Homily, Pruning and Repentance
The Third Sunday of Advent, Year A, 2025
St. Peter’s Episcopal Church
Plant City, FL
The Rev. Derek M Larson, TSSF
Today’s Lectionary Readings:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Have you ever been so sure about something—so sure, you told everybody you know, so sure, you made all your plans around it, so sure, you’d stake your life on it—only to later find yourself second guessing?
Last week in our gospel reading we heard from John the Baptist, who was absolutely sure about something. He was so sure, he went out into the desert and lived as a wild man in preparation. He was so sure, he baptized people from all around Judea up and down the Jordan river so they’d be ready. He was so sure that when he drew the attention of the Pharisees and Sadducees, he yelled at them, “You brood of vipers! One is soon coming with an axe and a winnowing fork to take care of all you who produce bad fruit!”
John’s conviction was so convincing that here we are 2,000 years later still listening to his testimony.
Well in today’s gospel, John looks a little different. Despite all of his fiery conviction last week, this week we encounter a somewhat deflated and defeated John. He’s been arrested for speaking out against the sins of the king, and is now in prison. And as he hears about Jesus’ ministry from the inside of those bars, he begins to have some doubts. This Jesus doesn’t look like what he expected. Where are the axes? Where are the winnowing forks? Why is the king still on the throne and he, John, still in prison?
And so he sends some of his disciples to simply ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” In other words, “Was I wrong? This doesn’t look like the way I imagined it. Where are the axes and winnowing forks?”
Do you ever find yourself saying a prayer like that? “Jesus, is this really the way things are supposed to be? Is this really your plan? Is this really what you want for me?”
And so when John’s disciples ask his question to Jesus, Jesus replies, “Well, 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. Are you waiting for someone that does more than that?”
There are no axes or winnowing forks in that list, and it’s not really an answer to the question, but it does put things into perspective doesn’t it? Sometimes we have such a clear and rigid expectation about what we think Jesus will do, that even when Jesus is doing all kinds of amazing work around us, we don’t see it. We’re so focused on what we think Jesus should do in our lives and in the world around us, that we miss what Jesus is actually doing in our lives and in the world around us.
Was John wrong then? Since Jesus didn’t come the way he expected?
Well, the passage goes on with Jesus calling John a prophet and the greatest of all those born of women. So he couldn’t have been entirely wrong. After all, he was right about the kingdom of heaven being near. He was right about someone who was to come. He was right about preparing the way. But even John didn’t see the full picture. Even John didn’t fully know what to expect. And so Jesus says, “Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist, yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” The least of those who can move beyond their expectations to receive Jesus as Jesus is is greater than he.
See, when Jesus comes, he doesn’t always come the way we expect. When Jesus comes, he does not come according to our presuppositions, our expectations, our assumptions about the way the world should be. He comes in unexpected ways. He comes as a baby in a messy manger. He comes as a friend to grubby sinners. He comes as a criminal on a bloody cross. Jesus comes, but not always in the ways we expect.
And so to be ready for Jesus to come is to be ready for the unexpected.
John’s vision wasn’t entirely wrong; it was simply incomplete. He could only see part of what was to come, and when Jesus came he had to reimagine what he thought Jesus’ mission would look like. He had to adapt his own view, reinterpret his own theology, shift his own perspective to match the bigger picture of what Jesus was doing.
And so the question is not, “Was John wrong?” But “Was John willing to change his perspective?”
And that’s the question for us today. We can’t see the big picture. We don’t know all that Jesus is doing. And so in this Advent season as we prepare ourselves for the coming of Jesus, are we willing to change what we believe about Jesus to match what Jesus believes? Are we willing to change the way we see the world, in order to see it the way Jesus sees it? Are we willing to change our perspective? What are we so sure about that Jesus is inviting us to reconsider? Advent is the season of expectation, but in the end it is not our expectation that matters, but the Divine hand of God working among us in unexpected ways. Amen.
Questions for Reflection
- In what areas of my life am I holding onto rigid expectations of how Jesus should act or how situations should unfold?
- Can I recall a time when I experienced doubt similar to John the Baptist? How did I navigate those feelings?
- What unexpected ways has Jesus come into my life, and how have I responded to those moments?
- How can I reimagine my understanding of Jesus’ mission in my life and in the world around me?
- What is one belief or perspective about my faith that I feel Jesus is inviting me to reconsider during this Advent season?
Thoughts on Faith 