Third Sunday of Advent (Ps) December 11th

Psalm 146:1-10
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 Put not your trust in princes,
in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
on that very day his plans perish.
5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed,
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free;
8 the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the sojourners;
he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Ps 146:1-10). Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.

Who do you look to for salvation? There is only one who will bring salvation. People put their trust in Governments. People have hope in their leaders to help them when they are in trouble. But God gives us a different person to look for. God has us look for the Christ.

John the Baptist points us to the Christ and even has his disciples ask the question if there is another to look for. Jesus explains to these disciples who he is by his own actions. Look and see what Jesus Christ has done for you and me. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. He opens the ears of the deaf. He even lifts up the heads bowed low. But for some reason he has not released the prisoners from their cells.

John the Baptist was not released from prison. John will find his fate with his head on a plate. There were many martyrs who were either left in prison or found their own heads removed from their bodies. Jesus Christ is the one who does set their prisoners free. All of us are prisoners to sin. All of us are held in bondage in the devil's kingdom.

Jesus Christ does set the prisoners free. He does free slaves from their slave master. He dies for the forgiveness of sins. God tells us to look at Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ points us to our loving Father in Heaven. They both point us to the plan of Salvation for the forgiveness of sins. Look to the Christ.