Homily for
The Third Sunday in Advent
Sunday 11 December 2016
The Episcopal Church of the Holy Cross
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
A Parish of the Diocese of Bethlehem and The Episcopal Church
Today we are reminded that this season of
Advent is nearing its end. There is only
one more candle left to be light on wreath.
And the one that is light for the first time as the Advent light has
increased is different. Today is Gaudete
– the Sunday of Joy! The candle unique
to this Third Sunday among the four Sundays of Advent, along with the vestments
that I wear while celebrating the Mass of Gaudete, are rose, the color of joy.
With that theme of joy in mind, we have
heard of a remarkable encounter between Jesus and the disciples of the now
imprisoned John the Baptist who share the question of John: “Are you the one
who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”
Jesus gives an answer, though it likely isn’t as simple as John and his
disciples would have desired to receive.
They were likely looking for a simple “Yes or No.”
Jesus’ response invites all who hear it to
ponder on the effect of his presence. He
invites the disciples of John the Baptist to include John in on this act of
considering the fruits of the presence that have been revealed. Instead of simply pointing to himself, Jesus
points to blind who have received their sight, the lame who now walk, the
lepers who are cleansed, the deaf who hear, the dead who are raised to new
life, the poor who have receive good news.
And once all of this has been brought to the forefront of our vision,
Jesus finishes his answer by saying, “And blessed is anyone who takes no
offense at me.”
That final phrase uttered by Jesus was very
significant for the disciples’ generation.
When we read the Gospel ourselves, there is no way whatsoever to miss
the fact that there were people who were offended by Jesus, in spite of the
good things he did. In fact the further
we read into the Gospel, the greater that offense grows. Make no mistake about this one simple fact;
the cross that stands near the end of the Gospel is the greatest sign of that
growing offense.
On the other hand, the Gospel also shows us
how the presence of Jesus caused others to find joy in the presence of Christ
in their midst. Among them were the
disciples, the women who followed Jesus, and those among the least, the lowest,
the most marginalized and needy, who had experienced first-hand the healing
mercies of Jesus. His presence did not
just touch them for a moment. Over time
they grew in their adoration and devotion to him, even when they did not fully
understand what it was that Jesus was doing in the world for the sake of the
world. And as their adoration and
devotion grew, they became increasingly a people of joy. Yes that joy might have been dampened for a
moment in the passion and death of Jesus, but it was only for a moment. And when Christ rose victorious from the
dead, that joy exploded in ways that words cannot fully capture.
All of this is interesting to explore while
looking at the Bible and considering the lives and witness of the saints who
have gone before us. But today I want to
invite us all to step further into that encounter we have heard, especially the
words of Jesus in reference to his presence and the powerful impact he makes in
our midst. When Jesus said those words,
“Blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me,” he is speaking as much to us as
to those who stood before him on that day when John the Baptist sent his own
disciples to Jesus that they might ask Jesus the question sitting in the depths
of the heart of the Forerunner to the Messiah.
How this statement from Jesus’ own mouth
needs to echo down into our own day and generation! As Christians we do not like to acknowledge
the realty that there are persons in our midst who are deeply offended not only
by us Christians but by the Christ himself.
Perhaps we don’t like to acknowledge this because it seems more
difficult for us to see the benefits of the presence of Christ in the world in
our generation. And yet let me remind
you that we live with these benefits every day of our lives. We are a blessed people! Only, unfortunately, how often do we miss
these blessings because we are looking for something on a more grand scale than
what we have? Or how often is it hard to
see these blessings because we are so focused on ourselves that we fail to see
our neighbors. But if we are aware of
those in our midst who are in the greatest need, how often can we and do we
walk away with the realization that “but for the grace of God go I.”
And once we realize how easily we could be
like the least and the lowest, those who are in most need of the healing touch
of Jesus, how do we as Christians respond?
Here’s how we should respond: as beggars once blind and deaf, once lame
and mute, who know the wonder and the joy of being touched by Jesus who on one
hand lead others to Jesus while crying out for Jesus to heal once more these
ones who are in need of mercy and grace that leads to joy.
But what if these ones are offended by us
as well as Christ? And how can we show
Christ to those who are offended by the Christ as well as the Christian? You know people who fit these
descriptions. They are the type that
think Christians are fools and the very fact that there are people in great
need, more precisely that there have been times when they have been in great
need and distress, that there is clearly either no God who exists or God just
simply isn’t all that desirable.
Do you think that from this moment on in
today’s Gospel, or even prior to it, that Jesus reached out only to those who
were not offended by him and his presence?
We know the answer to that question.
We know well that in fact we could make the argument that Jesus sought
out those offended by him with greater passion than those who sought him
out. He longs for them and for all
people, both then and now. His desire is
to touch all that is broken and make it whole and well.
And if this is the desire of Jesus’ heart, should
it not also be the desire of the heart of the Christian? You know the answer to that question. I don’t need to tell you that it is “Yes!” But can we do this? Can we live this way that is so clearly the
kingdom way but not the way of this world?
Yes we can! It will not be easy,
but then again Jesus never promised us that life would be easy. His promise remains simply that he will be
with us forever, that he will give us the words and deeds we need for each
moment of life. Today, on this Sunday of
Joy, we are called to be a people who share the Joy of Christ with all whom we
encounter, not only with those who like us and Jesus, but even with those who
are offended by us and him. And here is
the best way we do so; by being the hands and presence of Jesus that feed the
hungry, heal the sick, clothe the naked, open the eyes of the blind, loose the
tongues of the mute, give hearing to the blind, and bring to the light those
who live in darkness. Words may be
necessary, but more times than not words take back seat simply to being the
silent presence of Christ in the world today, inviting others to be filled with
joy, to set aside all offense, and to grow in love with Jesus Christ more and
more each day, knowing to greater degrees moment by moment that God in our
midst not as a distant and irrelevant character of generations past but a
loving personal presence right here and right now, and forever.
Father
Timothy
Alleman
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