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Title: “Do You See and Hear What I See and Hear?”

Text: Matthew 11:2-11

Day: Advent 2A

Date: December 12, 2010

It was 1998 when my cousin, Scott, and I began our great trip to the West.  I had found myself a job working at a hotel at the Grand Canyon and Scott was headed out to L.A. where he was looking to make in-roads to the film industry.  So we loaded up his tiny, old, blue Toyota with all of our stuff (that’s right…everything that belonged to BOTH OF US fit in the trunk of his car!), and we took off across this great country.  Coming from Detroit, most of our trip was spent driving through endless farmland where rich, dark soil was pushing up dark green crops for miles and miles and miles.  But, of course, once we reached Colorado the scenery shifted dramatically.  It was wonderful, awesome and breath-taking!

But then we passed through Colorado and entered Arizona…after only twenty minutes or so, Scott finally said “Look at this place! How could anyone think this is beautiful?”  I looked around and was rather puzzled.  With the exception of the mountain majesty of Colorado, this was one of the most beautiful places we had seen on our long trip.  Scrub brush dotted the reddish-pink bluffs that seemed to shift colors with every passing view.  The sky above was so blue it seemed unreal.  When I looked around I couldn’t help but just be amazed at the shocking beauty of this place.  I turned to Scott and asked, “What are you talking about?” (as incredulous as I could sound).  Then he looked at me as though I were crazy and said, “Look around, Tim!  It’s barren, with nothing but hot sun beating down on these lifeless rocks for miles and miles and miles!”

I could understand why he said what he said.  But to my eyes it was beautiful.  For me, having already fallen in love with this part of the world, it was like coming home.  So I admit that my wonderment of the landscape was a little skewed by my experience.  In the end, though, I was struck by how we were looking at the same thing, but we talked about it in two very different ways.

Now, in today’s Gospel, we hear about John the Baptist yet again.  At this point he is in prison and so he has his disciples come to him periodically to tell him about the going’s-on in Palestine.  I imagine their report didn’t change much from week to week.  Every time they came to visit they said the same things: The Romans still ruled.  They still had to pay taxes to Caesar.  The Temple authorities still took advantage of the poor.  After a while of this, John gets fed up.  He had risked his whole life on the fact that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, after all – the one who would set the world to rights.  And yet nothing had changed!  And what’s worse: he was still in prison!  So, finally, he sends his disciples to Jesus to ask point blank whether or not he really was the anointed one or not.  Inquiring minds want to know!

When they arrive, they ask Jesus this question.  And I imagine that he looked a little taken aback.  I mean, here we are in chapter 11 of Matthew’s Gospel…hadn’t they read chapters 1-10?  Hadn’t they heard about what Jesus had done already? About what he had already said?  But no matter…Jesus still responds to their question.  But his response begins with a few very important words: “Go and tell John what YOU HEAR AND SEE.”  Then he lists off a bunch of things that really proclaim the heart of liberation and freedom and joy: blind people receive their sight, the ears of the deaf are opened, the poor have good news brought to them, the lame have been made strong, etc.  In other words, I think Jesus is suggesting that they look at the world around them with different eyes.  By doing so, they would understand that Jesus is in fact doing everything that is needed.  But it all depends on what one chooses to see and hear.

So, what do we SEE and HEAR?  This is a very poignant question for us today, I think, because – you see – the good news rarely seems to make news.  You know what I mean?  The newspapers and nightly news reports deal with shootings, tragedies, national security breaches, and things like that.  This is the stuff that makes the news…and it paints our world with a very particular brush.  One that makes many people look around at the world and ask “Look at this place!  How could anyone think this world is good and beautiful?”

To be fair, I can understand their position.  But – as a person of faith – as a person who believes that God creates this world and calls it “beautiful and good,” I think I am called to look at the world with different eyes.  I am called to look at the world and take the risk of pointing out where God is at work, where the transformative power of Jesus is at work, here and now.  And I am called to proclaim this – what I see and hear – to others who need to see and hear this good news, too.

So, what do we SEE AND HEAR?  How do we talk about what we SEE AND HEAR?  Do we see the ugly world around us, filled with despair and dread and fear? Or do we look with the eyes of faith and see a world that proclaims God even where God seems most absent?  What do you SEE AND HEAR that proclaims hope and joy?

I would like you to take a few minutes…turn to your neighbor, and share a news story with them.  Tell them something that you have SEEN AND/OR HEARD recently that has brought you hope and joy.

[Discuss this topic for a few minutes, then bring everyone back together to share some responses.]

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