Loving God, sometimes we are blinded by our own expectations when it comes to recognizing your kingdom.  Help us not only to see you at work, but to further your purposes here on earth, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            The reading we heard from Isaiah today sounds almost like Paradise.  There are streams in the desert and blooming flowers.  Joy and singing abound.  God is saving and redeeming God’s people.  Many people are healed of their infirmities, “and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Is. 35:10).  It sounds good to us, even now, just as it must have sounded like sweet relief to those who were exiles in Babylon during Isaiah’s ministry.

         However, when they finally were allowed to return to their homeland, the wilderness looked pretty much like it did before.  And their homeland, rather than looking like a second garden of Eden, was in ruins.  The Temple had been burned and destroyed.  The walls of Jerusalem had been torn down, and many of the houses had been demolished.  Rather than joy and singing, they were faced with a long rebuilding process in the midst of the rubble.  It was not even close to what they had expected when they heard Isaiah’s message!

         In a similar vein, we move forward in time several hundred years to the events described in the gospel of Matthew.  Last week, we got a sense of what John the Baptist was expecting when he told people about the one coming after him.  He was expecting fire and judgment and baptism with the Holy Spirit (Mt. 3).  Today, however, we find John in prison, and he is not sure if Jesus is the coming Messiah or not.

         While Jesus has performed some pretty amazing miracles, he has not been quite as fiery as John was expecting.  Instead, he has been giving sight to the blind, cleansing lepers, and causing the lame to walk.  He has been raising the dead, opening the ears of the deaf, and bringing good news to the poor (Mt. 11:5).  He has not been doing exactly what John had expected, but lo and behold, some of Isaiah’s vision from so many years before is being fulfilled through Jesus!

         This seems to be just one more example of how the way in which God works defies all expectations.  The words of prophets like Isaiah get fulfilled over the course of time – sometimes immediately, sometimes hundreds of years later, and sometimes at the end of the age.  There is also the kind of fulfillment that is both already and not yet.

         Both John and Jesus proclaimed the message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Mt. 3:2; 4:17).  This was true in the first century, and it is also true right now. The kingdom of heaven has come near in Jesus.  When he was healing people and raising the dead and proclaiming good news to the poor, people were getting a little glimpse of what things are like when God is in charge.  The same thing happens today when people are open to the power of the Holy Spirit.  There are still glimpses of the kingdom of heaven, but we are not always able to recognize them.

         Part of our faith as Christians is that Jesus, who is crucified and risen, sits at the right hand of God, having been given authority over all things.  Many of us likely have certain expectations about what this means – both now and in the future.  Many of us also look around at what is happening in the world and wonder what has happened to Christ’s victory over sin and death and evil.  Just like John, we have doubts about how events are unfolding.

         In John’s case, he was directed to pay attention to what was happening and to connect the dots to Isaiah and other prophets.  In the same way, we are invited to pay attention to the ways in which God’s reign continues to show up.  Whether it is healing in the name of Jesus or food provided for the hungry, God is at work.  Whether it is pursuing justice or caring for creation, God is at work.  Whether it is providing shelter and clothing for those in need or reaching out to those who are lonely, God is at work.  And, in any place where people are restored into community, God is at work.

         We tend to forget that many of the people whom Jesus healed were excluded from community because of their various ailments.  Those who were blind and lame were not allowed in the Temple.  Lepers had to keep their distance.  And begging was the only option available for those who were disabled or childless widows or diseased.  When Jesus healed or helped these people, they were able to be part of the community once again.

         It is no accident that Jesus continues to call us into community, for it is there that we learn how to love one another as Jesus has first loved us.  It is also in community that we are able to work together in order to be the body of Christ in our world.  The kingdom of heaven has, indeed, come near.  May we be given the eyes to see and the ears to hear, wherever God is at work in our world.  And, may others be able to see glimpses of God’s reign through us, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Advent 3A                                         Isaiah 35:1-10

December 11, 2022                        Matthew 11:2-11

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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