Whom We Seek (43)
Lectionary, Year A, Advent 3
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 11:2-11
Advent is our season of preparation and waiting. It is awaiting Messiah. It is awaiting God’s Reign to come in all its glory. It is anticipating the fullness of what God has in store for us. It’s not just awaiting a baby in a manger, nor some ethereal reality awaiting us somewhere, somehow on ‘‘the other side.’’ It is about meeting God right here and now. It is preparing our lives to exude the presence of Christ in the context amid which we already live. Is that what we are anticipating, or are we just preparing for Santa’s arrival so we can open up the presents?
Last Sunday, we talked a bit about the complicated nature of John the Baptist. He was precursor and herald to Jesus. He had an important role, helping the nation open themselves to receiving Jesus as he came on the scene. He was a prophet, acclaimed by Jesus himself as one of the great ones from the time of Moses until Jesus’ own day. Even so, we find in today’s passage he did not quite get it. He had part of the picture, but he could not see the whole thing. He called people to prepare their lives for what God had in store, even as he himself was somewhat confused on what God was preparing and doing.
We’ve all been there. We pretty much live there. We think we know what God is all about, and then we discover that maybe we did not have quite all the right answers to all the right questions. Such is the human experience. We think we know. We think we understand. We do our best to get it right, but we simply live with blind-spots, and we live most of our lives unaware of them or how they influence our living and understanding the bigger picture. We struggle to learn more and see more clearly, yet so much still remains out of focus. I get the phone figured out, and they install a new update!
John knew Messiah was on the way. John knew Jesus was Messiah. John was certain of these things. He just did not unders ...
Lectionary, Year A, Advent 3
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 11:2-11
Advent is our season of preparation and waiting. It is awaiting Messiah. It is awaiting God’s Reign to come in all its glory. It is anticipating the fullness of what God has in store for us. It’s not just awaiting a baby in a manger, nor some ethereal reality awaiting us somewhere, somehow on ‘‘the other side.’’ It is about meeting God right here and now. It is preparing our lives to exude the presence of Christ in the context amid which we already live. Is that what we are anticipating, or are we just preparing for Santa’s arrival so we can open up the presents?
Last Sunday, we talked a bit about the complicated nature of John the Baptist. He was precursor and herald to Jesus. He had an important role, helping the nation open themselves to receiving Jesus as he came on the scene. He was a prophet, acclaimed by Jesus himself as one of the great ones from the time of Moses until Jesus’ own day. Even so, we find in today’s passage he did not quite get it. He had part of the picture, but he could not see the whole thing. He called people to prepare their lives for what God had in store, even as he himself was somewhat confused on what God was preparing and doing.
We’ve all been there. We pretty much live there. We think we know what God is all about, and then we discover that maybe we did not have quite all the right answers to all the right questions. Such is the human experience. We think we know. We think we understand. We do our best to get it right, but we simply live with blind-spots, and we live most of our lives unaware of them or how they influence our living and understanding the bigger picture. We struggle to learn more and see more clearly, yet so much still remains out of focus. I get the phone figured out, and they install a new update!
John knew Messiah was on the way. John knew Jesus was Messiah. John was certain of these things. He just did not unders ...
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