The Gospel readings from both last Sunday and this upcoming Sunday focus on the ministry and testimony of John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus. Regarding John, Jesus said something peculiar: “Among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.” (Mt. 11:11a)
This statement is stunning! John is greater than Moses? Elijah? Elisha? Ezekiel? Those prophets worked miracles, saw angels, raised the dead, and ate in the presence of God Almighty! They delivered people from slavery, conquered armies, and had their prayers answered miraculously! In what sense is John greater than them?
The answer is complex, but part of it, at least, is simple: John was greater because he was closer to Jesus. He knew Jesus personally, and they didn’t. He pointed people to him directly, and they only did so with mysterious hints (that they might not have understood perfectly). John met Jesus, in the flesh, face-to-face, and was greater than them because of it.
This answer may feel a bit like “Christian-speak,” but we need to meditate on it. Our world depicts greatness in so many ways—beauty, wealth, athletic prowess, influence, success, etc. But greatness, from Jesus’ perspective, is far humbler and yet far more profound.
Do we know Jesus? Not know of him, but know him, the way we know our closest friends? Could we predict his response to a situation? Can we feel his feelings? Do we long for his company? When you get up in the morning to face each new day, what does a good day look like? What does success look like? Jesus’ answer to that question is clear: “Just be as close to me as you can!”
Jesus is the life of God who has come into the world. Looking elsewhere for life—for satisfaction, pleasure, or affirmation—is a fool’s errand. He calls us to himself and defines greatness as proximity to himself because he loves us and longs to give us his life.
Steven+
Advent
On Sunday, December 3, we enter Advent, the season of preparation that looks forward to the coming of Jesus. From a very early time in the Church’s history, Christians began to practice seasons of preparation before the great feasts. The thought was simple—we need to purposefully prepare ourselves so that we are ready for an encounter with Jesus. The two seasons of preparation (Advent and Lent) look forward to the two great feasts (Christmas and Easter). In both instances, the Church taught that preparing ourselves meant fasting and prayer.
The fast of Advent is not a deep or severe fast. It is not driven by penitence, but instead by patience, hope, and expectation. It is like waiting for a wedding banquet, which we would hardly prepare for by eating too much cheap food. Instead, we wait in modest fasting, with joy and expectation, because a feast is coming. The certainty of Christmas offers us the ability to wait in patience and hope.
But it is the return of Christ, not Christmas, that we are ultimately waiting for in Advent. The first coming is proof that the second will also arrive, and our joyful waiting for Christmas should prepare us for Christ’s return. More than anything, this is the season of the year when we should cultivate a patient longing and hope for the second coming of Christ.
Prayer in Advent should be marked by this expectation. Every prayer should be grounded in the fact that Christ will come again and restore all things. Every reading should be considered from the standpoint, “What will this mean when Christ returns?” The season offers us a particular form of discipleship—discipleship in waiting. It should be the season where, even as we learn hopeful patience, our hearts fill with the prayer, “Lord, I long for your return! Please prepare me to celebrate your arrival!”
In order to help the people of Incarnation prepare for the coming of Christ, we have put together a devotional guide. A digital copy is available here, and physical copies will be at church on Sunday. Feel free to share them with friends and family!
Steven+
Angel Tree
This Christmas, we will be giving gifts through Prison Fellowship’s Angel Tree program to children who are separated from a parent because of incarceration. The gifts are purchased by people in the church and are given to the children on behalf of the incarcerated parent. This is a great opportunity to show the love of Christ to families who are affected by incarceration.
On November 26, there will be a Christmas tree at church with “angel tags” on it that give information about the children. Everyone at Incarnation who wants to participate should take a tag from the tree and buy the appropriate gifts, based on the information on the tag. (We would like each child to receive two gifts, one worth approximately $5-10 and one worth approximately $25-40.) After buying the gifts, you will simply wrap them, fix the “angel tag” to them, write the gift code inconspicuously on the corner of the package (in case the tag falls off in transit), and return them to church no later than Sunday, December 17 (you can return them earlier!).
We also need volunteers to help deliver the gifts the week before Christmas (December 18-22). If you would like to deliver gifts to a family, please let me know no later than Friday, December 15.
Katherine