Third Sunday in Advent, Sunday, December 15th, 2013
Fr. Todd Bragg
St. Margaret Anglican Church
Indianapolis, Indiana
" Behold, I send My messenger before thy face." (St. Matthew 11:2 ff)
In today's Gospel passage coming from St. Matthew, we are listening to Our Lord speaking about His cousin, St. John the Baptist. The passage begins by St. John, who is waiting in prison, sending two of his disciples to question Our Blessed Saviour if He is the long-awaited Messiah or should they wait for another. Our Lord responds that if they want to know if He is the Messiah, that they merely need to look at the works that He has done. Then He quotes Scripture in regards to St. John the Baptist:
"Behold, I will send My messenger and he shall prepare the way before Me; and the Lord, Whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple." (Malachi 3:1)
Two things that we should consider: One, Our Lord did indeed come to His temple . . . . He came to earth as a human being. Secondly, Our Lord does not need our assistance but He welcomes our assistance.
As I try to make the point so often, we do not have a God Who is far off or distant. In other words, we do not have a God Who created us and then stays away at a distance. He, on the other hand, was so concerned for His creation that He became One with His creation . . . like us in all things but sin.
"Who is like unto the Lord Our God, Who dwelleth on high, Who humbleth Himself to behold the things that are in Heaven and in the earth." (Psalm 113:5-6)
We have a God Who not only created the universe but humbled Himself to become One with His creation.
"But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that by the grace of God should taste death for every man." (Hebrews 2:9)
Christ made Himself lower than the angels so that He could not only experience living as a human being, walking in your shoes, but also so that He could experience death. By experiencing death, He defeated death. And by joining His Immortality to our mortality, by defeating death, He has included us and we are the ones who will benefit by His dying on the Cross but also by His rising to life again.
In regards to the second point, the same God Who created the universe does not need or require my help or assistance . . . . but He does appreciate it when I do assist Him. In other words, He does not require our help . . . . but He does desire our help.
Whether it be St. John the Baptist, St. Mary, St. Joseph, St. Margaret of Scotland, St. Gemma Galgani, etc. the point is that each one of us can assist Our Lord in proclaiming the Gospel. Each one of us has the opportunity to prepare the way of the Lord through our actions and our words. St. James writes "But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your ownselves." (St. James 1:22)
Remember that Our Lord humbled Himself, not for His benefit, but for our benefit. He had no need to humble Himself, but He did it out of love for you and me. Thus, we can repay Our Lord by imitating St. John the Baptist and proclaiming the Gospel to those around us.
In today's Gospel passage coming from St. Matthew, we are listening to Our Lord speaking about His cousin, St. John the Baptist. The passage begins by St. John, who is waiting in prison, sending two of his disciples to question Our Blessed Saviour if He is the long-awaited Messiah or should they wait for another. Our Lord responds that if they want to know if He is the Messiah, that they merely need to look at the works that He has done. Then He quotes Scripture in regards to St. John the Baptist:
"Behold, I will send My messenger and he shall prepare the way before Me; and the Lord, Whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple." (Malachi 3:1)
Two things that we should consider: One, Our Lord did indeed come to His temple . . . . He came to earth as a human being. Secondly, Our Lord does not need our assistance but He welcomes our assistance.
As I try to make the point so often, we do not have a God Who is far off or distant. In other words, we do not have a God Who created us and then stays away at a distance. He, on the other hand, was so concerned for His creation that He became One with His creation . . . like us in all things but sin.
"Who is like unto the Lord Our God, Who dwelleth on high, Who humbleth Himself to behold the things that are in Heaven and in the earth." (Psalm 113:5-6)
We have a God Who not only created the universe but humbled Himself to become One with His creation.
"But we see Jesus, Who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that by the grace of God should taste death for every man." (Hebrews 2:9)
Christ made Himself lower than the angels so that He could not only experience living as a human being, walking in your shoes, but also so that He could experience death. By experiencing death, He defeated death. And by joining His Immortality to our mortality, by defeating death, He has included us and we are the ones who will benefit by His dying on the Cross but also by His rising to life again.
In regards to the second point, the same God Who created the universe does not need or require my help or assistance . . . . but He does appreciate it when I do assist Him. In other words, He does not require our help . . . . but He does desire our help.
Whether it be St. John the Baptist, St. Mary, St. Joseph, St. Margaret of Scotland, St. Gemma Galgani, etc. the point is that each one of us can assist Our Lord in proclaiming the Gospel. Each one of us has the opportunity to prepare the way of the Lord through our actions and our words. St. James writes "But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your ownselves." (St. James 1:22)
Remember that Our Lord humbled Himself, not for His benefit, but for our benefit. He had no need to humble Himself, but He did it out of love for you and me. Thus, we can repay Our Lord by imitating St. John the Baptist and proclaiming the Gospel to those around us.
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