Revd Darren McCallig’s sermon from Gaudete Sunday, reflecting on Matthew 11:2–11.
Reflecting on John the Baptist’s question from prison, “Are you the one?”, the sermon explores John’s growing uncertainty about Jesus. Having expected the Messiah to arrive like a tidal wave sweeping away evil and injustice, John instead finds himself struggling to understand why suffering and oppression still remain.
Jesus responds not with displays of overwhelming power, but by pointing to signs of God’s kingdom already breaking into the world: the blind receiving sight, the lame walking and the poor hearing good news. The sermon reflects on how Christians today often encounter God not through dramatic transformations, but through steady streams of love, courage, healing and faithfulness which reveal the presence of Christ among us.