Third Sunday of Advent
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III
"New Age" Sunday might be one name that could be given to this Third Sunday of Advent. The purpose of this Sunday, which in the older tradition was related to the Fourth Sunday of Lent - "refreshment Sunday," when the spiritual and physical rigors of Lent were relaxed - is that now is the time for rejoicing. Christ has come into the world, has inaugurated the Kingdom of God through his death and resurrection. The New Age has be-gun, and therefore, human beings have reason to rejoice.
This Sunday could also be named "Rejoicing Sunday," or as the classic Roman liturgy called it (after the first word of the Psalm) Gaudete. (After this tradition, some congregations continue to use a rose-colored candle for this day in their Advent wreaths.) This Sunday, incidentally, has no psalm assigned to it in the Lutheran Book of Worship or the Roman Catholic lectionary. Luke 1:46b-55, The Magnificat or "The Song of Mary," replaces the psalm as a responsory to the first reading. (The Episcopal Church also offers the Magnificat as an alternate responsory to the Isaiah reading). With Mary, John, and the host of people who believe that Christ has come into the world and a New Age, God's Age, has begun, contemporary Christians rejoice and give thanks to God for his wonderful gift in Christ Jesus.
The Prayer of the Day
The Lutheran Book of Worship has modernized the language of the traditional collect for the Third Sunday of Advent:
Lord, hear our prayers and come to us, bringing light into the darkness of our hearts; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
It precedes this prayer with a new collect that reflects the John 1 Gospel for the Third Sunday of Advent:
Almighty God, you once called John the Baptist to give witness to the coming of your Son and to prepare his way. Grant us, your people, the wisdom to see your purpose today and the openness to hear your will, that we may witness to Christ's coming and so prepare his way; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
It clearly reflects the intention and themes of the readings for this Sunday.
The Psalm of the Day ("Psalmody")
Psalm 126 (E) - The Episcopal Church has made an appropriate choice when it selected this psalm - a song of rejoicing - as a responsory for the Third Sunday of Advent. It is one of the "Pilgrimage Psalms" sung by the pilgrims as they made their way to Jerusalem and was, no doubt, repeated after they had entered the Holy City and the temple. The people went to Jerusalem because God had restored their nation, so the Psalmist declares: "Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy." It has an almost-Christian eschatological thrust to it from verse 6 onward: "Restore our fortunes, O Lord ... Those who sowed with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves." The Lord has even greater blessings in store for his people. Christians believe this to be true, so there is real reason for rejoicing.
Luke 1:46-55 (L, F); Canticle 3 or 15 in The Book of Common Prayer; 1:46-50, 53-54 (R)
This glorious song, put in the mouth of Mary by the evangelist, aptly expresses the theme of joy, sung by the church in its liturgy on this Sunday. In an apparent effort to lessen the rather harsh, judgmental themes in verses 51-53, the Roman Catholic Church has skipped over them in this responsory. One could argue that the use of the Magnificat on this Sunday gives too much of a Christmas emphasis to the day, and that it throws the sequence of events surrounding the birth of Christ out of order. (Luke 1:26-38, the story of the Annunciation, is the Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Series B. The magnificent song that Mary is supposed to have sung on her visit to Elizabeth occurs after the angel visits her and tells her what is going to happen to her.) It is the joyful and thankful spirit of the song that makes it appropriate for this Sunday's worship.
The Psalm Prayer (LBW, Psalm 126)
Lord Jesus, our life and our resurrection, the tears you sowed in the sorrow of your Passion brought the earth to flower on Easter morning. Renew the wonders ofyourpower in the Church, so that, after the sorrows of our exile, we may come home to you in gladness and praise you now and forever.
The readings:
Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11 (R); 61:1-3, 10-11 (L); 61:1-4, 8-11 (C)
The prophet speaks of the role of the one who is to "prepare the way of the Lord" (the Advent theme in the gospels for these first three Sundays of the season). This person is to proclaim "good tidings" to all of the people, particularly to the poor, the broken-hearted, the captives, and those who mourn, because the One who will come from God will come into the world as a servant. Surely, "Isaiah's" description of the servant's mission fits the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. It is a message of hope for all people, now as well as then.
Verse 10 might have been used by itself as a first reading with its "I exult in Yahweh, my soul rejoices in my God" (Jerusalem Bible) to express the liturgical theme for the day's worship. The combination indicates that a new day has dawned, a New Age begun, and God's people - knowing this truth - rejoice and give thanks to the Lord for his love and grace.
Isaiah 65:17-25 (E)
The "New Age" theme, as a reason for rejoicing ("For now I create new heavens and a new earth, and the past will not be remembered, and come no more to men's minds, because I now create Jerusalem 'Joy' and her people 'Gladness'.") comes into prominence in this reading. God has gone into action again, and the Almighty God rejoices over what he has accomplished. There is more than a hint of the Easter joy that brings the incarnation to a culminating look toward the ultimate redeeming activity of God in Jesus Christ - "Behold, I make all things new."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 (R, L, C); 5:(12-15) 16-28 (E)
Once more the "rejoice" theme of this Sunday is reiterated in this reading, and this time it is clearly connected to the second coming of Jesus Christ. The thrust of the lesson points to the future when the Lord will return at the end of time. Thus as the various readings suggest, both "advents" of Jesus are amplified on these Sundays of Advent, and faith that the risen Lord will really come again is affirmed as the ultimate reason for rejoicing, praising God for all he has done for his people, and praying the ancient prayer (Maranatha) for Christ's immanent return.
John 1:6-8, 19-28
This reading was selected to keep the record right: John the Baptizer was not the Christ - He knew that and simply said so. He was the forerunner of Christ, the herald sent to announce the coming of Jesus into the world. He was not the "light" that would shine in the darkness, merely the one who would testify that a new day was about to dawn with the advent of the Lord. In other words, the Evangelist puts John the Baptizer in his place, in proper perspective: he is not to be recognized as the Coming One. He is merely a "voice" announcing the incredible event that will take place when God enters the world as a human being and takes matters into his own hands. At the conclusion of this reading, John the Baptizer repeats part of last Sunday's Gospel about the presence and the holiness of the Lord - "among you stands one whom you do not know, even he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." Thus, the "joy" theme of the Third Sunday of Advent finds expression in the Good News which the Baptizer gives to the world.
A Sermon on the Gospel, John 1:6-8, 19-28 - "Rejoice! There Is Light in this Dark World."
There is a church in Hong Kong called True Light Lutheran Church. I like to think it is a congregation organized on this Third Sunday of Advent - but I'm afraid that was not the way it was. The traditional - and only - Gospel for this Sunday had always been Matthew 11:2-10; John 1 came in with the new lectionary of the Roman Catholic and other churches. Somebody, at least, was intrigued by what John had written in the first chapter of his Gospel about the pre-existent One who came into the world and brought the very light of God to humanity. John the Baptizer clearly stated that he was not that light; he was the one sent by God to prepare the way for the Lord, whose advent was at hand as he spoke. The mission of True Light Lutheran Church - and all other churches and their preachers, for that matter - is to witness to the True Light, Jesus Christ, and so proclaim the Good News that the Light will shine in the darkness of this world and give people hope. Every congregation, into which this Gospel ofJohn ispreached, is a "true light" Christian church.
1. The man who knew his role in God's world. John the Baptizer can never be accused of rewriting the script prepared by God for the drama that was to unfold in the life of Jesus Christ. He knew what his task was and he simply accepted the fact that he was a "preparer" and not the Messiah. He didn't take advantage of the response to his preaching - the masses of people, to whom he could have been Elijah or Jeremiah, or even the Messiah himself. We honor him for his obedience to the will and intention of God.
2. We can really rejoice, because we know the true story of Jesus. John prepared the "way of the Lord" rather than blocked his path or interfered with God's intentions. He was obedient to the will of the Almighty God, and this finally cost him his life. The light, Jesus Christ, really did come into the world - and so we have abundant life.
3. Our joy is enriched by the knowledge we have that nothing could put out that Light. Death could not douse that light, but only dimmed itfor awhile. Jesus, the Light of Life, cannot be extinguished or eliminated from the world by the efforts of evil or indifferent people. The Light is here to stay, and it will shine through the Gospel and the church until the end of this age.
4. God's Light shines in this dark world and gives us hope and joy!
A Sermon on the First Lesson, Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11 (R); 61:1-3, 10-11 (L); 61:1-4, 8-11 (C)
- "The Song of a Servant."
1. The song is composed in "the spirit of the Lord. " It was given to the prophet Isaiah and later to another "singer," John the Baptizer.
2. The song is sung in loving service ofothers. The description of Isaiah ("to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken, " and so on) is a mode/for those who would live "in imitation of Christ."
3. The song is the song ofjoyfulpeople. They know that God is gracious and merciful, and that he has made an everlasting covenant with them in Christ. He has "clothed me in the garments of salvation...."
4. The song is an expression of faith. God has promised this - our deliverance - and in Jesus Christ he has already made good on his promise.
A Sermon on the First Lesson, Isaiah 65:17-25 (E) - "Never-ending Gladness and Joy."
1. God is engaged in a new creation in the world. The prophets understood that God had not given up on his people. Rather than destroying a "sinful world," he set about to recreate it.
2. This will mean new life for the people of God. The prophet speaks of "long life" for righteous believers; Christ spoke of "eternal life" for the faithful.
3. The new creation will bring peace to the earth. He has promised this with his Word and has accomplished it in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, Isaiah's "prince of peace."
4. Those who live in this hope will always be glad and rejoice "in the Lord."
A Sermon on the Second Lesson, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 (R, L, C); 5:(12-15), 16-28 (E) - "The Dimensions of Christian Joy."
1. Fervent worship - in response to all that God has so graciously done for all people in Jesus Christ.
Rejoice, the Lord is King!
Your Lord and King adore;
Give thanks and sing,
And triumph evermore.
2. Loving service - that witnesses to the love of God displayed for the whole world to see on the cross.
Jesus, the Saviour, reigns,
The God of truth and love;
When he had purged our stains
He took his seat above.
3. Audacious hope - in the belief that God's will "will be done on earth as it is heaven."
His kingdom cannot fail,
He rules o'er earth and heaven,
The keys of death and hell
Are to our Jesus given.
4. Eternal expectation that the Lord will soon return as he promised. Meanwhile,
He sits at God's right hand
Till all his foes submit,
And bow to his command,
And fall beneath his feet.
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice.
(Charles Wesley)
This Sunday could also be named "Rejoicing Sunday," or as the classic Roman liturgy called it (after the first word of the Psalm) Gaudete. (After this tradition, some congregations continue to use a rose-colored candle for this day in their Advent wreaths.) This Sunday, incidentally, has no psalm assigned to it in the Lutheran Book of Worship or the Roman Catholic lectionary. Luke 1:46b-55, The Magnificat or "The Song of Mary," replaces the psalm as a responsory to the first reading. (The Episcopal Church also offers the Magnificat as an alternate responsory to the Isaiah reading). With Mary, John, and the host of people who believe that Christ has come into the world and a New Age, God's Age, has begun, contemporary Christians rejoice and give thanks to God for his wonderful gift in Christ Jesus.
The Prayer of the Day
The Lutheran Book of Worship has modernized the language of the traditional collect for the Third Sunday of Advent:
Lord, hear our prayers and come to us, bringing light into the darkness of our hearts; for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
It precedes this prayer with a new collect that reflects the John 1 Gospel for the Third Sunday of Advent:
Almighty God, you once called John the Baptist to give witness to the coming of your Son and to prepare his way. Grant us, your people, the wisdom to see your purpose today and the openness to hear your will, that we may witness to Christ's coming and so prepare his way; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
It clearly reflects the intention and themes of the readings for this Sunday.
The Psalm of the Day ("Psalmody")
Psalm 126 (E) - The Episcopal Church has made an appropriate choice when it selected this psalm - a song of rejoicing - as a responsory for the Third Sunday of Advent. It is one of the "Pilgrimage Psalms" sung by the pilgrims as they made their way to Jerusalem and was, no doubt, repeated after they had entered the Holy City and the temple. The people went to Jerusalem because God had restored their nation, so the Psalmist declares: "Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy." It has an almost-Christian eschatological thrust to it from verse 6 onward: "Restore our fortunes, O Lord ... Those who sowed with tears will reap with songs of joy. Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves." The Lord has even greater blessings in store for his people. Christians believe this to be true, so there is real reason for rejoicing.
Luke 1:46-55 (L, F); Canticle 3 or 15 in The Book of Common Prayer; 1:46-50, 53-54 (R)
This glorious song, put in the mouth of Mary by the evangelist, aptly expresses the theme of joy, sung by the church in its liturgy on this Sunday. In an apparent effort to lessen the rather harsh, judgmental themes in verses 51-53, the Roman Catholic Church has skipped over them in this responsory. One could argue that the use of the Magnificat on this Sunday gives too much of a Christmas emphasis to the day, and that it throws the sequence of events surrounding the birth of Christ out of order. (Luke 1:26-38, the story of the Annunciation, is the Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Advent, Series B. The magnificent song that Mary is supposed to have sung on her visit to Elizabeth occurs after the angel visits her and tells her what is going to happen to her.) It is the joyful and thankful spirit of the song that makes it appropriate for this Sunday's worship.
The Psalm Prayer (LBW, Psalm 126)
Lord Jesus, our life and our resurrection, the tears you sowed in the sorrow of your Passion brought the earth to flower on Easter morning. Renew the wonders ofyourpower in the Church, so that, after the sorrows of our exile, we may come home to you in gladness and praise you now and forever.
The readings:
Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11 (R); 61:1-3, 10-11 (L); 61:1-4, 8-11 (C)
The prophet speaks of the role of the one who is to "prepare the way of the Lord" (the Advent theme in the gospels for these first three Sundays of the season). This person is to proclaim "good tidings" to all of the people, particularly to the poor, the broken-hearted, the captives, and those who mourn, because the One who will come from God will come into the world as a servant. Surely, "Isaiah's" description of the servant's mission fits the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. It is a message of hope for all people, now as well as then.
Verse 10 might have been used by itself as a first reading with its "I exult in Yahweh, my soul rejoices in my God" (Jerusalem Bible) to express the liturgical theme for the day's worship. The combination indicates that a new day has dawned, a New Age begun, and God's people - knowing this truth - rejoice and give thanks to the Lord for his love and grace.
Isaiah 65:17-25 (E)
The "New Age" theme, as a reason for rejoicing ("For now I create new heavens and a new earth, and the past will not be remembered, and come no more to men's minds, because I now create Jerusalem 'Joy' and her people 'Gladness'.") comes into prominence in this reading. God has gone into action again, and the Almighty God rejoices over what he has accomplished. There is more than a hint of the Easter joy that brings the incarnation to a culminating look toward the ultimate redeeming activity of God in Jesus Christ - "Behold, I make all things new."
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 (R, L, C); 5:(12-15) 16-28 (E)
Once more the "rejoice" theme of this Sunday is reiterated in this reading, and this time it is clearly connected to the second coming of Jesus Christ. The thrust of the lesson points to the future when the Lord will return at the end of time. Thus as the various readings suggest, both "advents" of Jesus are amplified on these Sundays of Advent, and faith that the risen Lord will really come again is affirmed as the ultimate reason for rejoicing, praising God for all he has done for his people, and praying the ancient prayer (Maranatha) for Christ's immanent return.
John 1:6-8, 19-28
This reading was selected to keep the record right: John the Baptizer was not the Christ - He knew that and simply said so. He was the forerunner of Christ, the herald sent to announce the coming of Jesus into the world. He was not the "light" that would shine in the darkness, merely the one who would testify that a new day was about to dawn with the advent of the Lord. In other words, the Evangelist puts John the Baptizer in his place, in proper perspective: he is not to be recognized as the Coming One. He is merely a "voice" announcing the incredible event that will take place when God enters the world as a human being and takes matters into his own hands. At the conclusion of this reading, John the Baptizer repeats part of last Sunday's Gospel about the presence and the holiness of the Lord - "among you stands one whom you do not know, even he who comes after me, the thong of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie." Thus, the "joy" theme of the Third Sunday of Advent finds expression in the Good News which the Baptizer gives to the world.
A Sermon on the Gospel, John 1:6-8, 19-28 - "Rejoice! There Is Light in this Dark World."
There is a church in Hong Kong called True Light Lutheran Church. I like to think it is a congregation organized on this Third Sunday of Advent - but I'm afraid that was not the way it was. The traditional - and only - Gospel for this Sunday had always been Matthew 11:2-10; John 1 came in with the new lectionary of the Roman Catholic and other churches. Somebody, at least, was intrigued by what John had written in the first chapter of his Gospel about the pre-existent One who came into the world and brought the very light of God to humanity. John the Baptizer clearly stated that he was not that light; he was the one sent by God to prepare the way for the Lord, whose advent was at hand as he spoke. The mission of True Light Lutheran Church - and all other churches and their preachers, for that matter - is to witness to the True Light, Jesus Christ, and so proclaim the Good News that the Light will shine in the darkness of this world and give people hope. Every congregation, into which this Gospel ofJohn ispreached, is a "true light" Christian church.
1. The man who knew his role in God's world. John the Baptizer can never be accused of rewriting the script prepared by God for the drama that was to unfold in the life of Jesus Christ. He knew what his task was and he simply accepted the fact that he was a "preparer" and not the Messiah. He didn't take advantage of the response to his preaching - the masses of people, to whom he could have been Elijah or Jeremiah, or even the Messiah himself. We honor him for his obedience to the will and intention of God.
2. We can really rejoice, because we know the true story of Jesus. John prepared the "way of the Lord" rather than blocked his path or interfered with God's intentions. He was obedient to the will of the Almighty God, and this finally cost him his life. The light, Jesus Christ, really did come into the world - and so we have abundant life.
3. Our joy is enriched by the knowledge we have that nothing could put out that Light. Death could not douse that light, but only dimmed itfor awhile. Jesus, the Light of Life, cannot be extinguished or eliminated from the world by the efforts of evil or indifferent people. The Light is here to stay, and it will shine through the Gospel and the church until the end of this age.
4. God's Light shines in this dark world and gives us hope and joy!
A Sermon on the First Lesson, Isaiah 61:1-2, 10-11 (R); 61:1-3, 10-11 (L); 61:1-4, 8-11 (C)
- "The Song of a Servant."
1. The song is composed in "the spirit of the Lord. " It was given to the prophet Isaiah and later to another "singer," John the Baptizer.
2. The song is sung in loving service ofothers. The description of Isaiah ("to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken, " and so on) is a mode/for those who would live "in imitation of Christ."
3. The song is the song ofjoyfulpeople. They know that God is gracious and merciful, and that he has made an everlasting covenant with them in Christ. He has "clothed me in the garments of salvation...."
4. The song is an expression of faith. God has promised this - our deliverance - and in Jesus Christ he has already made good on his promise.
A Sermon on the First Lesson, Isaiah 65:17-25 (E) - "Never-ending Gladness and Joy."
1. God is engaged in a new creation in the world. The prophets understood that God had not given up on his people. Rather than destroying a "sinful world," he set about to recreate it.
2. This will mean new life for the people of God. The prophet speaks of "long life" for righteous believers; Christ spoke of "eternal life" for the faithful.
3. The new creation will bring peace to the earth. He has promised this with his Word and has accomplished it in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, Isaiah's "prince of peace."
4. Those who live in this hope will always be glad and rejoice "in the Lord."
A Sermon on the Second Lesson, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 (R, L, C); 5:(12-15), 16-28 (E) - "The Dimensions of Christian Joy."
1. Fervent worship - in response to all that God has so graciously done for all people in Jesus Christ.
Rejoice, the Lord is King!
Your Lord and King adore;
Give thanks and sing,
And triumph evermore.
2. Loving service - that witnesses to the love of God displayed for the whole world to see on the cross.
Jesus, the Saviour, reigns,
The God of truth and love;
When he had purged our stains
He took his seat above.
3. Audacious hope - in the belief that God's will "will be done on earth as it is heaven."
His kingdom cannot fail,
He rules o'er earth and heaven,
The keys of death and hell
Are to our Jesus given.
4. Eternal expectation that the Lord will soon return as he promised. Meanwhile,
He sits at God's right hand
Till all his foes submit,
And bow to his command,
And fall beneath his feet.
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice.
(Charles Wesley)
