Not What We Ordered: The Messiah We Didn’t Plan For
Not What We Ordered: The Messiah We Didn’t Plan For Sermon by Alan Swartz Third Sunday of Advent, December 14, 2025 Preached at Ebenezer UMC and Black Creek UMC Scripture References: Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:5-10; Luke 1:46b-55; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Introduction: A Question from Prison Advent is a season of longing, of waiting, of anticipation and desire. But as it calls us to look forward, it is also a season of questions. Today, the gospel gives us one of the most honest and urgent questions in all of Scripture, posed by none other than John the Baptist. Here is the fiery prophet, the fearless preacher who prepared the way for the Lord, now sitting in a prison cell. He is in chains, in a place of darkness, just days away from being executed, and from there he sends a message to Jesus. “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” (Matthew 11:3) This ...