December 11, 2016
3rd Sunday in Advent Year A

“When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” Matthew 11:2-6

“According to Matthew, John the Baptist — that fire and brimstone preacher of repentance — is now in prison. Some months have passed since he baptized Jesus and proclaimed him the chosen one. Having heard about what Jesus has been up to in the meantime, John apparently is having second thoughts. And so he sends his disciples to ask Jesus, quite plainly, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Well, that does seem a little strange — an Advent passage about John and his doubts — except … well, except that in the midst of all the planning and shopping and celebrating we’ve been frantically about, there does seem to be a greater amount of doubt and fear at this time of the year. Physicians, psychologists, and pastors all report an increase in requests for counseling, admissions to mental health facilities rise, and suicides peak right in the midst of the holiday season. And so John, it would seem, is not alone in his troubles. To be fair, John’s failure of confidence shouldn’t really surprise us. He is, after all, in prison and, so far, what he predicted and longed for has just not arrived. For when John announced the coming of God’s kingdom and proclaimed Jesus as God’s anointed, you see, he expected the world to change; now, some months (or even years?) later, things seem all too dreadfully the same. To put it another way, what John saw in Jesus was the summation and climax of all God’s promises to Israel; now, sitting alone in a prison cell, he is still waiting for that promise to be kept. John is, at best, concerned and far more likely, disappointed.” (David Lose, working preacher website, Disappointed with God at Christmastime, December 8, 2013)

I was listening to the radio the other day, and they were talking about the usual arguments that come about in the Christmas Season. In this particular story I caught the tail end of a report that had something to do with “You can’t include a manger scene at the Township Building / Court house / Municipal Building” argument that the news media just loves to report – all raised by either the “Separation of Church and State” people or the local “Atheist/Agnostic/Secular Humanists” group. And the reporter asked one of the representatives of the local Agnostic groups where they find their inspiration for maintaining a perspective on life if not from “God” or some other “higher power”. And he gave some convoluted answer about seeking solace from some “mystical/mysterious” source which, he admitted, they may never ever find. Now I understand how we can have our doubts about the mystery of G-d and of faith – even John the Baptist had his doubts. Even John, when the chips were down, when he was sitting in prison, when he wanted things to be a different way, well he wondered if things would ever change.

In this Christmas season, the church offers and celebrates certain gifts: G-d’s presence in Word and Sacrament that brings strength and comfort in times of suffering, G-d’s promise of wholeness and peace, and G-d’s love embodied in the community of faith. It is among the gathering of believers where we find sanctuary and where we should feel welcomed and loved. We gather together with our brothers and sisters where we can grieve, where we can heal, where we can be real about our fears and our anxieties and our brokenness. Through the Gospel of Jesus Christ we hear how people are accepted, even with our fears and our doubts, and we also hear how Jesus mends the brokenness of this life, and offers new life for eternity. It is the “good news” that everyone, even Atheists, need to hear.

Pastor Dave