Third Sunday of Advent

First Reading

Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10

The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be given to them,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;
they will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.

Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return
and enter Zion singing,
crowned with everlasting joy;
they will meet with joy and gladness,
sorrow and mourning will flee.

Second reading

James 5:7-10

Be patient, brothers and sisters,
until the coming of the Lord.
See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth,
being patient with it
until it receives the early and the late rains.
You too must be patient.
Make your hearts firm,
because the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another,
that you may not be judged.
Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.
Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters,
the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Gospel

Matthew 11:2-11

When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ,
he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question,
"Are you the one who is to come,
or should we look for another?"
Jesus said to them in reply,
"Go and tell John what you hear and see:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me."

As they were going off,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John,
"What did you go out to the desert to see?
A reed swayed by the wind?
Then what did you go out to see?
Someone dressed in fine clothing?
Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.
Then why did you go out?  To see a prophet?
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
This is the one about whom it is written:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way before you.
Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."

Sermon

Dear sisters and brothers in faith,

Advent is a time of waiting. Yet we tend to experience it as a stressful shopping period, constantly rushing around—and waiting at most in line at the supermarket checkout. No one likes to wait. We prefer to keep ourselves busy with a thousand things so that it doesn't look like we have nothing to do. For many, “just” waiting seems too close to idleness. Perhaps this is also a way of hiding the fact that we no longer know exactly what we are waiting for.

But Advent is more than the proverbial “waiting for Godot.” In Samuel Beckett's play, the three main characters wait for this ominous Godot, who is always late and may not even exist, and therefore cannot come at all. Those who wait during Advent know what they are waiting for and why. “Are you the one who is to come, or must we wait for another?” asks John. He too has doubts. Even he. And yet, Jesus says, there has been no one greater among men than him. That is comforting. And it helps with our doubts when we no longer know what we are actually waiting for during Advent.

We have a well-founded hope: we are not waiting for the sake of waiting. We have a goal in mind. Advent is much more than waiting and drinking tea; more than a sedative to keep us from having to do anything, to sit idly by. Sometimes that is also helplessness. Because waiting and not being able to do anything (anymore) can also make you despair.

“Are you the one who is to come, or must we wait for another?”—as we heard earlier in the Gospel. The question sounds like doubt. The question sounds like impatience... and you can also hear a little bit of resignation.

And it is quite astonishing in today's Gospel who asks this question: a prophet, an important man of faith whose statements are provocative. It is John the Baptist who is plagued by doubt here. You would not expect this from someone like him. Didn't John the Baptist himself proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven? Didn't he himself say that after him someone would baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire? And didn't he himself say to Jesus, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?” The Baptist should know better. What kind of prophet is this who doubts his own message?

Through baptism, we Christians too have been called to be prophets. We are messengers of the Gospel. And for this, we too need a great deal of patience.

But Christian hope in Advent is more than just waiting; it is hopeful anticipation. And waiting requires patience.

But impatience characterizes our time, and it also characterizes the lives of many people.

This is all too evident during the Advent season.

The Advent season exists almost exclusively in liturgical books—outside of church services, the term “pre-Christmas season” is almost exclusively used. And that is not the same thing. Pre-Christmas season means that the celebration is extended, drawn out. There is no need to argue about the symbols of the Advent wreath and the Christmas tree. These are not purely Christian symbols. But I think that if you use them, it is also worth thinking about the message they convey. When Johann Heinrich Wichern invented the Advent wreath in the 19th century, he thought about how he could explain to children and young people what it means to approach Christmas. He had a candle for each day of Advent, and so the children automatically noticed that the closer it got to Christmas, the brighter the light became. And this despite the fact that the darkness outside was increasing, the days were getting shorter and the nights longer. When a Christmas tree was put up and decorated with lights and other decorations at Christmas, it was a sign of the abundance of life that comes into our world with the birth of the Son of God. Today, this abundance is allowed to shine even before the preparations begin; the fairy lights in the windows flash frantically and convey nothing but restlessness and hecticness.

In many cases, it is now the case that by the time we begin to celebrate Christmas in church, most people have already had enough of it, as it has been going on for weeks. Advent is something else: Advent is the question of what I hope for, the question of what I am waiting for. It is John's question: “Are you the one who is to come, or must we wait for another?”

Jesus does not simply answer “yes.” He says: What do you perceive? What do you see and hear? And he explains his actions with an allusion to the prophet Isaiah: “The blind see again, the lame can walk again, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead rise, and the poor are preached the good news.” (Mt 11:5) In this way, Jesus addresses John and, with him, all people about their hopes and expectations.

The Advent season poses such questions to us: What do I expect? What am I waiting for? What hope do I live by?