The Green Tau

Green Tau Reflection

Christmas 2025

I find this a fascinating picture, so much detail! It is the work of Bruegel and is his representation of Mary and Joseph finally reaching Bethlehem so that they can be registered. You can easily recognise Joseph as he carries a large saw over his shoulder.

The sun is setting as they arrive. The building to the left seems to be both an inn and the government tax office (note the red plaque with a crown and double headed eagle) where people are being registered. There are people busy with daily tasks – slaughtering a pig, gathering firewood, hauling goods, assembling a timber framed building, warming themselves around a fire, sharing a drink in a temporary tavern – and children playing.

It is also a scene that shows the faults and frailties present in the world. There are men brawling, and soldiers standing-by – are they there to defend or subjugate the people? There is a man emerging from a small shelter – he’s a leper with his warning clapper in his hand. Behind his hut someone is tending – or pilfering – what ever is kept there (are they plants or rabbits?)There is also a broken down wagon, its wheel stuck in the snow. There are a group of people sheltering from the cold in another rudimentary shelter – and the severe cold is clearly something they are all having to contend with. And in the background is a ruined castle – lack of money or the result of a siege? And of course there are the tax collectors.

In Bruegel’s picture, Jesus will be born in a world of poverty and oppression, of men fighting and children playing, a place where people struggle to make life work for them. If we could envisage Bethlehem in the time when Jesus was born, what would that world have looked like? Again it would have featured poverty and oppression, a place controlled by foreign soldiers and a remote king. It would have been full of people some who were rich and some who struggled, some who were rejected and some who were revered. A place where people could be exploited to suit the aims of others.

Contrary to some of our carols and Christmas cards, Jesus was born into a world where things were flawed. God became human in a discordant world where there was evil and wrong doing. Bruegel asserts the same truth in his painting.

And sadly the truth is not much different this year. But somehow this is where I think I find hope. God comes to us, to be alongside us, when we most need that divine love. God doesn’t wait for us to overcome our faults before seeking us out. I think we celebrate Christmas not because we’ve solved all our problems, but because we need the reassurance that God always comes to us in love, and that of all things, love is the most powerful.

The Word – God in creation

23rd December 2025

Let’s seek God with all our heart
Amen. Christ be our still-point.
Let’s seek God with all our soul
Amen. Christ be our vision.
Let’s seek God with all our mind
Amen. Christ be our wisdom.
Let’s seek God with all our strength
Amen. Christ be our souls’ companion.

Adapted from Our Common Prayer

A reading John 1:1-5, 14

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.

Response:

God is nowhere

if not in creation.

God’s breath over the void

drew forth light and dark, land and sea.

God’s will caused water to flow

and plants to sprout.

God’s breath inspired life a human form

and God’s imagining inspired creatures,

companions all in an ecological union.

God’s vision of a perfect world

displayed in a garden.

God is nowhere

if not with creation.

But human tenacity is short lived,

promises forgotten and undertakings overlooked.

Never quite getting a grip

on the need for teamwork,

side-lining others in the interests of self.

Wilfully ignorant

of the inter connected relationships

of plant and animal life,

failing to see the human role is in –

not over- creation.

God is nowhere

if not in human form –

conceived in flesh and blood,

born in time and space,

occupying our human limitations,

sharing our divine inspiration.

True to his calling,

working in union,

disciplined to God’s will,

humbling self to love the other,

following God’s vision of a world

displayed in perfect humanity.

Let us pray:

Rejoicing in the miracle of God’s Word present in creation from the beginning,

may we honour all that has life,

cherishing trees and plants, birds and animals, insect life and sea life so that their life is not extinguished by our thoughtless actions.

Rejoicing in the miracle of the Word that brings light to the world,

may we learn from the light.

Help us overcome our pride, to acknowledge our ignorance, and to live in harmony with all creation.

Rejoicing in the miracle of God born in human flesh, may we be inspired to follow Christ’s example,

humbling ourselves to better love one another,

humbling ourselves to better love the world around us,

humbling ourselves to know our place in and not above creation.

Amen

Advent four

21St December 2025

Reflection with reading below.

Today’s gospel gives us the Christmas narrative from the view point of Matthew’s gospel. Here the story of the virgin birth and Mary’s marriage, comes to as revelations that Joseph received. In someways this is positive as the traditional Christmas story tends to relegate Joseph to a bit part where as I am sure he was a key player in ensuring that Mary safely gave birth to Jesus and in ensuring Jesus’s own safe childhood. Indeed there is some suggestion here that Joseph may have faced some public discrimination or judgement about his marriage. This is also a birth that takes place within the safety of Joseph’s home – no stable or manger here.

At the same time, one might argue that Matthew’s narrative presents a very patriarchal standpoint.

But most surprising is how very low key Jesus’s birth! What seems more important are the names given to Jesus. These are the key part of the story because they tell us who Jesus is and what his role is to be. Matthew highlights two names: Yehosua (or Joshua of which Jesus is the latinised version) and means ‘Yahweh saves/ is salvation’; and Emmanuel meaning ‘God is with us.’

In Jesus God is uniquely with us in human form, and it is by entering our human state, that God is giving us salvation – or in the words of the Psalmist, restoration. Or as St Paul writes, this is the Gospel of God. We celebrate Christmas to celebrate this good news: that God is with us, that God does indeed embrace and experience our humanity in all its messiness and failings, and that God desires the restoration of humanity – the salvation of the world! Christmas celebrates what it is to be a family – the different roles that family members play, the relationships we share, our ongoing relationship with God – for this is the endorsement that God is with us: Emmanuel

. Christmas also recognises our need for healing and salvation. It prompts us to care more deeply about those in need, those we have hurt – and what we have hurt and destroyed – those we have failed and those we continue to fail. It prompts us to be alert to God’s will, to do what God is asking of each of us. It reminds us that what God desires for all of humanity – repentance and restoration. And it reminds us that the work of the kingdom begins now here on Earth with us, with our Emmanuel.

Isaiah 7:10-16

Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying, Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven. But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test. Then Isaiah said: “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Look, the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel. He shall eat curds and honey by the time he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. For before the child knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.”

Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18

1 Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock; *
shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.

2 In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, *
stir up your strength and come to help us.3 Restore us, O God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

4 O Lord God of hosts, *
how long will you be angered
despite the prayers of your people?

5 You have fed them with the bread of tears; *
you have given them bowls of tears to drink.

6 You have made us the derision of our neighbours, *
and our enemies laugh us to scorn.

7 Restore us, O God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

16 Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, *
the son of man you have made so strong for yourself.

17 And so will we never turn away from you; *
give us life, that we may call upon your Name.

18 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; *
show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

Romans 1:1-7

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,

To all God’s beloved in Rome, who are called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”

which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.

Advent – in the bleak mid winter

20th December 2025

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone; Christina Rossetti

You Lord, are the source of all good things:

We praise you.

You call us to tend and care for your creation:

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives:

May we live together in peace.

A reading from Isaiah 55:10-11

“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,

And do not return there without watering the earth

And making it bear and sprout,

And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth;

It will not return to Me empty,

Without accomplishing what I desire,

And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.

Response

Winter, the fallow season,

prepares the land for spring.

The small seed lies dormant

lest the cold freeze its vulnerable growth.

But in due time what is small will swell,

what is vulnerable will gain strength,

and what is hidden will bloom forth.

Winter, the fallow season

is when we prepare for spring.

Waiting,

but gaining strength,

patiently building networks of support.

Confident that the Word in us

will accomplish God’s desire.

In the bleak winter Lord,

We pray for those who feel they have no hope,

for those who anticipate a Christmas without joy.

We give thanks for all who ease their pain and desolation.

We give thanks for those who offer time and money with generosity.

Open our hearts that we too may be givers.

In the bleak winter Lord,

We pray for birds and animals seeking food and warmth,

for wildlife threatened by human greed and ignorance.

We give thanks for all who stand up for the rights of creation.

We give thanks for all who offer time and money with generosity.

Open our hearts that we too may be givers.

In the bleak winter Lord,

We pray for all affected by systems that fail to deliver,

systems corrupted by prejudice, selfishness and complacency.

We give thanks for all who stand up for the rights of others,

who challenge the status quo and seek a better world.

Open our hearts that we too may act for change.

Lord God, unfreeze frozen hearts,

bring new life to hearts of stone,

and work in us and all your creation

the transformative power of you Word.

May your will be done!

Amen.

Counting on … day 208

19th December 2025

What should we be doing? – 1

Reviewing and redesigning the way we use fresh water so as to conserve and protect this precious resource for the benefit of all.

“Human use of water, especially for agriculture, is [a] major driver of freshwater change. Irrigation alone accounts for about 70% of all freshwater withdrawals, and around 90% of the water that is consumed and not returned to the source. Large-scale river diversions, dams, and groundwater pumping have dramatically altered the flow and storage of blue water, lowering water levels in rivers, lakes, and aquifers and degrading aquatic habitats.” (1)

Where dams are placed and how the flow of water downstream is controlled is very important if fair access to water is to be ensured. One of the main factors causing Iran to be so short of water and why in parts of Tehran there is a real risk of taps literally running dry. Nations upstream of Iran have set up dams and extract so much water, that downstream rivers such as the Tigris have severely reduced flow.

How water is used for agriculture also needs to be controlled and consideration given as to which crops are grown, and whether there are more water efficient plant varieties and methods of farming.

The Aral Sea has already been destroyed by agricultural water extraction (mainly for cotton which is a very thirsty crop – 15,000 tonnes of irrigation water per hectare) and now the Caspian Sea is similarly under threat.

Consideration also needs to be given to the place of livestock farming. Globally 30–40% of fresh water is used to provide 16% of the food obtained as meat, eggs, and dairy products – the vast majority of this is water used in growing food crops for the animals.

All foods have a fresh water footprint. The size will vary with location. Strawberries grown for example in Spain will have a higher water footprint than those grown in the cooler climes of the UK. 70% of Spanish strawberries are grown in the Doñana region where the extraction of water is depleting the water in the region’s biodiverse wetlands.

Governments and farmers and scientists need to work together to ensure against the over-extraction of water. Different farming methods and different crops etc that use less water should be utilised.

As customers we too can contribute by shaping our diets around foods with lower water footprints.

You can find more information online: eg-

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/your-diet-contributing-water-scarcity

Or look at the Planetary Health Diet. Its researchers estimate that following this optimised diet produces a lower water footprint of up to 30%.

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/health/special-diets/what-is-the-planetary-health-diet

The Planetary Health Diet

(1) https://www.planetaryhealthcheck.org/boundary/freshwater-change/

Counting on … day 207

18th December 2025

How do we see the impact of exceeding the planetary boundaries for fresh water?

“Climate change has become the main global driver of freshwater disruption. A warmer atmosphere holds more moisture and changes how and where rain falls, leading to more intense floods in some regions and severe droughts in others. These shifts are transforming long-established rainfall and river patterns, creating new and unpredictable hydrological conditions that put pressure on both ecosystems and human societies.” (1)

A disruption in rainfall patterns can mean either more or less rain than usual, or more rainfall but less often so that rainfall is more intense. This can lead to the drying out of wetlands, the lowering of lake and river levels and the disruption of the ecosystems those water features supported. In the Amazon basin we are seeing river levels drop significantly impacting local communities and their livelihoods and destabilisation of the rainforest such that trees, plants and creatures are lost.

Disruption means loss of soil moisture. Not only does this impact plant growth and thus a whole food chains, it also makes landscapes more vulnerable to droughts and wildfires. The UK saw a record number of wildfires this year.

Excessive amounts of rainfall over a prolonged period, or concentrated into a short time frame, causes extreme flooding that disrupts habitats, destroys infrastructure, displaces people, erodes soils and causes devastating landslides. We have seen many examples of this in the recent Asian super typhoons.

Disruption to normal rainfall patterns leads to water scarcity. A lack of rain depletes water supplies, whilst infrequent intense rainfall runs quickly of the land, again failing to restore water stocks in reservoirs and rivers. Warmer winters diminishes the replenishment of glaciers, and increase the rate at which they melt. Together this reduces the flow of water into rivers during summer periods aggravating water scarcity. Both in Iran and in South Africa, whole communities are face a complete lack of drinking water as droughts combine with atypical rainfall patterns.

https://www.planetaryhealthcheck.org/boundary/freshwater-change/

Counting on … day 206

17th December 2025

Only 2.5% of the Earth’s water is fresh water – the rest is salt water found in the seas and oceans.

Fresh water exists in two forms, blue water and green water.

Blue water is the water that is in rivers, lakes , underground aquifers and as frozen water in glaciers and ice sheets. Amazingly about 60% of blue water is locked away as ice.

Green water is the water stored in the soil and drawn up by plants.

Every year some 500,000km3 of water evaporates from the surface of the oceans, with 450,000km3 returning as precipitation directly back into the ocean(usually within a period of about 9 days) and 50,000km3 falling on land.

“The highest rate of evaporation from the oceans occurs in winter for both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The location of greatest evaporation is found on the east coasts of continents. This is due primarily to winter storms that move off the east coasts of continents, which tend to have strong winds. These winds help carry water vapor away from its source, thereby allowing more evaporation to take place.

“Another factor is the warm ocean currents that move pole-ward along the east coasts of continents. The cold winter-time air masses that move over the water allow for large differences in air and sea temperatures, so evaporation is also large. When these differences in air and sea temperatures are then combined with strong winds, it makes evaporation in these regions very efficient.” (1)

Water molecules from the ocean would struggle to reach the inner parts of the continents. Here precipitation is dependent on moisture that has been released by plants through evaporation, forming clouds etc. Plants provide about 70,000km3 of such precipitation. Vegetation cover is key to ensuring that precipitation spreads right across continents.

The other key source of water for inland areas is from melting snow and ice: high mountain regions capture precipitation and then release it throughout the year as meltwater-fed rivers. Water molecules that are exist within these frozen states may take a thousand years to complete the journey from precipitation to their return to the ocean! This is also highlights as we loose glaciers because of global warming, they will be hard to replace.

https://www.noaa.gov/jetstream/max-what-cycle

Counting on … day 205

16th December

Fresh water is essential for life, but are we using it wisely?

“A new analysis of freshwater resources across the globe shows that human activity has pushed variation in the planet’s freshwater cycle well outside of its pre-industrial range. The study shows that the updated planetary boundary for freshwater change was surpassed by the mid-twentieth century. In other words, for the past century, humans have been pushing the Earth’s freshwater system far beyond the stable conditions that prevailed before industrialisation.” (1)

We are seeing more extreme wet and more extreme dry conditions across the globe. Ingo Fetzer at the Stockholm Resilience Centre notes: “Water extremes, such as droughts and flooding, can have significant impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity that function are essential for human societies. However, human activities, including agriculture, urbanisation, and climate change, influence the water cycle and exacerbate extreme events. By understanding and mitigating these factors, we can work to protect and preserve our planet’s vital water resources and maintain biodiversity.” (1)

https://www.stockholmresilience.org/research/research-stories/2024-03-06-freshwater-planetary-boundary-has-been-crossed-since-the-mid-twentieth-century.html

Counting on … day 204

15th December 2025

What is AMOC?

AMOC, the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, is a system of ocean currents that help distribute warm water around the world. (1)

I wrote about this last month – https://greentau.org/2025/11/18/counting-on-189/ – but want to recommend Professor Tim Lenton’s address at the National Emergency Briefing which illustrates vividly the impact if AMOC fails: https://youtu.be/tmd6MDiJmQU?si=RcnuJIDqMeJHirD5

Research, which is still on going, suggests that the topping point which will make the collapse of AMOC inevitable could be passed in the next few decades – but the resulting collapse of the system might take another 50-100 years to happen. Even keeping the global temperature rise to the 1.5C Paris target is now predicted to carry a 10-25% risk of reaching this tipping point before the end of the century. It is a risk we cannot afford to take given the impact it will have on the viability of human life – even if that will not effect us now, it will effect future generations, our children and our children’s children. (2)

https://weather.metoffice.gov.uk/binaries/content/assets/metofficegovuk/pdf/research/climate-science/met-office-hadley-centre/amoc-factsheet-update-2025-v3.pdf

(2) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/28/collapse-critical-atlantic-current-amoc-no-longer-low-likelihood-study?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

And also https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/23/we-dont-know-where-the-tipping-point-is-climate-expert-on-potential-collapse-of-atlantic-circulation?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

Third Sunday of Advent

14th December 2025

Reflection with readings below

Advent is the season when we prepare for the coming of Jesus – of his coming as both a frail human baby and as the Word that establishes the reign of God here on Earth. Prophets such as Isaiah gave their people – and us – a vision of what that world order would look like. It is one of beauty and flourishing, of abundance, of healing and restoration. Who wouldn’t want to love in such a world? Why then is it that 2000 years after the birth of Jesus we still seem stuck in a world order that doesn’t protect beauty, that doesn’t enable everyone to flourish, that allows a minority to have more than enough whilst others go without, that rations healing according to wealth or advantage, that is racing towards planetary destruction rather than restoration?

Somehow we are failing to live according to the rule, the way of life, that God intends for us. It was Bernard Shaw who famously said “Christianity might be a good thing if anyone ever tried it.”

Today’s canticle is the Magnificat, the Song of Mary, which is also prophetic. What Mary proclaims is not the state of the world as it was in her day, but how it could – would – become in the day of her son, God’s son. And it is prophetic in telling how that future will come into place – and it is a way that is radical, turning the accepted order upside down!

It is a song that openly challenges the maintenance of the status quo. It is a song that openly asserts that those who are rich are going to have to fore sake most of their wealth; it is a song that asserts that those with power are going to have to vacate their high positions and enable a widespread sharing of power; it is a song that challenges those who think they know all the answers, who think they have everything under their control.

I wonder if we are ready for such a revolution? How would we feel if the rich were asked to give up their wealth? Or if those with power were asked to share it? How would we feel if those who live in comfort were asked to share the life experiences of the poor? Maybe these are the situations we are expected to ponder on and prepare for during Advent?

This last week the group Take Back Power tipped bags of manure out under the Christmas tree at the Ritz hotel in a protest aimed at highlighting the wealth inequality that exists in the UK. The group is calling in the government to establish a “permanent House of the People- a citizen’s assembly chosen by democratic lottery, that has the power to tax extreme wealth and fix Britain.”

Later the group carried out another action at the Tower of London, splashing apple and crumble and custard over the display case containing the Crown Jewels. One of the protestors said “Our country is crumbling before our eyes. We have homeless people dying on the very streets that King Charles passed on his way to the coronation, whilst there are more empty homes than unhoused people in this country. It’s time the ultra-rich pay their fair share.”

If such tactics revolt us, how would we go about bringing in the changes that the Magnificat celebrates?

Today’s gospel tells us that Jesus understood his coming onto the human stage as the messiah, would be apparent through the transformation his ministry wrought. Is his ministry still being carried on by us? Are we as Christians – as Christ Followers – bringing about a visible change in the order of things? Could a modern day bystander go and tell John 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. And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.”?

I think we are as Christians beholden to take a stand, to call our injustice and inequality, and to heal and to make good all that has been inured and destroyed by the world’s greed. We may have to be patient – and persistent – in this. But equally we should draw strength and hope from the knowledge that we are not alone, for even as we wait for Jesus, he is already alongside us.

Isaiah 35:1-10

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;

like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.

The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.

They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.

Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.

Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
“Be strong, do not fear!

Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,

with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you.”

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;

then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.

For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;

the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;

the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

A highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Holy Way;

the unclean shall not travel on it,
but it shall be for God’s people; no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.

No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;

they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.

And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
and come to Zion with singing;

everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

The Song of Mary Magnificat

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour; *
for he has looked with favour on his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.

He has mercy on those who fear him *
in every generation.

He has shown the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.

He has filled the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.

He has come to the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

The promise he made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.

James 5:7-10

Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

Matthew 11:2-11

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 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. And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.”

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written,

‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’

“Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”