{"id":511987,"date":"2013-12-04T14:04:51","date_gmt":"2013-12-04T14:04:51","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-07-15T07:38:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T11:38:03","slug":"expecting-the-unexpected-messiah-advent-3-a-2013","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/sermons\/expecting-the-unexpected-messiah-advent-3-a-2013\/","title":{"rendered":"Expecting the Unexpected Messiah, Advent 3 (A) \u2013 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What happens when our expectations don\u2019t get met? How about when it\u2019s our expectations about God that don\u2019t get met?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few years ago, Steve Johnson, a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills, voiced his surprise on Twitter when things didn\u2019t turn out the way he hoped during a football game. After Johnson dropped a potentially game-winning touchdown pass during overtime, the Pittsburgh Steelers won the game 16-13. The New York Daily News<\/a> reported that Johnson blamed God and tweeted:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cI praise you 24\/7!!! And this how you do me!!! You expect me to learn from this???How??? I\u2019ll never forget this!! Ever!! Thx Tho.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your theology says that praising God causes God to reward you by favoring your football team, then what if you drop the ball?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe Johnson should just be commended for the honesty of his prayer, for being in communication with God about his questions and doubts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe his expectations were not met. Either God wasn\u2019t keeping God\u2019s end of Steve Johnson\u2019s deal, or Johnson\u2019s world had just shrunk, with God operating outside the box he tried to fit God into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or maybe God doesn\u2019t like Buffalo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John the Baptist\u2019s world had shrunk. Literally. The one who was preparing a way in the wide-open wilderness is held captive in a prison cell. The one who baptized the Son of God in the Jordan River is dependent on his jailor to bring him a cup of cold water to drink. The one who was so sure of who Jesus was, now wonders, Are you the one who is to come? Really?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Matthew writes, \u201cWhen John heard what Jesus [the Messiah] was doing  \u2026\u201d Actually, what Matthew could have written is, \u201cWhen John heard what the Messiah was not<\/em> doing \u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jesus was not following John\u2019s outline for his ministry. Jesus was not following John\u2019s mission statement for him, his step-by-step plan for successful Messianic ministry. John had told people the axe was lying at the root, ready to chop down the unworthy trees. He had promised the chaff would burn with unquenchable fire. But Jesus didn\u2019t seem to be pointing the finger of judgment. There was no smoldering woodpile of sinners. And this must have meant more than mild disappointment for John: He was at that very moment sitting in prison, awaiting his own beheading because he had dared to stand up and challenge King Herod for Herod\u2019s unrighteous marriage. If Jesus were looking for some chaff worthy of burning, he could start by lighting a match to King Herod, and get John out of prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, Jesus is pronouncing forgiveness, healing the sick, bringing Good News to the poor. Was this really what Jesus was supposed to be doing? Are you the one who is to come? Or should I hope for someone else?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes Jesus said and did some strange things, or certainly unexpected things, or things that aren\u2019t what we hope for. And because of that, John asks, and the disciples ask, and we ask, \u201cAre you the one who is to come, or should we look for someone else?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each of us has expectations about the kind of Savior we want. Some do want a brimstone and fire-breathing Messiah who points out where everyone else is going wrong. Some of us want a Jesus who will champion our favorite cause, who will assure us that God is on our side of the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Or maybe we want a gentle shepherd who will not demand anything of us, but only assure us that he loves us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sooner or later, though, our ideas of Jesus bump up against reports of what he is doing, either in Scripture or the world. Jesus \u2013 the real Jesus, the real Messiah, Lord, Shepherd, Savior, Friend, Redeemer \u2013 will at times upset our expectations. And he will ask, \u201cDo you want to follow the living Christ, or do you want to worship your idea of who he should be? Do you want the thrill and hope and challenge of a life with the living Christ? Or merely the comfort of worshipping an idol of your own making?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John wondered if Jesus was really the one in whom he should hope. So he went to Jesus to ask. John couldn\u2019t get there in person, so he sent his disciples. But John went to the source instead of just muddling along, or making assumptions, or staying in the dark about who Jesus is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We are invited to do the same \u2013 go to Jesus with our questions, concerns, wondering. Participate in the ways Jesus has given to his church to know him better. Gather in community. Study with other Christians and wonderers. Pray. Take communion. Worship. Praise him \u2013 even when you drop the ball.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maybe Jesus wasn\u2019t exactly what John was expecting: He brought fire \u2013 but it was the fire of the Holy Spirit. He sought out sinners \u2013 and forgave them. He really let the unworthy have it \u2013 but what he let them have was grace. Grace upon grace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John couldn\u2019t see it for himself, locked away in his prison cell, so he asked; and in reply, he received a beautiful vision: \u201cThe blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This sermon was written by the Rev. Amy Richter<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What happens when our expectations don\u2019t get met? How about when it\u2019s our expectations about God that don\u2019t get met? A few years ago, Steve Johnson, a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills, voiced his surprise on Twitter when things didn\u2019t turn out the way he hoped during a football game. After Johnson dropped a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201212,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[10,43,52,3],"tags":[155],"class_list":["post-511987","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advent","category-sermons","category-sermons-that-work","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-advent-3a"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":10,"label":"Advent"},{"value":43,"label":"Sermons"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":155,"label":"Advent 3A"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/511987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sermon"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/511987\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3473268,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/511987\/revisions\/3473268"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=511987"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=511987"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=511987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}