and thy saints shall bless thee.
Psalm 145:10
Intro
Today we get selections from Handel's Messiah!
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you…" Zechariah 9:9
The reading from Zechariah includes the florid soprano aria "Rejoice, greatly, O Daughter of Zion" that announces a gentle ruler whose dominion or reign will mean the end of war and the fullness of shalom. Post-exilic prophet Zechariah ministered during the restoration of Jerusalem; he lived around the same time as Ezra, Nehemiah, and Haggai.
All four gospels identify Zechariah 9:9 with Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem at the start of Holy Week:
• Mark 11:1-11
• Luke 19:28-38
• Matthew 21:1-11
• John 12:12-19
Next in The Messiah, an alto or mezzo-soprano promises "He shall feed his flock," followed by a soprano singing "Come Unto me."
"Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30
Matthew 11:16-19
16 "But to what will I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to one another, 17 'We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.' 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon'; 19 the Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!' Yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds."
J the B and Jesus
Verses 16-19 provide a famous contrast between wild and ascetic John the Baptist by the riverside who lives and ministers…on the margins of? No, outside the limits of conventional society. Though Matthew contrasts John with his slightly younger cousin Jesus, Jesus still is beyond counter-cultural by religious and societal norms.
It's become common to say Jesus demonstrates the lifestyle God's people are supposed to have, John's doesn't make it, yet John's invitation to all clearly models grace and community on the margins, rather than solely at the centers. Even people (like us?!) who think we know how Jesus' followers are supposed to be, appear, and act, still recognize the same God acting in different ways in different people and various circumstances.
On Advent 3 in Matthew's year, the gospel is Matthew 11:2-9 that's immediately before today's reading:
2 When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" 4 Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with a skin disease are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. 6 And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me."
7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What, then, did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 9 What, then, did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. …
Where We Live
To be church means first to be gathered in the Holy Spirit around word and sacrament and then to be missionaries or apostles (both words refer to being sent) in the discernment and guidance of the Holy Spirit of Pentecost. Jesus' Great Commission at the end of Matthew's gospel sends us into "all the world," but how can we do anything but start where we are right here and right now?
Just as John the Baptist and Jesus' styles were very different, God continues to act in different ways through different people. Each individual and group brings unique gifts and has different functions and callings.
We prayerfully attempt to contextualize or adapt ministry to our current geographical and cultural setting or context. Some churches even are named after their location: New Town Community Church; Fifth Presbyterian Church of Prairie City; Old Village Lutheran Church and School.
Scripture reveals many examples of God being present and acting powerfully in those who, like Jesus' cousin John, seem to be "other than, different from us." Maybe most stereotypically and characteristically in little kids, strangers, poets, artists, unhoused, any person or situation that's marginal rather than mainstream.
Postscript
Given that God apparently favors the unpretentious, what do we make of Center of the World Riverside Church in NYC? Can God be there as much as God is in a back alley outcast on the edges of existence in Chicago?
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