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Isaiah 35:1-10 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

35 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;     the desert shall rejoice and blossom;like the crocus 

² it shall blossom abundantly    

and rejoice with joy and shouting.

The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,    

the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.

They shall see the glory of the Lord,    

the majesty of our God. 

³ Strengthen the weak hands    

and make firm the feeble knees.

⁴ Say to those who are of a fearful heart,    

“Be strong, do not fear!Here is your God.    

He will come with vengeance,with terrible recompense.    

He will come and save you.”

⁵ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,    

and the ears of the deaf shall be opened;

⁶ then the lame shall leap like a deer,    

and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.

For waters shall break forth in the wilderness    

and streams in the desert;

⁷ the burning sand shall become a pool    

and the thirsty ground springs of water;

in the haunt of jackals is her resting place;     

the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

⁸ A highway shall be there,     

and it shall be called the Holy Way;

the unclean shall not travel on it,     

but it shall be for God’s people;     

no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.

⁹ No lion shall be there,   

nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;

they shall not be found there,    

but the redeemed shall walk there.

¹⁰ And the ransomed of the Lord shall return    

and come to Zion with singing;

everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;    

they shall obtain joy and gladness,    

and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Matthew 11:2-11 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

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 Why, 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. ¹⁰ This is the one about whom it is written,

‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,    who will prepare your way before you.’

¹¹ “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist, yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

—

[Joy – picture of child and camel…]

Even, and especially, when times are tough we need to make time for joy. It may seem counter-intuitive but it is vital to our very souls. Hope and joy are integral to our survival. 

In our Matthew text this morning we meet John the Baptist in a prison cell. We are taught as Christians that whatever our circumstances, God is there with us. And that in itself is cause for joy. Do you think that John felt that presence? It is hard to know based on this question that he sent to Jesus through his disciples. “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” It sounds like doubt and maybe fear came creeping in to John’s mind as he sat in his prison cell. 

We all have doubts. We all have fears. Put in a difficult situation it is natural to question what we thought we knew, natural to fear for our safety and well-being. Whether literally sitting in prison like John or locked in a virtual prison of hatred, bigotry and isms …. doubts and fears can overwhelm even the most faithful and most certain among us. 

John and Jesus knew each other. They were cousins after all. They first met in utero when John leapt for joy in Elizabeth’s womb when Mary arrived to visit Elizabeth. John knew who Jesus was when John baptized Jesus in the River Jordan. John knew his own work in the world was to prepare the way for Jesus’ ministry. Now, sitting in a prison cell, perhaps John felt the constraints of time. If John’s work was to be accomplished, he needed Jesus to declare his. Are you the one or not? 

As is his style, Jesus does not answer the question with a straightforward yes or no but tells the messenger to go and tell John what he sees and what he hears. Believe what you see with your own eyes. Believe what you hear with your own ears. Trust your own perceptions and experiences. 

So again, the question, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” 

Many of us believe as Christians that Jesus is the one that the Isaiah scripture foretold. He was sent here to save us from our dry and barren lives, transforming them into rich and verdant lives. 

You need to answer for yourselves. My answer is yes. But he was never meant to do the work alone. And so we also wait for another, many others. Including us. 

What do we see? What do we hear? What does it mean? There is much to discern and do in our present society.

Jesus is waiting for us to take up the cause. Together. To see the world through eyes of compassion. To hear and respond to those crying out for relief. To heal our societal ills. To bring good news to the poor. 

What are we seeing and hearing today? Does it give us hope or spiral us into despair? I must admit I move back and forth between the two emotions. There is much to despair, but God called on those in our scriptures — and God calls on us! — to draw on a wellspring deeper than the surface of things.

Henri Nouwen, a Dutch-born Catholic priest, professor, psychologist and prolific writer, taught psychology and pastoral theology before leaving academia to become the pastor of a community for people with intellectual disabilities. Nouwen wrote and spoke with great openness and vulnerability about faith, spiritual formation, prayer, and social justice. 

Nouwen speaks to the depth of this wellspring.  “Joy," he writes, "is the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved and that nothing - sickness, failure, emotional distress, oppression, war, or even death — can take that love away.” Thus joy and sorrow can not only coexist; joy can even be found in the midst of very difficult or sorrowful circumstances.

Fra Giovanni Giocondo (c.1435–1515) was a Renaissance pioneer, accomplished as an architect, engineer, antiquary, archaeologist, classical scholar, and Franciscan friar.  Today we remember him most for this reassuring letter to Countess Aldobrandeschi on Christmas Eve, 1513. 

I salute you. I am your friend, and my love for you goes deep.  There is nothing I can give you which you have not. But there is much, very much, that, while I cannot give it, you can take. No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today. Take heaven! No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present little instant.

Take peace! The gloom of the world is but a shadow. Behind it, yet within our reach, is joy. [Take joy.] There is radiance and glory in darkness, could we but see.  And to see, we have only to look. I beseech you to look!

Life is so generous a giver. But we, judging its gifts by their covering, cast them away as ugly or heavy or hard. Remove the covering, and you will find beneath it a living splendor, woven of love by wisdom, with power. Welcome it, grasp it, and you touch the angel’s hand that brings it to you.

Everything we call a trial, a sorrow or a duty, believe me, that angel’s hand is there. The gift is there and the wonder of an overshadowing presence. Your joys, too, be not content with them as joys. They, too, conceal diviner gifts.

Life is so full of meaning and purpose, so full of beauty beneath its covering, that you will find earth but cloaks your heaven. Courage then to claim it; that is all! But courage you have, and the knowledge that we are pilgrims together, wending through unknown country home.

And so, at this time, I greet you. Not quite as the world sends greetings, but with profound esteem and with the prayer that for you now and forever, the day breaks, and the shadows flee away.

These are resounding reasons to remain hopeful, and to let joy wash over our weary spirits.

Two thousand years after John the Baptist passed the torch to Jesus, we are the ones left to carry the light into the world. 

This work requires an engagement of the heart. 

How do we prepare our hearts? We open them.

How do we open our hearts? We see ourselves in the “other” and share what we have with those that have not. 

What is that preparing us for? A world, here and now, where all are loved and cherished and equal. A world where all people are safe in their homes, safe on their streets, safe in their workplaces. 

Did John the Baptist know his role in the overarching history of Christianity? Did he understand it? I believe he understood that he was acting in accordance with the will of the Holy Spirit – and that that was enough for him. And it is enough for us. May our words, our actions, and our deeds be in accordance with the will of the Holy Spirit. Let us prepare the way for joy to take root. The long expected promise is drawing near. 

As we continue to prepare our hearts and minds to celebrate the Christmas season, the birth of Christ, again this week we are pointed back to the prophecies of Isaiah. In this chapter, the wilderness is transformed from desolate and dangerous to lush and life-giving which can be understood as an allegory for life with God. This chapter of Isaiah is a much needed promise of joyous acclamation amidst much violence and war and despair.  Hold on to joy with every ounce of your being. 

To conclude, I will share a poem by Brad Reynolds. "Gaudete," which is the Latin word for "rejoice." 

Because Christmas is almost here

Because dancing fits so well with music

Because inside baby clothes are miracles.

Gaudete

Because some people love you

Because of chocolate

Because pain does not last forever

Because Santa Claus is coming.

Gaudete

Because of laughter

Because there really are angels

Because your fingers fit your hands

Because forgiveness is yours for the asking

Because of children

Because of parents.

Gaudete

Because the blind see.

And the lame walk.

Gaudete

Because lepers are clean

And the deaf hear.

Gaudete

Because the dead will live again

And there is good news for the poor.

Gaudete

Because of Christmas

Because of Jesus

You rejoice.

Amen

Rev. TJ Mack – December 14, 2025