Advent Reading: Matthew 11:2-11, James 5:7-10, Isaiah 35:1-10, Psalm 146:5-10
There are moments in every community when a long-awaited project seems to stall. The fencing is still up. The machinery is quiet. No one appears to be moving anything forward. Passersby slow their cars, crane their necks, and ask the same question: What is taking so long? From the outside, it can look like nothing is happening at all. But those who understand construction know better. Just because a jobsite is quiet does not mean the work has stopped. In fact, some of the most critical work happens precisely in those seasons when progress is not obvious to the naked eye.
Inspections are happening behind the scenes. Measurements are being taken. The ground is settling. Materials are curing. Engineers are evaluating the integrity of what has already been laid. These phases rarely make headlines or inspire admiration, but without them, nothing above ground would stand. A quiet jobsite is often a sign that something important is happening beneath the surface.
Advent invites us into that same perspective. This season, especially in its third week, confronts us with the tension between promise and fulfillment, hope and waiting, expectation and reality. God has clearly started something in the world through Jesus Christ. The kingdom has broken in. Light has entered the darkness. The project is underway. And yet, much of the world still looks unchanged. Suffering persists. Injustice remains. Prayers seem unanswered. Faith can feel fragile.
Scripture does not shy away from this tension. Instead, it gives us language for it, companions within it, and hope that steadies us while we wait. In Matthew 11 and James 5, we meet faithful people who know what it is like to stand at a quiet jobsite and wonder whether anything is really happening at all. Together, these passages speak a single, enduring truth: God is still working, even when progress seems slow.
At the heart of this Advent reflection is a simple but profound reality. God does some of His most important work in seasons where progress seems slow.
Honest Faith in the Waiting Place
John the Baptist stands at the center of the Advent story as a figure of bold faith and prophetic courage. He was the voice crying out in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord. He baptized crowds, confronted corruption, and publicly identified Jesus as the Lamb of God. John’s life was defined by clarity of purpose and unwavering conviction.
And yet, when we encounter John in Matthew 11, his circumstances have drastically changed. He is no longer preaching freely by the Jordan River. He is sitting in a prison cell. The kingdom he proclaimed has not unfolded the way he expected. Rome remains firmly in power. Justice has not come swiftly. And John, the forerunner of the Messiah, finds himself waiting in silence and confinement.
From this place, John sends a question to Jesus that is both raw and deeply human: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” It is a startling question precisely because of who asks it. This is not a skeptic or a casual observer. This is the prophet who prepared the way. This is the one who staked his life on the coming of God’s kingdom.
John’s question reveals something important about faith. Honest confusion is not the opposite of faith. It is often an expression of it. John does not suppress his doubt or walk away in bitterness. He brings his uncertainty directly to Jesus. In doing so, he models a faith that refuses to pretend and instead chooses relationship over resignation.
Many people recognize themselves in John’s question. They have followed God faithfully, proclaimed hope confidently, and endured hardship courageously. And still, they find themselves wondering why the story seems stalled. Why healing is delayed. Why justice feels postponed. Why the blueprint they imagined does not match the structure taking shape.
Scripture affirms that such questions are not sinful. It is not unfaithful to ask why God feels slow. It is not rebellious to wonder what God is doing. Faith does not mean certainty about outcomes; it means trust in the One who holds them.
James echoes this reality when he compares the life of faith to farming. The farmer waits patiently for the precious fruit of the earth, trusting both the early and the late rains. Growth happens underground long before it becomes visible above ground. Seeds split open in darkness before they ever break through the soil. To the untrained eye, nothing appears to be happening. But beneath the surface, life is unfolding.
James urges believers to strengthen their hearts, not by denying the difficulty of waiting, but by anchoring themselves in the nearness and faithfulness of God. Strengthening the heart does not mean pretending the project looks finished. It means trusting that the Builder has not abandoned the work.
Seeing God’s Work from a Wider Angle
Jesus’ response to John’s question is remarkably gentle. He does not rebuke John for doubting or shame him for questioning. Instead, Jesus points to the evidence of God’s ongoing work. He tells John’s disciples to report what they have seen and heard: the blind receiving sight, the lame walking, those with leprosy being cleansed, the deaf hearing, the dead being raised, and the poor hearing good news.
These are not random acts of compassion. They are signs deeply rooted in Israel’s prophetic hope. Jesus is showing that the kingdom of God is advancing, even if it is doing so in ways that challenge expectation. The project is moving forward, but it looks different than anticipated.
In construction terms, Jesus is saying that the work is progressing according to plan, even if John is viewing the site from a limited angle. Some of the most critical work is happening out of sight. The foundation is being laid. Lives are being restored. Good news is reaching those who have long been overlooked.
This reframing invites a deeper trust. It reminds us that God’s faithfulness is not measured by speed or spectacle. The kingdom of God does not always arrive with noise and immediacy. Often, it grows quietly, steadily, and persistently, transforming lives one by one.
Interestingly, James himself embodies this shift in perspective. As Jesus’ brother, James initially struggled to understand and accept Jesus’ role. Yet later, he becomes a leader in the early church who urges patience, endurance, and trust in God’s timing. His life testifies to the reality that understanding often comes after waiting, not before.
Slow seasons are not empty seasons. They are often times when God is doing foundational work that cannot be rushed. Character is formed. Roots grow deeper. Faith is refined. Strength is built for future load-bearing moments.
Just as concrete must be allowed to cure before it can support weight, so too must certain aspects of our spiritual lives be given time to set. These phases rarely draw attention, but they determine whether what follows will endure.
Faithfulness in the Middle of the Build
After addressing John’s doubt, Jesus turns to the crowd and speaks words of profound affirmation. He declares that no one born of women is greater than John the Baptist. This statement honors John’s faithfulness, courage, and role in God’s redemptive plan.
And then Jesus adds something astonishing. He says that even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John. This is not a dismissal of John, but a declaration about the expansive nature of God’s kingdom. The work God is doing is bigger than any single person’s understanding or vantage point. Those who feel unworthy, uncertain, or incomplete are not excluded. The kingdom makes room for questioners, strugglers, and seekers.
Faithfulness, in this context, is not about having all the answers. It is about remaining oriented toward God when the blueprint is incomplete. Every worker on a jobsite trusts the architect, even if they do not see the final design. They follow instructions, trust the process, and show up day after day because they believe in the integrity of the plan.
Scripture reminds us that God never hurries. There are no external deadlines pressuring divine action. God’s timing is not driven by anxiety or impatience. In seasons when progress feels slow, our calling remains the same: to trust the wisdom, goodness, and faithfulness of the Builder.
James offers a pastoral warning here, recognizing how easily frustration can take root during prolonged waiting. When nothing seems to be happening, people begin to grumble. They make assumptions, compare progress, and assign blame. Communities fracture under the weight of unmet expectations.
James cautions against this kind of internal erosion. Grumbling is a sign that the blueprint has been forgotten. Complaining shifts focus from God’s work to human frustration. It undermines trust and weakens communal bonds precisely when endurance is most needed.
Instead, James calls believers back to patience and heart-strengthening. He urges them to remain steady, to remember that the Judge is near, and to trust that God’s purposes are unfolding even now.
Blessed Are Those Who Do Not Stumble
Jesus closes his response to John with a beatitude that cuts to the heart of Advent faith: blessed is the one who does not stumble because of him. The word Jesus uses for stumbling carries the sense of being tripped up, scandalized, or offended in a way that leads to rejection.
John, like many in his time, likely expected the Messiah to bring swift judgment, political upheaval, and national restoration. Instead, Jesus focused on healing, restoration, and good news for the poor. He avoided direct confrontation with Rome and allowed John to remain in prison. The disconnect between expectation and reality created the potential for stumbling.
Jesus acknowledges this tension and names it as a blessing to remain faithful even when God’s methods do not align with our assumptions. Trusting God when outcomes differ from expectations is one of the deepest expressions of faith.
Advent teaches us to wait with expectancy rather than cynicism. It invites us to resist the urge to abandon the jobsite simply because the progress is not immediately visible. Hope in Advent is not passive resignation. It is active trust rooted in the conviction that God’s promises are reliable, even when their fulfillment unfolds slowly.
Questions for Reflection
Waiting for the Reveal
Every long-delayed project eventually reaches a moment of unveiling. The barriers come down. The ribbon is cut. Lights turn on. People walk through the doors and finally understand what all the waiting was for. Delays that once felt frustrating begin to make sense. What seemed like inactivity is revealed as preparation.
John the Baptist never saw the full structure of what God was building. James did not witness the final consummation of the kingdom he preached. And we, too, may not see the completion of all that God is doing in our lives or in the world.
Faith, as one writer has said, often means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse. Advent holds space for this kind of trust. It reminds us that God is not behind schedule, that the kingdom is rising, and that Jesus is worth the wait.
The jobsite may look quiet, but the work continues. Do not walk away. Stay present. Strengthen your heart. God does some of His most important work in seasons where progress seems slow.
Inspections are happening behind the scenes. Measurements are being taken. The ground is settling. Materials are curing. Engineers are evaluating the integrity of what has already been laid. These phases rarely make headlines or inspire admiration, but without them, nothing above ground would stand. A quiet jobsite is often a sign that something important is happening beneath the surface.
Advent invites us into that same perspective. This season, especially in its third week, confronts us with the tension between promise and fulfillment, hope and waiting, expectation and reality. God has clearly started something in the world through Jesus Christ. The kingdom has broken in. Light has entered the darkness. The project is underway. And yet, much of the world still looks unchanged. Suffering persists. Injustice remains. Prayers seem unanswered. Faith can feel fragile.
Scripture does not shy away from this tension. Instead, it gives us language for it, companions within it, and hope that steadies us while we wait. In Matthew 11 and James 5, we meet faithful people who know what it is like to stand at a quiet jobsite and wonder whether anything is really happening at all. Together, these passages speak a single, enduring truth: God is still working, even when progress seems slow.
At the heart of this Advent reflection is a simple but profound reality. God does some of His most important work in seasons where progress seems slow.
Honest Faith in the Waiting Place
John the Baptist stands at the center of the Advent story as a figure of bold faith and prophetic courage. He was the voice crying out in the wilderness, preparing the way of the Lord. He baptized crowds, confronted corruption, and publicly identified Jesus as the Lamb of God. John’s life was defined by clarity of purpose and unwavering conviction.
And yet, when we encounter John in Matthew 11, his circumstances have drastically changed. He is no longer preaching freely by the Jordan River. He is sitting in a prison cell. The kingdom he proclaimed has not unfolded the way he expected. Rome remains firmly in power. Justice has not come swiftly. And John, the forerunner of the Messiah, finds himself waiting in silence and confinement.
From this place, John sends a question to Jesus that is both raw and deeply human: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?” It is a startling question precisely because of who asks it. This is not a skeptic or a casual observer. This is the prophet who prepared the way. This is the one who staked his life on the coming of God’s kingdom.
John’s question reveals something important about faith. Honest confusion is not the opposite of faith. It is often an expression of it. John does not suppress his doubt or walk away in bitterness. He brings his uncertainty directly to Jesus. In doing so, he models a faith that refuses to pretend and instead chooses relationship over resignation.
Many people recognize themselves in John’s question. They have followed God faithfully, proclaimed hope confidently, and endured hardship courageously. And still, they find themselves wondering why the story seems stalled. Why healing is delayed. Why justice feels postponed. Why the blueprint they imagined does not match the structure taking shape.
Scripture affirms that such questions are not sinful. It is not unfaithful to ask why God feels slow. It is not rebellious to wonder what God is doing. Faith does not mean certainty about outcomes; it means trust in the One who holds them.
James echoes this reality when he compares the life of faith to farming. The farmer waits patiently for the precious fruit of the earth, trusting both the early and the late rains. Growth happens underground long before it becomes visible above ground. Seeds split open in darkness before they ever break through the soil. To the untrained eye, nothing appears to be happening. But beneath the surface, life is unfolding.
James urges believers to strengthen their hearts, not by denying the difficulty of waiting, but by anchoring themselves in the nearness and faithfulness of God. Strengthening the heart does not mean pretending the project looks finished. It means trusting that the Builder has not abandoned the work.
Seeing God’s Work from a Wider Angle
Jesus’ response to John’s question is remarkably gentle. He does not rebuke John for doubting or shame him for questioning. Instead, Jesus points to the evidence of God’s ongoing work. He tells John’s disciples to report what they have seen and heard: the blind receiving sight, the lame walking, those with leprosy being cleansed, the deaf hearing, the dead being raised, and the poor hearing good news.
These are not random acts of compassion. They are signs deeply rooted in Israel’s prophetic hope. Jesus is showing that the kingdom of God is advancing, even if it is doing so in ways that challenge expectation. The project is moving forward, but it looks different than anticipated.
In construction terms, Jesus is saying that the work is progressing according to plan, even if John is viewing the site from a limited angle. Some of the most critical work is happening out of sight. The foundation is being laid. Lives are being restored. Good news is reaching those who have long been overlooked.
This reframing invites a deeper trust. It reminds us that God’s faithfulness is not measured by speed or spectacle. The kingdom of God does not always arrive with noise and immediacy. Often, it grows quietly, steadily, and persistently, transforming lives one by one.
Interestingly, James himself embodies this shift in perspective. As Jesus’ brother, James initially struggled to understand and accept Jesus’ role. Yet later, he becomes a leader in the early church who urges patience, endurance, and trust in God’s timing. His life testifies to the reality that understanding often comes after waiting, not before.
Slow seasons are not empty seasons. They are often times when God is doing foundational work that cannot be rushed. Character is formed. Roots grow deeper. Faith is refined. Strength is built for future load-bearing moments.
Just as concrete must be allowed to cure before it can support weight, so too must certain aspects of our spiritual lives be given time to set. These phases rarely draw attention, but they determine whether what follows will endure.
Faithfulness in the Middle of the Build
After addressing John’s doubt, Jesus turns to the crowd and speaks words of profound affirmation. He declares that no one born of women is greater than John the Baptist. This statement honors John’s faithfulness, courage, and role in God’s redemptive plan.
And then Jesus adds something astonishing. He says that even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John. This is not a dismissal of John, but a declaration about the expansive nature of God’s kingdom. The work God is doing is bigger than any single person’s understanding or vantage point. Those who feel unworthy, uncertain, or incomplete are not excluded. The kingdom makes room for questioners, strugglers, and seekers.
Faithfulness, in this context, is not about having all the answers. It is about remaining oriented toward God when the blueprint is incomplete. Every worker on a jobsite trusts the architect, even if they do not see the final design. They follow instructions, trust the process, and show up day after day because they believe in the integrity of the plan.
Scripture reminds us that God never hurries. There are no external deadlines pressuring divine action. God’s timing is not driven by anxiety or impatience. In seasons when progress feels slow, our calling remains the same: to trust the wisdom, goodness, and faithfulness of the Builder.
James offers a pastoral warning here, recognizing how easily frustration can take root during prolonged waiting. When nothing seems to be happening, people begin to grumble. They make assumptions, compare progress, and assign blame. Communities fracture under the weight of unmet expectations.
James cautions against this kind of internal erosion. Grumbling is a sign that the blueprint has been forgotten. Complaining shifts focus from God’s work to human frustration. It undermines trust and weakens communal bonds precisely when endurance is most needed.
Instead, James calls believers back to patience and heart-strengthening. He urges them to remain steady, to remember that the Judge is near, and to trust that God’s purposes are unfolding even now.
Blessed Are Those Who Do Not Stumble
Jesus closes his response to John with a beatitude that cuts to the heart of Advent faith: blessed is the one who does not stumble because of him. The word Jesus uses for stumbling carries the sense of being tripped up, scandalized, or offended in a way that leads to rejection.
John, like many in his time, likely expected the Messiah to bring swift judgment, political upheaval, and national restoration. Instead, Jesus focused on healing, restoration, and good news for the poor. He avoided direct confrontation with Rome and allowed John to remain in prison. The disconnect between expectation and reality created the potential for stumbling.
Jesus acknowledges this tension and names it as a blessing to remain faithful even when God’s methods do not align with our assumptions. Trusting God when outcomes differ from expectations is one of the deepest expressions of faith.
Advent teaches us to wait with expectancy rather than cynicism. It invites us to resist the urge to abandon the jobsite simply because the progress is not immediately visible. Hope in Advent is not passive resignation. It is active trust rooted in the conviction that God’s promises are reliable, even when their fulfillment unfolds slowly.
Questions for Reflection
- Where in your life does God’s work feel slow or unfinished right now, and what emotions has that waiting stirred within you?
- When your expectations of how God should act do not match what you are experiencing, what practices help you remain faithful rather than withdrawing?
- What would it look like for you this week to stay present on the jobsite of your life, trusting that God is at work even when progress is not obvious?
Waiting for the Reveal
Every long-delayed project eventually reaches a moment of unveiling. The barriers come down. The ribbon is cut. Lights turn on. People walk through the doors and finally understand what all the waiting was for. Delays that once felt frustrating begin to make sense. What seemed like inactivity is revealed as preparation.
John the Baptist never saw the full structure of what God was building. James did not witness the final consummation of the kingdom he preached. And we, too, may not see the completion of all that God is doing in our lives or in the world.
Faith, as one writer has said, often means believing in advance what will only make sense in reverse. Advent holds space for this kind of trust. It reminds us that God is not behind schedule, that the kingdom is rising, and that Jesus is worth the wait.
The jobsite may look quiet, but the work continues. Do not walk away. Stay present. Strengthen your heart. God does some of His most important work in seasons where progress seems slow.
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