What’s Missing?

“Why?” Jesus asked. “Why did you go out to the desert? To see a man standing in the sand dressed in soft camel’s hair clothes fit for a king? Were you drawn to him because he ate the rare protein of locusts and the dessert-like sweet honey like the richest of the rich? Or was it his message? Why did you go?” Jesus asks the crowds. “Did you want to hear a Word from God? Did you hope he was sent by God to be king of Israel?” It had been a long time since God’s people had had a righteous king to lead them. Then this man, who dressed and ate like a king, talked about one coming after him who was even greater.

The people were no a lot different than we are today. They wanted more. Something was missing. And when there is a God-sized hole in your life, it is tempting to fill it with stuff and things. We try to create joy through self-indulgence.

There’s a Dennis the Menace cartoon set on Christmas afternoon. Dennis has finally finished unwrapping his last gift. He is up to his chin in wall-to-wall toys. You can’t see the floor for all of his presents. The caption? Dennis, surrounded, asks “Is this all?”

Because by Christmas afternoon, the food will be left-overs, the presents will be strewn, the wrapping will be garbage, and the needles of the tree will be falling like rain. Meanwhile every over-budget purchase will still be straining the finances, every tense word will still be straining relationships, and every hour of lost sleep to make it all happen will have caught up.

“Why?” Jesus asks. “Why do you go? Were you drawn to the shiny trappings, the newest gadgets? Or was it the message of Bethlehem? Did you want to hear a Word from God?”

As we light the candle of Joy, there are 14 more days to Christmas. What is driving your celebrations? Because for many of us the noise of the season that drowns our joy is our own expectations – that this year the family will all get along, that somehow a picturesque Christmas will be accomplished, and that this year the joy of Christmas morning will last.

Margery Alcott tells the story of an unforgettable Christmas for 6 year old Pete and his parents during the Great Depression. They had no money for store-bought presents, but they were determined to celebrate Christmas. “They decided to make pictures of the presents they would like to give one another, if money were no object. They couldn’t afford the real gifts, so they drew pictures, or cut pictures our of catalogs…of what they would most want to give the others if they could. Then they put the pictures in old boxes left over from prior Christmases, stuck some old bows on them, and placed them under the tree.

And on Christmas morning, never was a tree heaped with such riches. The gifts were only pictures, but they were symbols of Christmas giving. There was a shiny new car for Dad and a red motor boat, some golf clubs, a new suit, some sweaters, and an all-weather coat.

When Mom opened her…gifts, she found her dream house and a diamond necklace, dresses and coats and shoes, a new silver service, and a vacation cruise.

However, most of the make-believe picture gifts were for little Pete. They were pictures of wonderful gifts – a fabulous camping tent, a bicycle, a pedal car, all kinds of games and sports equipment, even a backyard swimming pool.

They had a great time opening their imaginary presents. Now, of course, Mom and Dad didn’t expect any “best present” from Pete. After all, he was only six.

But finally, with squeals of delight, he crawled under the Christmas tree and pulled out a gift he had prepared and hidden way back in the corner. With a big smile, Pete handed the present to his [parents], and when his mom and dad opened it, they found a picture he had drawn with his first-grade crayons.

He had used bright flashy colors and a modernistic drawing technique. But it was unmistakably the picture of three people laughing – a man, a woman, and a little boy.

They were standing side by side, with their arms around one another. They were warmly united, connected, bonded. And it was obvious that they were radiantly happy together. Under the picture, Pete had printed just one word – ‘US’” (Margery Alcott, “The Christmas We Will Never Forget, Reader’s Digest 1959).

“Why? Why are you making this journey?” Why are you making a list and checking it twice? Why are you buying hats and gloves and holiday foods for the poor? Why are you gathering with family and friends? Why will you come to worship on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? What are you hoping? Are you hoping it will be perfect? That it will fulfill you, that it will fulfill those you love?

The perfect tree, the perfect table, the perfect food, the perfect gift…Jesus is asking you “Why? Why are you going there?” You are not perfect. You will never be perfect.

“Did you want to hear a Word from God?” Even though we are not perfect, he came to dwell with us. Even though you are not perfect, he comes to redeem you.

Things were far from perfect for John the Baptist. His whole life had been about preparing the way for Jesus. He leapt in his mother, Elizabeth’s, womb as Mary approached bearing Jesus. He drew away to the wilderness to prepare himself. He called out for repentance, for people to prepare themselves for the coming of God’s kingdom. He baptized people in the Jordan River as a sign of their washing and preparation…and then one day, one came for whom he had waited. He came to be baptized even though he didn’t need to be washed. And as he came up out of the water, the Spirit of God rested on him. The kingdom was drawing near.

But now, John is in prison. And his hopes are waning. Jesus doesn’t seem to be making any moves toward revolution. John is getting weary and worried. Was he wrong? Is Jesus not the one who is to come, or shall we look for another? Because even though the prophecies didn’t say that a new government would be established, that’s what he had hoped. He hoped that Jesus was going to overthrow the Roman Empire. His imprisonment was to be short-lived when Jesus took power and released him.

“Go and tell John what you hear and see,” answers Jesus, the signs that were prophesied by Isaiah are accomplished, “the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.” The kingdom is coming near, embodied by Jesus.

Jesus didn’t come to people who had their lives perfected and in order. He came to people who were blind, who couldn’t see. He came to people who were lame, who couldn’t move forward. He came to people who were lepers, who were ostracized for their uncleanness. He came to people who were deaf, who could not hear the good news. He came to people who were dead, who had no life left in them. He came to people who were poor, who had nothing. He came for those who knew they needed him.

“Why?” asks Jesus. “What are you looking for?” Do you want to see where you are blind? Do you want to move forward where you are lame? Do you want to overcome the diseases that separate you from others? Do you want to hear my message of love and peace, of justice and righteousness? Do you want to live abundantly? Do you want to know the richness of God’s kingdom?

“Then come to me,” Jesus beckons us, “draw near as I draw near to you.” In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.