Paul reminds us that we have hope in the steadfastness of
Scripture. Christ comes to us as a servant on behalf of the truth of God that
God’s promises are confirmed. And Paul calls us to a radical hospitality. To
not only welcome in the people who look like us, the people who are as smart as
us, the people who dress like us, the people who think like us… Paul calls us
to welcome the people who have the opposite political views, the people who are
of different faith traditions, people who don’t look like us or talk like us or
think like us!
We don’t have to do this on our own!
Jesus promises to come to us… to help us
To aid us in our journey!
Jesus goes where no king or God should go… all the way down
to a stable in Bethlehem (living the human experience), all the way to a cross
on Golgotha, to the depths of hell, and to each of our individual sides, to our
needs! God comes to us! We don’t need to go to God… we can’t go to God. People think they don’t need the help of
God. The Pharisees and Sadducees think that they have the privilege that they
can earn this righteousness on their own and John convicts them! He calls them
vipers! He tells them they’re wrong! They need this baptism to cleanse them
because they’re corrupt servants of sin.
We see little glimpses of the Kingdom of God here on earth.
We see it in people who are lit on fire by the Spirit to work for justice and
to love mercy. Nelson Mandela sat in prison for years because he spoke out
against apartheid in South Africa. He didn’t do it on his own. He did it with
the help of God. We see it in the struggling single mother who works three jobs
to support her children. We see it in all the works of our hands led by the
spirit of God. In every breath, in ever diaper changed, in every conversation
with someone who is lonely, in our celebrations of the Eucharist, in baptisms,
over morning coffee and chats with spouses. This is the kingdom! It’s coming
and it’s already here… Jesus is coming and Jesus is already here!
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