Advent 2

There is much in our bible story that is not warm fuzzy. John the Baptist spent his life preparing the way for Jesus. In today’s story, he’s in a prison, likely awaiting his death. So, we keep looking for good news. John asks his followers to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come or should we look for another?”. In other words, did he do the right thing? Is God really at work here? Did spend his whole life doing a thing that maybe was wrong? Has his efforts been in vain? We can probably relate to things we have done. Did they matter? We can wonder about meaning in life. Jesus says to report to John what they see..people being healed and hearing good news. That is good news. But, what’s missing? There’s no release of the captive. But there’s still hope to be found. Jesus points out that transformation is possible. To be looking for God at work. Do we recognize it? Isaiah tells us to look for God doing a new thing. Jesus says, “I assure you that no one who is born is greater than John the Baptist.” John was not a failure. As Rev. Dr. Boyung Lee said, “..hope that trembles is still hope.” It’s OK if our fear exists. In the midst of trembling hope, of fear, if we looking carefully, we will see the new thing. God is always at work.

Isaiah 43:19-21;
Matthew 11:1-11
7 December 2025