Readings:
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- Isaiah 35:1–10
- Psalm 146:5–10 or Luke 1:46b–55
- James 5:7–10
- Matthew 11:2–11
Have you ever felt like John the Baptist in Matthew 11? He dedicated his life to preaching and preparing the way for the Messiah. He thought it was Jesus. Now he sits in prison and Jesus does not seem to be delivering the people from the hands of the Romans. Did he get it wrong? Is Jesus really the savior?
Perhaps you find yourself discouraged today. You know you are supposed to light the candle of Joy this week. Yet, you look around at the violence and hatred in the world and think, “Rejoice, really? Where is the joy of the LORD?”
It helps me to remember that the scriptures were written by people who were experiencing great suffering and oppression. The Hebrew prophets spoke in the face of invasion, the destruction of their temple, and the deportation and exile of their people. The disciples of Jesus lived in the shadow of two forms of persecution. The first was the Roman Empire, the violent war spirit between it and Judea, and the ultimate destruction of the second temple. The second was the tension they felt by their Jewish siblings who felt betrayed by their allegiance to Jesus as the Christ and their openness to Gentiles.
Perhaps John the Baptist was placing his hope for Joy in the wrong place. Notice how Jesus replied to John’s inquiry. He quotes the prophets. He says, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me. (Matthew 11:4-6)”
Jesus ministry did not happen in epic battles of clashing power structures. He did not lead a political coup against the oppressor. Instead, he loved every person he encountered and set them free, one person at a time. He spread the love and joy of the LORD everywhere he went, and that joy became the infectious hope that carried the people through their darkest times.
This week, may we find the joy of the LORD in the simplest acts of kindness. May we feel the flowing waters of the Spirit quenching the dry soul of the lonely and despairing. Let us rejoice in the fact that God loves us and is with us, no matter how dark it may seem.
This week we come to our final stop on our Advent journey through the Hebrew prophets. The prophetic book of Isaiah is the largest of all the prophets. Isaiah spoke to the people of Judah during the most cataclysmic time of their history. He saw the coming of Babylon, the destruction of the Temple, and the Exile. His writings offer the most well-known images for what the Messiah will be like and what a world that flourishes under the Prince of Peace could be. The selected text for this week offers an idyllic vision of God’s abundance where all nations come together and live in mutual flourishing.
We light the candle this week and quote verse 12, “for you shall go out in joy, and be led back in peace.”
