The trouble with most Christian believers is that our hope and expectations for Jesus are simply too small, too narrow, and too lame. As a result we are unable to see the miracles and everyday resurrections all around us.

On the way home for dinner Wednesday, I stopped at a store for a quick errand. The sales clerk asked the woman in line in front of me what she was doing for Christmas. The woman replied ,“Since my husband and I have no children at home, we don’t do anything for Christmas. We travel somewhere so there are no presents, no drama, and no stress.” I thought I was in the presence of a female Grinch. When I started to get into my car in the parking lot, I was startled by a loud crunching sound. I looked over to see that the Grinch had backed her supersized SUV into a small car parked in the lot. The ensuing exchange between the owners of the two vehicles was ugly and acrimonious. I thought to myself that this woman, of all the people in town, could really benefit by a dose of real Advent and real Christmas. Her hopes and expectations for Jesus had dropped below zero.

In last week’s Gospel, John described the one to come after him in terms of “his winnowing fork [for judgment] is in his hand.” The Jewish population of Palestine was occupied by a foreign army from Rome. Their interpretation of the same texts from Isaiah that we read during Advent were for a messiah who would come and kick the you know what out of the hated Romans. The one to come, the anointed one, the Messiah would vindicate the Jews militarily. He would rule over Israel like David. He would judge his people, separating the righteous from the rest.

John baptized Jesus. He knew Jesus was the one, but then he listened to the reports about what Jesus was doing. John did not hear reports that Jesus was winning military battles. He did not hear that the Romans were running scared. Nothing he heard lined up with his understanding of Isaiah’s prophesies. John is in prison because of politics at Herod’s palace, so John sends his messengers to ask Jesus if he really is “the one”, or should we be looking for another? Jesus replies that “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.”

Upon hearing this, John must have been really perplexed. This Jesus, this chosen one, just isn’t measuring up to John’s expectations. It is likely that this Jesus doesn’t measure up to our expectations either?

Not too far from here in Wichita, Kansas, is a family that constitutes most of the membership of what passes in US tax code for a “church.” They have been the subject of a Supreme Court case because they believe that the death of US soldiers is God’s punishment on the United States for the country’s support of homosexually oriented people. They picket the funerals of soldiers across the country. I have personally seen them picket the Episcopal Church national convention with signs proclaiming “God hates [gays].” Their hatred and belligerence is breathtaking. For this family and many other people, Jesus is the judge and punisher of other people for their sins.

There are others who interpret Isaiah literally. They look to Jesus not only as the righteous one, but when he returns he will set things straight. Governments will fall in line under him. The environment will be perfect. The entire world will be Christian with Jesus as the ruler. Everyone will march off into a happy “Leave it to Beaver” existence. For this group, Jesus approves and supports a certain lifestyle.

Then we have people suffering from overwhelming physical pain or spiritual pain. Sometimes we encounter very faithful Christians who have come by way of pain and suffering to the foot of the cross. Those in pain look to Jesus for relief and it is completely understandable.

Finally we have the cynics, the hedge-your-bets crowd, and the armchair atheists. For them Jesus may be a nice fairy tale to believe in, but in the end this Jesus won’t make much of a difference in the world or in your life.

Here we are in the middle of Advent, waiting expectantly for the Christmas arrival of a baby who is the son of God. Do we really hope for or expect much of a change in the world because of the one who is to come? Do we see the resurrections and miracles and changes around us every day, or do we have so little hope that we miss it all?

Jesus did NOT come and will not come again to be the punisher, the world ruler, the analgesic, or the fairy tale. His mission is far bigger than we can ever hope or imagine. These things reported back to John such as the deaf hear, the blind see, the lame walk, are NOT the mission in themselves. These things serve as sign posts telling us that things are radically different now. Grace and Peace have come into the world. Fix your hope, your expectations on grace and peace, and your eyes and ears will be opened.

I have seen Grace and Peace come into peoples’ lives. I have seen people reconcile. I have seen people quit high paying but soul-killing jobs and become joyful again. I have seen couples deal with infidelity, homeless people go to graduate school, and I have seen families with a special needs child become even more loving once they quit asking God “why.”

I have often said that a rector’s biggest role is that of a cheerleader. I am here to tell you today to expect MORE from Jesus. Increase your hope for the one who is to come. Christ Jesus, in the form of Grace and Peace, will come into your life. Grace and Peace will not fix your bank account. It won’t ease your pain. It won’t guarantee you a place in heaven. But God’s love and the grace and peace of Jesus Christ will come into your life and CHANGE YOUR HEART. It will change the way you look at things. You will see all the signs Jesus reported to John. You will smile knowing that God is here. And THAT will make all the difference.