Pr. Joseph Crippen

God comes to heal, not to destroy, and following the path of Christ is seeing and hearing that mercy and love, and then living it.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
The Third Sunday of Advent, year A
Texts: Matthew 11:2-11; Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:5-10

Beloved in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

Even John saw the problem.

The contrast between John’s rhetoric and Jesus’ peacemaking we saw last week was so stark John started to worry about Jesus. In prison, nearing his death, John sends two of his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”

John knows Jesus personally. John, led by the Holy Spirit, had no doubts about naming Jesus as God’s Anointed.

But now he isn’t sure? He’s facing death wondering if he failed at the one job he had?

John saw a people and a world woefully unprepared for Messiah.

He saw corruption in the religious leaders, oppression from a crushing overlord. He saw people living apart from God’s way. And he saw in binary, in black and white: you either bear fruit or you don’t. You’re ready or you’re not.

John’s just being a Biblical prophet. He’s calling out bad behavior, sinful action, disregard of God’s law and God’s way, and not putting any nuance on it at all. If he thinks you’re outside, as we heard last week, he’ll say all kinds of terrible things about you and to you. To call you back to God.

But Jesus sees all that John sees. Corruption and oppression, people living apart from God’s way, people not bearing the fruit of faithful lives. He just has a very different strategy for calling people to God’s way, to dealing with evil. He’s different.

That’s why he answers John the way he did.

Jesus says, tell John what you see and hear: blind people have their sight restored, deaf people are given hearing.

People that couldn’t walk now dance. Even dead people are raised. And – and this is no small thing to Jesus – and those who are poor have the Good News brought to them.

Jesus knows his Isaiah. And he knows John knows his Isaiah. So Jesus is saying, John, do you remember Isaiah 35? When God comes to save, blind people will see, deaf people will hear, lame people will jump for joy, and people who can’t speak will sing. Weak hands are strengthened, feeble knees firmed up.

Remember Psalm 146, John? Jesus says. All those things Isaiah promises, but also, justice for those who are oppressed, food to those who are hungry. Strangers are cared for, along with those who lack family support. These are the signs of God’s coming.

So Jesus asks John, “who do you think I am, if I’m doing all these things promised for when God comes to save? How can you be offended by me, and worried that I’m not the one?”

In a world of darkness and fear such as ours, where we see corruption, oppression, violence, evil, just like John did, we sometimes raise John’s question.

We’re now 2,000 years after the coming of this Christ, this Messiah, and it still seems bad. How can you know Jesus’ way is God’s way? Shouldn’t God be doing something stronger? Bring judgment, destroy the wicked, end all that the wicked do? Maybe John has the right idea.

Because if God isn’t taking the world’s evil seriously enough to come and put an end to all of this, what are we missing?

But Jesus asks, “what do you see and hear me do? What does that tell you?”

Here’s what I see and hear.

I see and hear Christ moving in the world for healing and life. Look at all of you, to start with. Dedicated, passionate people who bring light into the shadowy corners of the world every day. I see Christ everywhere I look here, anointed people witnessing to God’s love by bearing the same love in your families, in your daily lives, in this place, this neighborhood, this world. I see people with imagination and courage standing against the powers of evil, making a difference every day. Sharing your wealth for God’s work, sharing your time and sweat to bring God’s healing hope into this world in more ways than I can count. That’s what I see and hear.

And that’s just this community of faith. I see evidence of this in our siblings and neighbors in this city, throughout our nation, throughout the world. God is working against the evil, the corruption, the oppression, the pain, all over this earth.

Maybe these aren’t the specific physical healings Jesus did,. But all the other signs, bringing God’s Good News to those who are poor, those who struggle, bearing God’s justice for those who are oppressed, being God’s love in a world of hate, all things Messiah is supposed to do, all that people are doing. People are being Christ in the world for light and healing and hope.

Can you see and hear that?

Blessed is anyone who isn’t offended by me, Jesus says. He means you and me.

You can look at all the wickedness and evil in the world and despair that God isn’t showing up to get rid of it all. You can spend your Advent waiting and watching for that big, bright, flashy moment when God says, “all right, we’re cleaning this place up, getting rid of the bad guys, cutting down the unfruitful trees.”

Or you can look and listen for where the Triune God has actually said you’ll find God’s healing and mercy and love. You can listen and look for signs of Christ in everyday people, here and throughout the world. You can spend your Advent waiting and watching for where God really is coming and bringing life and hope, and you can join that coming yourself. Because you are baptized, anointed. You are Christ.

Don’t be offended, Jesus says, if my way of healing and hope doesn’t fit your anger, or self-righteousness, or even hate for others. Just look and listen. You’ll be amazed at what you see and hear God doing in you and in this world.

And then ask yourself, do I trust Jesus enough to do this his way?

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen

 

“No more of this!” Jesus’ way is love for enemies, healing of relationships, ending of violence and hatred.

Pr. Joseph G. Crippen
The Second Sunday of Advent, year A
Texts: Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12

Beloved in Christ, grace to you, and peace in the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

“No more of this!” Jesus cried out.

The night of Jesus’ arrest and trial, Peter slashed someone’s ear off to defend Jesus. Jesus wanted none of it. “No more of this,” he said, and healed the man’s ear.

I believe Jesus would say the same to John the Baptist after these harsh words. John did good things. He pointed to Jesus as Messiah. He suggested helpful, concrete actions for how to turn toward God in repentance. But this speech? It’s hate-filled, inflammatory, without nuance.

And, with all due respect to John, Jesus’ way has nothing to do with it.

But you tell me: do you really think we need more public leaders defaming whole groups?

Haven’t we already had enough of insults, of assuming evil intent, of calling for destruction? A president who this week called his own citizens “garbage,” “worthless,” “criminals” because they came from Somalia? Who sees one immigrant do a bad thing and screams hateful words seeking to ban all immigrants, including friends dear to this congregation? Aren’t you tired of hate-filled rhetoric that doesn’t see human beings, but publicly insults, offers demeaning stereotypes, invites violence?

But this is John the Baptist, you might say. He’s preparing the way for Messiah. He’s on the right side. And after all, it’s the Pharisees and the Sadducees. They likely deserved it.

Are you sure? Are you certain every single Pharisee and Sadducee of this time deserved to be called snakes and threatened with destruction, with being cut off from Abraham’s family? What about Nicodemus? Joseph of Arimathea?

And Matthew says these Pharisees and Sadducees came for John’s baptism. He doesn’t say they came to judge or critique. They apparently came for the same reason others did – for baptism of repentance. Yet John assumes they’re all wicked, all have ulterior motives? This seems wrong.

Don’t take my word for it. Listen to Jesus, the Messiah John means to prepare us for:

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:43-45)

That’s Jesus’ way for you to deal with people you don’t trust, your enemies. Not with hate and violent threats. With love and prayer.

Listen to Isaiah. When Messiah comes, a wolf will share sleeping quarters with a lamb, and so will a leopard with a baby goat. Cows will eat alongside lions, who’ve learned to eat grass instead of meat. Babies will play with vipers, not condemn them in rage. “No one will hurt or destroy on all my holy mountain,” God says.

That’s the way of Christ Jesus calls you to follow.

Until we can say again and again, “no more of this!” to the way of hate, we won’t find Christ’s reign. All our self-righteous posturing that makes John’s speech – or our speech – OK because it’s on the “right” side, is worthless.

Isaiah claims this peaceable reign of God will come with Messiah. And that’s now, not in a distant future, because Messiah is here. Jesus means “no more of this” with as much intensity as he can muster, means that loving enemies and praying for them right now is the only path to God’s reign.

Paul deeply wants his Roman people to live this.

There’s great conflict in these congregations, Jewish Christians against Gentile Christians. They’re calling names, rejecting fellowship. The unity of Christ’s family is falling apart. And Paul wants none of it.

Paul believes Isaiah’s promise is now, that adversaries are meant to live in love with each other in Christ. That the way of Christ embraces all together, including those who know they’re right with God and that’s why they don’t like the others.

Paul astonishingly claims today that Jesus both came as a Jew to confirm the promises to the Jewish ancestors, and also, also, so that Gentiles might “glorify our merciful God.” Gentiles aren’t an add-on after the fact, they’re part of God’s plan from the beginning, which Paul underscores with four Scripture quotes.

So, when Paul says “welcome one another, just as Christ has welcomed you,” he’s talking to two groups who increasingly can’t stand each other but whom Christ has put together, saying, “you were and are welcomed by Christ. Your only path is to welcome each other. Love each other. Take care of each other.”

John thinks preparing the way for Messiah means chopping down all fruitless ones and throwing them in the fire.

Jesus wants nothing to do with Peter’s sword or John’s ax. Jesus says, “I’ll dig around that tree, put some manure on it, care for it a bit. Maybe that will bring fruit.” John prejudges whole groups of people and deems them expendable because he doesn’t see their fruit. Jesus sees individual beloved children of God worthy of all attention and care, and hopes to nurture each one to bear fruit.

The difference is huge for us. The rhetoric of hate and insult, the stereotyping, goes both ways. We’re often as guilty as any. Just because we think we’re on the “right” side doesn’t make it right. Until you and I believe Jesus meant this new, peaceable reign to start here and now, act on that, bear that fruit, and abandon the idea that if we think we’re in the right, whatever anger and hatred we have for others is justified, until we do this, the world will continue in suffering.

Again, don’t take my word for it. Jesus is very clear.

Jesus believes his way will bring healing, hope, and life to the world, that if we trust him enough to follow this path, things will change. Now, there’s no promise this healing, this peaceable reign, will come easily. No promise that the enemy you pray for and learn to love will reciprocate. You might lie down with a wolf and get hurt. Jesus knows exactly how that feels.

But in Christ Jesus is all the love of God you know, all the hope you have for life here and life to come, all the joy of knowing you are in God’s heart forever. Christ has the words of abundant life for you and for all. Where else would you go?

And if this path really leads to the healing of all things, do you really want to miss that?

In the name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen