Advent
Bob Wickizer
Isaiah 35:1-10
Joe and Sarah lived a comfortable life in suburban Oklahoma. Their children were successful and lived far away. A few days before Christmas, Joe called his son Bill in New York. ''Bill, I need to tell you this straight up. Your mother and I have been married forty years and we can't stand each other. We're getting divorced.'' There was silence on the phone. Bill finally replied. ''Dad, that's terrible news. You guys really do love each other. I'm going to call Mary right now. Don't do anything until I call you back.'' Bill called his sister Mary in Hong Kong. She was furious. ''How could they do that? I'm taking the next plane back there. I'll see you tomorrow'' and she hung up. Bill called his father back and said ''Dad, don't do anything until Mary and I get there, OK?'' After Joe hung up the phone, he smiled, turned to his wife and said, ''It's all taken care of. The kids are coming home for Christmas.'' [pause] Sometimes we show up expecting one thing and get another. And at other times, we show up for the wrong reasons.
Just last week we heard John the Baptist's expectations for the Messiah. John told the Pharisees that the one who comes after him will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. Yikes!
The Palestine of Jesus' day had been occupied by the Romans for over two centuries. Before Jesus, there had been failed attempts at rebellion. The Messiah they were expecting would be a warrior-leader just like David. He would lead the Jews to overthrow the Romans. But things didn't turn out that way.
A few months after John's encounter with the Pharisees and Sadducees, he had pointed out to Herod, the tetrarch or ruler of Palestine and who was also Jewish, that he had violated Jewish law by divorcing his wife and marrying his brother's wife. For tell ...
Bob Wickizer
Isaiah 35:1-10
Joe and Sarah lived a comfortable life in suburban Oklahoma. Their children were successful and lived far away. A few days before Christmas, Joe called his son Bill in New York. ''Bill, I need to tell you this straight up. Your mother and I have been married forty years and we can't stand each other. We're getting divorced.'' There was silence on the phone. Bill finally replied. ''Dad, that's terrible news. You guys really do love each other. I'm going to call Mary right now. Don't do anything until I call you back.'' Bill called his sister Mary in Hong Kong. She was furious. ''How could they do that? I'm taking the next plane back there. I'll see you tomorrow'' and she hung up. Bill called his father back and said ''Dad, don't do anything until Mary and I get there, OK?'' After Joe hung up the phone, he smiled, turned to his wife and said, ''It's all taken care of. The kids are coming home for Christmas.'' [pause] Sometimes we show up expecting one thing and get another. And at other times, we show up for the wrong reasons.
Just last week we heard John the Baptist's expectations for the Messiah. John told the Pharisees that the one who comes after him will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. Yikes!
The Palestine of Jesus' day had been occupied by the Romans for over two centuries. Before Jesus, there had been failed attempts at rebellion. The Messiah they were expecting would be a warrior-leader just like David. He would lead the Jews to overthrow the Romans. But things didn't turn out that way.
A few months after John's encounter with the Pharisees and Sadducees, he had pointed out to Herod, the tetrarch or ruler of Palestine and who was also Jewish, that he had violated Jewish law by divorcing his wife and marrying his brother's wife. For tell ...
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