John the Baptist is really screwed. In this week’s lesson (Matthew 11:2-11) we find him in prison. As you can guess from last Sunday’s pericope, he’s pissed off some really important people. If we skip ahead to Matthew 14:1-12, we learn that John got arrested for calling out King Herod for sexual immorality. You have to admire the Baptist’s pluck. He knows that if the hub is rotten it won’t matter how strong the spokes are. If the guy who is supposed to be the head of state is corrupt and self-indulgent, then the whole society is up the creek without a paddle—and John’s not afraid to say so out loud.
Jesus really admires John, too. He tells
folks that John has been his advance man. John’s been the guy who shakes things
up, who speaks truth to power, who convicts people of their sin and need for
repentance, and who has pointed the way to the loving redemption Jesus has to
offer. No other prophet has been as crucial to God’s plan for humanity as has
John.
But this isn’t helping poor John. He’s in
the slammer, and when you’re in the joint in First Century Judea, the chances
of getting out with all of your body parts intact are pretty darn slim. He’s
probably underground, hungry, straining for a glimpse of sunlight, and
wondering when the guard is going to come and take him to his death. He’s in
trouble, alright. Dreading that his life is at an end—that this dirty, dark
dungeon will be the last thing he’ll ever see—he’s probably wondering if it was
all worthwhile. Did he get it right?
Can you blame the guy? If you suddenly
found yourself with a diagnosis which gave you only months to live, wouldn’t
you start to wonder if this world has been better for your having lived in it?
Has your life’s work made a difference at all? Have you spent your allotted time
on earth wisely? Did you point to the true Messiah? Has it mattered that you
are a Christian?
Jesus’ answer? Look around. What do you
see?
I pastor a very small congregation in
Northeast Philadelphia. We have an average worship attendance of about 80
people. What difference does it make that we worship Jesus Christ?
·
Our
partnership with Interfaith Hospitality Network has found permanent housing for
thirteen homeless families.
·
We’ve
delivered over a ton of food this year to hungry people on food assistance.
·
We
provide Christmas toys to abandoned and abused children, therapeutic riding
lessons to kids with special needs, and thousands of dollars every year to
international hunger causes.
·
We’ve
welcomed people disenfranchised from society, told scores of children about
Jesus, awarded scholarships to college-bound teens, and created summer programs
for neighborhood children at no cost.
·
We’ve
provided space to seven 12-step groups every week, free, handicap-accessible
fellowship space to senior citizens, and a support group for family members of
drug addicts.
·
We’ve
given clothing to indigent and homeless individuals and ready-to-eat meals to
shut-in senior citizens.
·
We’ve
created a community where people can become family and love, help, grieve, and
rejoice with one another.
Does it matter? Have we chosen the right
Messiah? I’d say that we have. Even as the world continues to look dark, God is
still at work through God’s Church.
So this Sunday we’ll do a little premature
celebrating. We’ll light that pink candle on the Advent wreath and we’ll
rejoice that God is still on the throne. Just look around. God’s light is shining
through us, and each of us, in our own little way, is, like John, pointing the
way to the Kingdom of God.
Keep up the good work, my friends. Thanks
for stopping by!
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