Listen

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the 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. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”

Matthew 11:2-6

Think

The other day, while leaving the subway, I stepped onto an escalator that wasn’t moving. I could see as I walked up that it wasn’t moving, but my body still reacted like I had stepped onto an ascending stairway. My brain anticipated the escalator’s movement, leaving me momentarily dizzy. When we anticipate something, its arrival can still be disorienting.

John had been eagerly anticipating the Messiah’s arrival, doing everything he could to get folks ready, but even he was not sure if Jesus was the real deal. Jesus helped him get reoriented, telling John’s disciples to trust their senses. He said, “Tell John what you see”: people being healed and restored, people on the margins finding hope and good news. We too, even in difficulty and uncertainty, are invited to see and share signs of healing and hope with one another. Where have you seen hope and healing? Who have you told?

Phillip Fackler

Pray

Healing God, thank you for giving me your Son to lead me into your heavenly kingdom. Help me to see the signs of Jesus’ presence in my life, that I may recognize your kingdom as it breaks in all around me. Amen.

Go

Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God,
who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith for ever.

Psalm 146:5-6