The message on Sunday, December 16, will be delving into the Gospel lesson, Matthew 11:2-15. The title of the message is "When the Season / Life / GOD ... Doesn't Meet Our Expectations." The title/theme for this weeks teaching does express a progressions that many of us have faced ... and grew out of what many of our members (that I encountered this week) are experiencing: "This is not what I had planned for the holidays;" or "Who ever would have guessed that my life would have taken this turn ... or ended up like this!" In most cases, there was a nagging suspicion ... though hesitantly whispered or perhaps never verbalized ... that God wasn't living up to ... well, expectations. Our expectations!
What inevitably follows such conversations are feelings of guilt that we would question God ... or doubt Him. God never wants us to doubt Him, that's true. But I believe He always encourages questions ... and a seeking for answers.
That's what we find happening in Matthew 11:2-15. John the Baptist - the faithful forerunner of Christ - is in prison. Things aren't going so well for him. I don't think he minds that as much as he questions what Jesus is doing.
At the Jordan River John the Baptizer was absolutely sure that this Jesus who came to be baptized by him, the one whose sandals he was not worthy to unloose, was the Messiah. John's confidence seemed to be an unshakable consequence of his faith. In reality, though, John's expectations about who the Messiah was, what the Messiah would so, and how the Messiah would go about it ... are what fueled his confidence. In other words, his expectations and not his faith built his confidence.
While he was in prison, what John was hearing about what Jesus was doing did not seem to match John's expectations for the Messiah, the Christ. Its possible that John might have begun to think he was having a crisis of faith when in fact he was having a conflict between his expectations and the reality of Jesus.
This kind of conflict between expectations and reality happens all the time. And we should ask questions. That's OK. But, we should also seek answers - as did John - from Jesus.
Jesus pointed John to the Word of God ... and to its fulfillment in what He was doing. He would do the same for us. As far as the clash between expectations and reality goes, we have one, maybe two, major difference(s) with John in this situation.
- John was in prison; but we are free and have the opportunity, privilege, and responsibility to diligent examine the Scriptures to discover, experience, and live in the freedom of truth; and secondly ...
- We live on this side of the cross and open tomb. We know how THE STORY ends ... and that by grace, we have already been included in the victory parade.
So when your expectations are not met, and you are discouraged, disappointed, dejected, or even depressed, remember that your faith and life are to be built on Jesus, the Christ - Who is with us, and upon His Word and promises - which never fail.
In the kind embrace of the Savior, we will discover that our experience of His presence - in the Word, in the Lord's Supper, in our lives - and the reality of His promises far exceed any of our expectations.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20, 21
God bless ... and I will look forward to seeing you on Sunday for ... the rest of the story.
Pastor David Maier
