We have been talking about how to celebrate a non-traditional, counter-cultural Advent through our study of The Advent Conspiracy and through a sermon series about what it really means that "Jesus Is Coming."
Last week we read Matthew 3:1-12, about John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness to "prepare the way of the Lord." We talked about how Jesus turns the world-as-we-know-it upside-down. And we talked about the epidemic of bullying today and in Jesus' day, and how Jesus came to stop the bullying.
This week our scripture is Matthew 11:2-11. It is again about Jesus and John the Baptist. John sends messengers to ask Jesus if he is indeed the Messiah. Jesus replies with the truth: "The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor." [TNIV] In other words, Jesus came for the last, the lost and the least. Jesus came to speak the truth to power, always a dangerous undertaking. John the Baptist spoke the truth to power and ended up with his head on a platter. Jesus spoke the truth to power and ended up on the cross - but then showed us that the cross was not the end.
Today's reading from the devotional book Jesus Calling by Sarah Young says this about taking risks with Jesus:
"Be willing to go out on a limb with Me...Your desire to live a risk-free life is a form of unbelief...In order to follow Me wholeheartedly, you must relinquish your tendency to play it safe...As long as you stay close to Me, My sovereign Presence protects you wherever you go."
Jesus Is Coming. Tell The Truth. No Matter The Cost. Do Not Be Afraid.
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