Advent 3 A + Seeing differently + 12.14.25
M. Campbell-Langdell
All Saints, Oxnard
(Isaiah 35:1–10; Ps.146:4–9; James 5:7–10; Matthew 11:2–11)
“Come, thou long expected Jesus,” we often sing at this time
of year (Charles Wesley, 1744). “From our fears and sins release us, let us
find our rest in thee.”
However, today’s gospel passage reminds us that we could also
sing “Come, thou unexpected Jesus.” Why? Because Jesus doesn’t always conform
to our expectations or follow the patterns that we expect. To such an extent
that the followers of John come asking a question. Are you really the guy? And
Jesus, always a bit coy, doesn’t say, yeah, I’m the one you’ve been waiting
for. No, he expects them to do the work. Look to the scriptures, some of which
we read today. What do you see?
He tells them to rely on their senses. What do you see? The
blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are
raised, and the poor receive the good news. Jesus is an overachiever. He could
have just fulfilled some of the scripture, but no, he has to fulfill all of it.
But the point is, he does it so we could have proof that he is what we know him
to be, the Messiah.
And yet, this Jesus is unexpected. His methods are not the
methods of the prototypical messiah figure who might have ridden in on a high
horse and slashed his enemies, like some dream image of the Maccabean
community. He is humble, almost self-effacing. But also, very clear. It is as
if he is saying, 'I am he,' but don’t believe my words; see my actions, and
trust your own sense of things. Trust your instincts.
Preacher Phil Hooper says of this passage:
“This is the essential paradox of the Messiah we are shown in
Jesus: he is the expected one who will not conform to our expectations. He is
the one who has come, and yet he points away from himself the moment he
arrives. He does not respond directly in part because he refuses to succumb to
the idolatry of easy answers. And it is perhaps in this refusal—in Jesus’
rejection of the deceptive simplicities of our lesser gods—that we begin to
know that he is the Son of God. For only Truth would be content to let the
results speak for themselves.”[1]
Let me repeat that last bit, only Truth would be content to
let the results speak for themselves.
Truth is a theme this Advent. As we once more await the one who is coming and
prepare to celebrate his first arrival into the world come Christmas, we have
more questions than ever, and very few answers.
I heard a quote last week from Hannah Arendt, the twentieth-century
philosopher. She said, and I paraphrase, that the truth is like a tyrant in
that it will always win out. Lies are built on the shakier scaffolding of
avoiding the truth, but eventually, the truth will always be known, and it does
not need to be as flashy or showy as lies to get its point across. This is
clearly seen with Jesus today. He is the truth, and his actions speak for
themselves.
It seems every day we must greet the news with Pilate’s question, “What is
truth?” And yet Jesus knows that we know. He trusts that our hearts know. He
knows that love and truth will ultimately prevail.
But to hear the answers to the questions we seek, just like
the followers of John, we must learn to look and listen differently.
In the recent film “Wicked: For Good (2025),” there is a
phrase repeated by two lovers, Elphaba and Fiyero. When Fiyero calls Elphaba
beautiful, she asks him not to lie to her. He replies that it is not lying, but
simply looking at it from a different perspective. Without spoiling too much,
later she will have the opportunity to say the same to him.
In the same way, we are called to look at things in a
different way this Advent. If something is bearing fruit that is of the
Kingdom- if it brings healing and good news to the poor, and if it is affirming
to renewed life, then we know God is in the mix. That Jesus’s Spirit is acting
through this good work. But if we see people’s lives interrupted, if we hear
about bad news for the poor, and if we hear that healthcare is challenged, we
know this is not from the one whom we await. We see the truth inside ourselves.
We can trust our instincts. Some in this world may disagree. Let them. They may
look at you with contempt if you speak the truth. Let them. Jesus did. He knew
the truth. And the truth was love. Remember that, in the end, truth will
prevail, with its subtle yet undeniable power.
Look at things a different way this Advent. But don’t just
look differently outwardly, but welcome the Spirit into your heart. How might
God allow you to approach even this waiting moment differently? Trust yourself.
Not just based on words or assurances, but on the fruits of what you can see.
You are a beloved child of God, and God has given you insights and the power to
understand if you truly listen with your heart.
And then, as you listen with your heart, widen the circle. Please
encourage others to listen with their hearts, as well as to look with new eyes.
Not all need healing in the way we perceive. They may be beautiful just the way
they are. Others may need internal healing, a resurrection we can’t perceive.
But God can! Let God do that work in them. We are not the ones to judge that.
That duty falls to Jesus, but we can be faithful. We can be willing to look at
things from different perspectives. And encourage open-hearted perception in
others.
And if we are compassionate, I trust that we will inspire
that in others, those who are open to it. Those who come just like John’s
disciples did, searching for Jesus. We can’t be Jesus, but we can reflect his
light in our own way, day by day.
Today, on Gaudete Sunday, it is right that we rejoice. Let us
rejoice, knowing that Jesus’ truth will bring peace, joy, and a better world
for all. We anticipate and trust in that promise. Come, thou long expected,
unexpected Jesus!
Amen.
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