Year C Proper 22 WED 2022 Be You

 Year C Proper 22,  WEDNESDAY, 5 October 2022

St. James the Less Episcopal, Ashland, VA

“Be You”

Collect: Almighty and everlasting God, you are always more ready to hear than we to pray, and to give more than we either desire or deserve: Pour upon us the abundance of your mercy, forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid, and giving us those good things for which we are not worthy to ask, except through the merits and mediation of Jesus Christ our Savior; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

Luke 7:18-35

The disciples of John reported all these things to him. So John summoned two of his disciples and sent them to the Lord to ask, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ When the men had come to him, they said, ‘John the Baptist has sent us to you to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” ’ Jesus* had just then cured many people of diseases, plagues, and evil spirits, and had given sight to many who were blind. And he answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers* are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.’

When John’s messengers had gone, Jesus* began to speak to the crowds about John:* ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone* dressed in soft robes? Look, those who put on fine clothing and live in luxury are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written,

“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,

   who will prepare your way before you.” 

I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John; yet the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.’ (And all the people who heard this, including the tax-collectors, acknowledged the justice of God,* because they had been baptized with John’s baptism. But by refusing to be baptized by him, the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God’s purpose for themselves.)

‘To what then will I compare the people of this generation, and what are they like? They are like children sitting in the market-place and calling to one another,

“We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;

   we wailed, and you did not weep.” 

For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, “He has a demon”; the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, “Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax-collectors and sinners!” Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children.’

I find it interesting, this passage was mentioned in our Book Club reading this last week, so it has been stuck in my craw.

Once again, Jesus answers, but not directly. We have John the Baptizer sending his disciples to inquire if his cousin, Jesus, is truly “The One.” He responds to their inquiry by quoting Isaiah, and basically saying, “I am fulfilling the prophecies surrounding ‘The One,’ so you decide for yourself.” Jesus does not judge John, he actually praises him saying no one greater has ever been born. Hard to get higher praise than that.

But then we get into how people perceive. John fasted and lived the life of strict obedience, and they said he was demon possessed. Jesus came and spent time with those less than acceptable, and he is a drunkard and a glutton. You cannot win.

But today I want to focus on that last phrase in today’s reading, Wisdom is vindicated in her children. We have modern equivalents, “The proof is in the pudding.” Or, another quote of Jesus, “You will know a tree by its fruits.” Or even simpler, “We’ll see.” Yes, we will.

Between my recent anniversary here and my birthday, I have been a bit introspective and reflective lately. I have been here long enough to think of legacy, and what has been accomplished and what work we still have to do in my time serving here. Fear not, we have a long way to go! But Jesus’ phrase, Wisdom is vindicated by her children, it makes me think of my kids.

I want them happy. I want them faithful. I want them to be who they were born to be. No more, but no less. Jesus wants the same for us. Jesus’ desire for us is to be who we are called to be. Yesterday was St. Francis’ Feast Day, remembering his death just shy of 800 years ago (1226 AD). On his deathbed he reminded his followers to not be like him, but to be themselves, who God made them to be. As he put it, “I have done my part. May Christ teach you to do yours.”

We follow Jesus, but we take up our cross, no one else’s. Maybe the greatest gift we can give the world, maybe the highest calling of this life, maybe what God wants for us, like I want for my kids, is for us to be happy, to be faithful, to be ourselves, loving God and all we encounter. Wisdom, true wisdom, is vindicated in her children. Our fruits, offspring, whatever we call it or see it as, declares who we really are.

We may never have someone come and ask us who we really are, like John’s disciples did of Jesus, but that is our task for ourselves. Who am I? And may our answer be, I am who God made me to be. Thanks be to God. Amen.