It’s OK to Ask! - Matthew 11:1-11
/Lectionary Readings for December 15, 2019
Isaiah 35:1-10
Luke 1:46b-55
James 5:7-10
Matthew 11:1-11
Any time I preach or lead a group, regardless of age, I start the same way. I’m going to say three short sentences. Please repeat each sentence, with enthusiasm.
God made me. God loves me. God has plans for me.
Before I get into today’s sermon, yesterday I heard Steve Martin say something that really caught my ear. Steve has actually said a lot of things that I think are brilliant pieces of wisdom for life. Yesterday he was talking about a Masterclass he teaches on comedy. His invitation to join the class (for a fee) was this: No matter who you are, no matter what your background, there’s a place for you here.
If you’re visiting with us this morning, I would like to extend that same sentiment: No matter who you are, no matter what your background, we believe that everyone is a precious creation of God. You are welcome here. You can relax here. And you can grow here.
Getting back to today’s reading… It is a relief when someone else asks a question we’ve been thinking but were too shy or afraid to ask. We feel even better when the person asking is the brightest person in the room. If the one with all the answers reveals their limits with a question, then we feel more comfortable by sharing their ignorance and their question.
This is all the more true when the topic is our religious beliefs. We often fear that our questions imply weakness, mental dullness, or spiritual doubt. If we ask a simple question, people might question our faith. Our questions might include:
Is Jesus the real thing?
Is there any real substance to our religion?
Does the church – does OUR church – have something that matters?
Is this Christmas story about a Savior only a fairy tale… charming, but ultimately worthless and powerless against daily forces that hinder our hopes and darken our dreams?
Sitting in prison, waiting for his inevitable execution, John the Baptizer was asking tough questions. Just a few chapters ago, he had the answers. He had the conviction. He had the clarity that told him Jesus was the real deal and second to none. But then life took some unexpected turns and, in his misery, John asked: v3 “Are you really the one we have been waiting for?” “Did I bet my life on the wrong horse?”
Life’s hard experiences, like John’s prison cell, sometimes make us question what we once believed with certainty. John models for us that when we have questions and doubts, we need to share them with our Christian brothers & sisters so they can encourage us.
Jesus did not fit John’s idea of a Messiah. Jesus didn’t fit anybody’s idea. Jesus was not acting the way John and others thought a Savior would act – or should act. The lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world was not taking away the oppressive Roman government. Even though we have every reason to believe that Jesus was likely one of John’s followers for a time, Jesus was not fitting John’s theology.
Responding to John’s question, Jesus offers an invitation for an answer, saying in effect, “I cannot answer for you. You must decide on your own whether I am for real. Look at the evidence. What do you hear? What do you see?”
2,000 years later, Jesus’ answer is the same when we ask similar questions What evidence in your life is there that God is real? That Jesus is real?
Nearly 200 years ago in England, a young man named John Wesley, the son of a passionate preacher, was questioning his faith when, in his words, his heart was “strangely warmed;” an experience he believed was God’s tangible, personal presence in him. He couldn’t explain it, and he couldn’t deny it. Because of that experience, John Wesley committed his life to making God’s love real for common people – the very people who had been ignored by large, rich churches. The movement John started with a few friends 200 years ago grew into what we now call the United Methodist Church.
Today, we are encouraged by the stories of both Johns – but that’s only possible because they chose to share their stories, and those stories have been handed down from one generation to the next.
Two weeks from now we will use our regular Sunday worship time to celebrate what 200 years of Methodists have called a Love Feast. This is a time when we celebrate God’s love in our lives and feast on the stories of God’s activity in our lives. Please join us for this special service. Do NOT feel like you have to share. You do not. This is a chance for all of us to hear how God is active in Susanville.
As we did last week, your bulletin includes two business cards – one with fruit and another for your weekly prayers. I want you to look at the fruit card. This fruit of the Spirit tells us how we can see God’s presence in our lives – whether we are the one receiving or offering this fruit.
Two weeks from now, please consider sharing just 1-3 minutes of how you have seen God working in your life. You have 2 weeks to prepare. You can bring written notes, a song, a poem, a piece of art, whatever will help you feel comfortable and help you share your story.
And again, you are also welcome – encouraged – to come and be a quiet observer. That day in particular, I invite you to bring a friend who needs to hear an encouraging word about God’s active, loving presence today. Because God is alive and moving in our lives. Amen? Amen!