By Miguel Petrosky, Sojourners Internship Program
“Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he
will prepare your way before you.” - Matthew 11:2-11
today’s Gospel, we read of John the Baptist in prison. In fact, he is imprisoned by King Herod for
speaking out against his kingdom and for calling out Herod’s adultery with his sister-in-law. Like others
who have been imprisoned for truth-telling, it would be easy for him to lose hope. John the Baptist then
sends his own disciples to Jesus, the one in whom he placed his hope, double-checking to see whether his
hope was possibly misguided. Jesus relays to John’s disciples the message of all the wonderful things
going on outside of John’s visual periphery, since the prison walls kept John from seeing the Living
Word that he had preached consistently when he was free, and by the Jordan river.
Carve out time in your schedule to grab coffee or dine with a friend this week. If your tendency is to
talk more than listen, hold back and be attentive to what the Spirit might be saying to you through
your conversation. If your tendency is to listen, continue listening but also be willing to say what’s on
your mind—you might be surprised that things you say can really uplift those in your life.
Holy God, when you breathed Adam from the dust of the earth, you said that, “It was not good for
him to be alone,” and you then created Eve. When Jesus walked on this earth, he had twelve
disciples, and three that were particularly close to him. Even us, O God, we are not meant to be alone.
Remind us to hear the good news that’s all around us—from our family, friends, and even strangers.
Open our eyes and ears to the things we might be missing because of the busyness and humdrum of
life’s pressing rituals and incline our hearts to what you are doing in our midst. We ask for these
things in our holy name. Amen.
During the Advent season, like the prophets and peoples before the birth of Christ, we wait and hope.
Apathy and disillusionment are constant companions when people are working towards social justice, but
the good news is we are not alone. We have intentional communities and companions who walk alongside
us—sharing in the good news. We may find inspiration in unexpected places or find ourselves suddenly
open to new insights and different ways of looking at the world. We may hear of immigrants who find
homes, or of refugees who find solace. We may hear that lower-income individuals receive good word,
such as that their health insurance covered a much-needed surgery.
We may even witness little resurrections, like when a damaged relationship, a forgone
opportunity , a situation gone awry, or a heart-break are all flipped up-side down. Our friends,
family, or even those off the beaten path, may have good messages and stories to tell. The
question isn’t the existence of good news; the question is whether we are actually listening to
the good news happening in our own midst.
Week 3 of Advent | December 15th, 2019