Looking for the Savior

 

Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12

Isaiah speaks of a time when the violence of his age will become peaceful and just. Paul makes it clear that it is past time for the Jewish people to welcome Gentiles and see them as equally included in God’s chosen people.

And Matthew tells of John the Baptizer shouting at the crowd that they need to repent and be baptized as an act of repentance. Criticized by the leaders, John accuses them of not bearing fruit. In other words, they are not leading the people according to God’s rules, and they are bragging about their importance in the community.

Too often, violence, prejudice, and imbalance of power and wealth impact the lives of those who are victims or survivors of that violence or imbalance. We have only to watch or read the news to be reminded how unfair, how unbalanced our world is.

In the midst of the mess of this world, it’s clear that we need a savior. Not a savior for us individually. But a savior who makes life different, new, for the whole world.

… John the Baptizer is looking for a savior who asserts himself, who uses his power to demand justice from the leaders. He is looking for someone to throw fire on everyone who refuses to repent and change their ways.

However, Jesus is a much different savior. As a savior, Jesus seeks to heal all sorts of relationships. He seeks to literally heal those who are ill or disabled, so they can return to being active and respected members of their community. He seeks to heal the relationships among people, so leaders respect people and treat them fairly. He seeks to heal the wounds caused by prejudice that causes one group of people to disrespect and judge other people as not as good.

… Jesus came to save the world, the Cosmos as John’s gospel puts it. But, the saving is mostly carried out one relationship at a time. A couple stories caught my attention this week.

In September, three Augustinian nuns made the news by escaping from the nursing home they were forced to move into. Life was different away from the cloister. Among other things, they had to eat with men! They escaped the home and returned to the convent building they had long called home. Since then, they have been using social media to keep the community informed about how they are doing.

According to their Instagram account, Rita, 82, can be seen rushing about the cloisters and dabbling in boxing lessons. Sister Regina, 86, has gotten so used to climbing four flights of stairs, she forgets to take the recently donated stair lift. And Sister Bernadette, 88, regularly shares sharp-witted observations about matters both sacred and secular over a cup of coffee.

They have the support of the Salzburg, Austria, community, and except for these online interactions, observe the vows they took when they joined the order 60-some years ago. Unfortunately, there are some secular and religious legal matters that confront them. In the meantime, the folks in Salzburg, and thousands of online followers have been trying to save them from being forced back into a nursing home.

… Another story involves an 88-year-old veteran named Ed Bambas. Ed had retired, but lost his pension when General Motors went bankrupt. Then his wife got sick, and they had no health insurance, so they had lots of medical bills. He had nothing left to sell, and no income, so he went back to work as a cashier in a grocery store, working 5 days a week.

 Australian influencer Samuel Weidenhofer heard about Ed, flew to Michigan, and filmed a video with Ed sharing about his situation. Weidenhofer then shared the video with his audience and set up a fund for him. Within days, there was almost $2 million donated for Ed. Now, he can go back to being retired.

While this story is about one person struggling financially, it causes me to think about all the veterans who struggle financially. And all the folks who have more month than money. I certainly hope Ed sets up a foundation or fund to help others with similar struggles, because there are lots of folks who need saving financially.

… The Pew Research Center measures issues and trends in the US and around the world. This chart shows religious participation by people in any faith or Christian denomination in Florida. I notice two items: 59% say they believe in God or a higher power; and 31% say they attend religious services monthly.

I don’t think John the Baptist was measuring religious participation in Judea and Galilee. But it was clear to him that there were lots of people following the Roman gods, or not worshiping at all, and definitely not obeying the commandments.

I don’t think God cares whether we are Lutheran or Methodist or Muslim. What God cares about is that we take time each day to pray and worship God, because then we are more likely to be aligned with God’s purposes.

“Return to the Lord”, John shouts. John calls the people to confess their sins and shape up. “Jesus will come soon, so you can be saved. But first, pay attention to what God wants for you, for us all. “

… Jesus didn’t come to save us because we believe, but came to save us so that we will believe. He cares that we have a commitment to follow him, to worship him. Jesus cares that we have enough to live on, because when we have enough, we can share what we have with others. Jesus wants to save us from whatever draws us away from God, so we can be filled with God’s blessings. Amen