Sermon: Third Sunday of Advent, Matthew 11:2-11

December 14, 2025

Faith-La Fe Lutheran Church

Rev. Veronica Alvarez

How do we hold hope when everything around us feels like the opposite of what we prayed for?

That is the question that shows up when life has taken the air out of your lungs. When you are trying to trust God while staring at things that make no sense. When you are hanging on to faith with tired hands.

Advent is supposed to be a season of hope, but the truth is that hope isn’t always pretty. Sometimes hope shows up in the dark, in a jail cell, in doubt, in frustration, and in questions that feel heavy.

That is exactly where we find John the Baptist today. He is sitting in prison, hearing rumors about Jesus, he is tired. He is frustrated. He is disappointed. And he is not asking politely. He asks from a place of pain.  “Are you the one who is to come, or should we wait for another”

That is not a soft question. That is what comes out when life hits hard. When what you expected from God never showed up. When you did everything “right” and still ended up in a place you never imagined.

John had preached with fire. He called people to repentance. He prepared the way. He baptized the crowds and pointed to Jesus saying, “This is the one.” And now he is locked up with nothing but time. Doubt hits him. This is not how he thought things would go. He expected Jesus to come with judgment, with an axe at the root, with fire. Instead, Jesus is out there healing people, eating with sinners, touching the untouchable, lifting up the forgotten.

John is honest enough to ask publicly what many of us whisper privately.  “Jesus, are you the one”

That question tells the truth about faith. We believe, but we also wonder. We trust, and life still gets hard. We preach hope, but some days hope feels thin.

Jesus does not scold John, doesn’t shame him for doubting. Instead, Jesus answers with what is actually happening.
 “Go and tell John what you see and hear.” The blind see. The lame walk. The lepers are cleansed. The deaf hear. The dead are raised. The poor receive good news.

In other words, “John, God is working. Even if you cannot see it from that cell. Even if it is not happening the way you imagined”

Then Jesus turns to the crowd and says something strong and needed. “What did you expect to see A reed shaken by the wind”

In today’s words, “What did you think John was A weak voice Someone who bends with every opinion”

Jesus is reminding them that John was solid. He told the truth even when it cost him. He was not soft. He was not scared. That conviction is exactly why he is in prison.

So Jesus is telling the crowd, “Do not act shocked that John is struggling. Do not act like faith is supposed to be smooth or easy. Real faith will confront you. Real faith will cost you something. John did not compromise, and the kingdom will never be a comfortable project.”

John prepared the way. He pointed to Jesus. But Jesus makes it clear today that even the greatest prophet doesn’t fully grasp how God works. And that should humble us. We don’t get to control how God shows up. We don’t get to dictate the timeline. We don’t get to decide what the kingdom should look like. Our job is simpler. Look at what God is doing. Trust it. Follow it.

This is Advent. And Advent pulls us back into that tension.
We are waiting for a Savior, but we are also dealing with the mess of the world.
We long for joy, but we are walking through real pain.
We speak about hope, but some days hope feels thin.

John’s question is not failure. It is faith reaching for God in the dark.
And Jesus’ response is strong and honest.
“Yes, I am the One. God is moving. But not always in the ways you expected.”

So what does that mean for us today

It means we bring our doubts to Jesus instead of hiding them.
It means we stop treating faith like decoration and start living it like a calling.
It means we open our eyes to the small but real ways God is healing and restoring right now.

And it also means this.

we see the same signs Jesus told John to look for.

We see lives being restored little by little.

We see people finding community when they thought they were alone.

We see love offered in places where the world expects rejection.

We see grace given to people who were told they didn’t deserve it.

The good news keeps reaching the poor, the tired, the worried, the immigrant, the lonely, the exhausted, the hopeful, and the skeptical.

God is working. Not in loud flashy ways, but in steady, faithful ways. In the middle of your real life. In the middle of your fears. In the middle of this broken world.

This Sunday is about joy, but joy isn’t pretending everything is fine. Joy is recognizing that even in the middle of stress, sickness, injustice, uncertainty, or doubt, Jesus is still doing the work of healing and restoring. Joy is knowing that God keeps coming for us.

And the proof of that is right here in our worship.
In baptism Jesus says, “Yes, I am the One. I claim you. I seal you with my Spirit. You belong.” Baptism is God’s answer to John’s question. “Are you the one” God says, “Yes. I am the one, and you are mine.”

At the Lord’s Table, Jesus feeds us with his own life. He gives us the bread and the cup and says, “I’m here. I haven’t forgotten you. I know your doubts and your questions. Come as you are and receive what you need.” When the kingdom feels slow, this Table is a reminder that Jesus is not waiting for us to have perfect faith. He meets us right now.

John was not wrong to ask. We are not wrong either. God can handle our questions. But Jesus tells us where to look.
Look at the healing.
Look at the mercy.
Look at the love that refuses to die.
Look at the cross.
Look at the resurrection.
Look at the people God keeps raising up.

As we move deeper into Advent, hold on to this truth.
We do not follow a Savior who waits for us to get it together.
We follow the One who steps into our questions, our fear, our doubt, our exhaustion, and says, “Look at what I am doing. Look at the life I am growing in places you thought were done.”

Hope is not pretending the cell is not real. Hope is trusting that Jesus is already working on the other side of the wall.

So when you feel overwhelmed, pay attention to the small signs
The kindness you needed.
The strength you did not know you had.
The forgiveness you received or gave.
The moment love surprised you.
These are not accidents. These are the quiet footprints of God still working.

So keep asking your honest questions. Bring your real life to God. Watch for the signs of grace that show up in small but holy ways.
And when doubt rises again, do what John did. Ask. Bring it straight to Jesus. Let him meet you where you are. Advent is not pretending. It is expecting. Expecting that God is doing more than we can see. Expecting that joy can break in even when life feels heavy. Expecting that Christ keeps his word.

Hold on to that. He is the One. And he is still moving. Amen.