Third Sunday of Advent: Listen, Rejoice, Speak Up

Today's Scripture Readings

Isaiah 61: 1-4, 8-11 (NRSV)

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

because the LORD has anointed me;

he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,

to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and release to the prisoners;

to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn;

to provide for those who mourn in Zion—

to give them a garland instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

the planting of the LORD, to display his glory.

They shall build up the ancient ruins,

they shall raise up the former devastations;

they shall repair the ruined cities,

the devastations of many generations.

For I the LORD love justice,

I hate robbery and wrongdoing;

I will faithfully give them their recompense,

and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

Their descendants shall be known among the nations,

and their offspring among the peoples;

all who see them shall acknowledge

that they are a people whom the LORD has blessed.

I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,

my whole being shall exult in my God;

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,

he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its shoots,

and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,

so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise

to spring up before all the nations.

Psalm 126 (BCP., p.782)


1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 (NRSV)

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.

May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

John 1:6-8, 19-28 (NRSV)

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.

This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, "I am not the Messiah." And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the prophet?" He answered, "No." Then they said to him, "Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" He said, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, `Make straight the way of the Lord,'" as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, "Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?" John answered them, "I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal." This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.

Blog Reflection

Advent is a wonderful Season for listening.   In their book: Benedict's Way: An Ancient Monk's Insight for a Balanced Life; Lonnie Collins Pratt and Fr. Daniel Homan, OSB suggest that God speaks to us through the events of daily life (see p. 31).  God is not limited to our churches, monasteries, homes or prayer chapels.  God is interacting with us through those many moments when our hearts shake because someone else makes us uncomfortable.  God is inspiring and empowering us with the Holy Spirit to bring the good news to the oppressed and the captives.  The prophet Isaiah heard this word from God and knew that he had news to share.  Those who may have gone without a voice in the past, could look forward to God showing a vested interest in their lives.  It took a prophet to open the ears of their hearts to listen to what God was doing among them. 

St. Paul tells the Thessalonians to rejoice always and to not quench the work of the Spirit.  The Holy Spirit wants the message of the Gospel of Christ to be alive in the Church there.  In 1 Thessalonians, Paul is correcting some messages they received about the return of Christ.  In one of the messages they received, they were told that Christ already returned, but they missed it.  Paul is telling them in the Epistles that they did not miss the return of Christ, and that they need to continue to live holy lives as evidence of the impact of Christ on them.  

When we hear bad news, our spirits are easily dropped because of what we heard.  St. Paul tells us in our day and age to not allow the joy that we have as Christians to be snuffed out because of bad news.  On the contrary, hearing news such as the horrible Senate report about torture should incite in us the power of the Holy Spirit to object to any human being, any where for any reason being tortured.   The Matthew Shepard Act was an attempt to address the torture and violence experienced by LGBT people as hate crimes.  Since then, we have seen many outrageous forms of torture and violence of LGBT people.  One burned outside a bar.  A number of others in New York City and in various places have experienced horrific acts of violence; many of them transgender individuals.  We are right to be outraged about the torture report from the U.S. Senate this week.  We should respond to it with a call for accountability and an end to any kind of torture.  But, that should include the torture of individuals through economic poverty, poor quality health care, unemployment and the racism that has become inescapable.  Holiness of life includes responding to these things out of devotion to our Baptismal Vows.

The voice of St. John the Baptist calls us to prepare for the coming of Christ.   All of us have the opportunity to prepare a way for God to come to the center of our lives and communities.  We prepare a way for Christ by listening ever so carefully to one another.   In Chapter 53 verse 1 of The Rule of St. Benedict we read, "All guests who come should be received as Christ...".  The message of St. John the Baptist is to make a way for God to come by letting go of our preconceived notions and expectations.  Christ often comes to us in the midst of everything about our lives that is not what others think it should be; let alone what we think things should be.  It is in the moments of our deepest questions and fragile emotions that God is seeking us out to hold us closer to God's Self in Christ.

In these last two weeks of Advent, may we take time to listen, rejoice and speak up in preparation for the coming of Christ.  May we be open to allowing Christ to come as He chooses to arrive, ready to greet Him in the marginalized, sick, poor and those who are without their equal place in society and the Church.

Amen.


Prayers

Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come
among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins,
let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver
us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and
the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for the Third Sunday of Advent.  The Book of Common Prayer, p. 212).

Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this
land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as
their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to
eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those
who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law
and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of
us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  (Prayer for the Oppressed. The Book of Common Prayer, p. 826).