiah said, "Make his paths straight." We are waiting for that one, for the one who comes in the name of the Lord; we are waiting for the one who rules with justice and mercy, and whose kingdom will never end.

"Are you the one?" John’s disciples asked. Jesus answered, "The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor receive good news." But it’s not enough, is it? Read through Matthew and you will see several instances of people asking for a sign. As if all that Jesus has done didn’t matter. What they really are asking for, I think, is for Jesus to do something they expect; something that fits into their understanding of who God and the Messiah are.

Which brings me to the second form of the question: What are YOU waiting for? We all have different understandings of God. We all read scripture differently. Those understandings and readings can lead to vastly different interpretations.

For instance, broadly speaking, we can interpret the scriptures as an exclusive document – a set of rules and expectations – that limits who is accepted by God; or we can interpret them as an inclusive document – a guide that shows how God is continually reaching out towards the "other" in an effort to be reconciled with humanity.

I think, if anything, we should expect the unexpected from God. Time and time again God surpasses how we think God should act. Do you think God should come into this world, smite the heathen, raise the holy and righteous to heaven while throwing out the apostate and sinners into the outer darkness and unquenchable fire where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth?!? If so, then how do you explain Jesus as a babe, wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger? How do you receive the kingdom of God as a little child if that is your expectation? Maybe we all need to reexamine just what it is that we are waiting for.

And finally: What are you WAITING for? During Advent, that’s relatively easy to answer. We are waiting for the arrival of Christ. We are waiting for God to be made man so that we might have a human example of how to live Godly lives. But what about beyond that?

In this season, we anticipate the coming of God. But we’ve been through this before. I mean, this is my 40th Advent. When do we move beyond the season? When do we stop waiting for God to come, and start working for God? Many times scripture points out that God doesn’t want sacrifices but love, compassion, mercy and justice.

If all we do is come to church on Sundays, we are missing the point. Our actions have no substance. They have become meaningless and rote. We have done it so long that we have created a rut. And if we continue, that rut will become our grave.

Two weeks ago, Jesus told us to be ready and to stay awake because the Son of Man would return at an unexpected hour. If all we do is WAIT, we’ll get drowsy. We’ll get bored. We’ll get distracted. Yes, we need to wait, but it needs to be a productive waiting. A waiting with a mission. Are we waiting with a purpose, or are we just waiting?

John proclaimed the coming of the Messiah, and from prison he sent his disciples to ask if Jesus was the one. Jesus answered, "The blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the dead are raised."

What are you waiting for?