For
Sunday, December 16, 2018, 3rd
Sunday of Advent, Year C, Readings: Zephaniah 3:14-20, First Song of Isaiah,
Philippians 4:4-7,
Luke 3:7-18
The Lord,
your God, is in your midst...he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will
renew you in his love. [Zephaniah 3:17]
Surely it is God who saves me; I will trust in him and not be afraid…the Lord
is my stronghold and my sure defense,
and he will be my Savior... [Canticle 9/Isaiah 12:2, 5]
Rejoice in the Lord always…The Lord is near. Do not worry...And the peace of God, that passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:6]
and he will be my Savior... [Canticle 9/Isaiah 12:2, 5]
Rejoice in the Lord always…The Lord is near. Do not worry...And the peace of God, that passes all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:6]
Bear
fruits worthy of repentance…One who is more powerful than I is coming…He will
baptize your with the Holy Spirit and fire.
[Luke 3:8a, 16b,c]
In the midst of this otherwise reverently penitential
Advent, our season of waiting for the Nativity of Jesus, we come to the Sunday
of Rejoicing. The rose candle, the symbol of joy, will be lighted
as a sign of our call to be joyous in the nearness of God, in the coming of
Christ. Time to experience the excitement, that in Christ, we will be baptized
with the Holy Spirit and the fire to spark our faith into action. The writer of
Philippians is quite specific by saying Do not worry about anything, because
the Lord is near with the peace that surpasses all understanding. It’s
hardly easy to relax and not worry in a world seemingly mad with fear and
anger, division and hate. Yet all the readings for today exhort us to rejoice,
exult, and sing ~ even John the Baptizer, while issuing some serious
warnings, proclaimed the good news to the people about the One who is coming.
While enjoying the joy, we must also take
the Baptizer’s message to heart and take some prayerful time to contemplate our
sins. That winnowing fork of Jesus, John speaks of, will gather the faithful but
send the chaff that doesn't bear good fruit ~ the unrepentant ~ to burn with unquenchable fire. As I race
to hang the stockings with care, I need to consider how am I actually living
into the faith that I claim? I’m guessing that my murmurs of familiar words on
Sunday morning aren’t quite enough to keep me out of that burning refuse.
Although this is the third Sunday
of Advent, it’s a new moment in time. A chance to begin again, to discover that
our God, our Christ, our Holy Spirit is truly in our midst, present, teaching,
renewing us in love, and filling us with holy fire. Let us turn our focus
toward our God ~ that is, to repent ~ to refresh our minds and hearts by worship,
praise, and prayer. It is time to reconcile who we are in faith with who we
want to become. What must I do differently to be thankful, joyful, and live faithfully?
This is the time to look through rose-colored glasses to see the joy that lights
up the darkness. Together in faith we become a spiritual orchard bearing only good
fruit, gathered by Christ, our Savior, and brought Home. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will
say, Rejoice! [Philipians
4:4]
LET US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader:
~ O God, our Stronghold, stir up our
faith that our trust in You will free us from fear and worry. Renew us in Your
love as we give You thanks with great rejoicing, exalting Your name by every
part of our lives.
O Lord,
our Sure Defense
RESPONSE: Guard our hearts and minds
~ O God, our Stronghold, infuse us with
such joy that we may turn the tide of hatred and division into the calm waters
of Your peace. Let us inspire especially, all who impose their political
pathways on this world, this nation, and this community. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O Lord, our Sure Defense
Guard our hearts and minds
~
O God, our Stronghold, restore health
and hope for all afflicted with serious illness, addiction, or despair, and
strengthen all who give them love and support. We now join our voices to pray aloud for those in need…
O Lord, our Sure Defense
Guard our hearts and minds
~ O God, our Stronghold, soothe the
grieving with the comfort of knowing that You have gathered those we love into
the blissful splendor Your Eternal Home.
We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O Lord, our Sure Defense
Guard our hearts and minds
~ O God,
our Stronghold, we pause in this
moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions,
petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently…
O Lord, our Sure Defense
Guard our hearts and minds
~ O God, our Stronghold, grant special
grace and enduring eagerness to all anointed to serve You in Your Church, as
they draw us to You on our journey to salvation. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
O Lord, our Sure Defense
Guard our hearts and minds
The
Celebrant adds: Most Holy God always in our midst, revive our
desire to bear good, worthy, and faith-filled fruit in our souls. Turn us always in Your direction,
that we may receive and experience the depth of Your peace that passes all
understanding. We ask through the Good News of Jesus our Christ; and the Holy
Spirit, the Fire of our faith; who together with You reign as One God, in
glory, now and forever. Amen.
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