Advent 3 Year C

Opening Verses of Scripture James 1 v 1-17

‘Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.’

Is 12 v 2,3

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid.  The Lord, the Lord is my strength and my song, He has become my salvation.

Collect Prayer for the Day—Before we read we pray

O Lord Jesus Christ, who at your first coming sent your messenger to prepare your way before you: grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries may likewise so prepare and make ready your way by turning the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, that at your second coming to judge the world we may be found an acceptable people in your sight; for you are alive and reign with the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. Common Worship

God for whom we watch and wait, you sent John the Baptist to prepare the way of your Son: give us courage to speak the truth, to hunger for justice, and to suffer for the cause of right, with Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Common Worship Shorter Collect

First Bible Reading Zephaniah Chapter 3:14-20

Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy. The LORD, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." "The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a reproach to you. At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honour in every land where they were put to shame. At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honour and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes," says the LORD.

Second Reading Philippians Chapter 4:4-7

Therefore, my brothers, you whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, that is how you should stand firm in the Lord, dear friends! I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to agree with each other in the Lord. Yes, and I ask you, loyal yokefellow, help these women who have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel, along with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me--put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Gospel Reading Luke Chapter 3:7-18

John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." "What should we do then?" the crowd asked. John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." Tax collectors also came to be baptized. "Teacher," they asked, "what should we do?" "Don't collect any more than you are required to," he told them.

Then some soldiers asked him, "And what should we do?" He replied, "Don't extort money and don't accuse people falsely--be content with your pay." The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ. John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." And with many other words John exhorted the people and preached the good news to them.

Post Communion Prayer

We give you thanks, O Lord, for these heavenly gifts; kindle in us the fire of your Spirit that when your Christ comes again we may shine as lights before his face; who is alive and reigns now and for ever.

Commentary - Advent 3

Zephaniah speaks of a homecoming.  He is prophesying to the Southern Kingdom of Judah around the time the exiles were returning to the Promised Land.  The kings of Manasseh and Amon had brought the religion and morality of Judah to an all-time low and Zephaniah speaks out.  Judgement will come to Judah and their only hope is to seek God and live by His standards.  If they do not, they will share the fate of the nations around them.  But for the faithful few, the remnant, God is in the midst of them and will save them.  He will pour out His love on them and they will be brought home rejoicing and restored to favour.  And all the nations of the world will share in this favour as they turn and worship God.

It’s a familiar story.  As we saw in our Advent Course, at the time of John the Baptist society was at a low point.  Morality as we know it was seemingly absent or very questionable, and religion was compromised internally and externally.  John urges his hearers to produce fruits in keeping with repentance.  There will be a judgement, but for the faithful, those who repent, there will be salvation as they too are brought home with rejoicing a restored people.  The pattern is the same: Failure, judgement, repentance, followed by a coming home, a restoration and rejoicing.  And in the centre of this pattern we see the key themes of Advent, repentance (as we get ready), restoration (as we live out God’s ways in our lives), and rejoicing (as we are brought home). 

In the time of John the Baptist the expectations about the coming of the Messiah were running high, which is why he was questioned about whom he was.  Was John the Messiah, the one who was to be expected?  In response, John indicated that he is not, he is merely pointing the way to the Christ Messiah who will follow.  He wanted nothing for himself but to do God’s bidding.  And in order that the people may be prepared for the coming Messiah, he confronts them with the truth of their lives.  He invites them to repent, being quite specific about what some of them need to do, so that they too may share the joy of the ‘Good News’ and come to their true home.  Like John the Baptist we are to point people to Christ, invite them to repent so that they may find the joy of salvation.  Like John, we are to be all out for God.  Like his listeners we are called to repent and to rid ourselves of the things which keep us from being the people that God wants us to be.  John challenges his hearers to ‘bear fruits worthy of repentance’, to think about their attitude to their possessions, their positions and status in society and how they use these for personal gain and benefit.  He challenges their attitude to justice, equality and fairness and their motives for doing the things that they do.  That is the challenge he presents to us today.  What we believe needs to be lived out in our lives today and has eternal implications.

For John says that for the faithful who repent will enter into God’s Kingdom, come home to their true inheritance.  What does this home look like?  Above all it is a place where God is.  It’s a place of security; no more will those who live in it be threatened by the things which are outside it.  Those who are in it, those who are in God’s Kingdom, the Kingdom that John announces, can find safety and peace.  Not the Pax Romana that the Romans brought by force, or the peace brought by merely human endeavours, even though this is often a peace brought about through the highest possible human motives.  The peace John speaks of is the peace which Paul describes as the peace, ‘which transcends and passes all understanding’.  It’s also a place where we can be in relationship with the rest of the family of God.  It’s much easier to be happy and rejoice with others than it is in personal isolation.  Much of what Jesus speaks about in the gospels is about affirming family in its broadest context, and the welcome and acceptance of all, speaking out against the things which break them down.  It no coincidence that the gospel stories start with a narrative about the birth of Jesus which is placed in a family context.  John the Baptist too, His herald, is placed in a family context before he starts his ministry. 

The concept of the ‘extended family’ and coming home to the Father are golden threads which runs throughout the entire Bible.  Home is also where we can be ourselves.  It’s where we are our most natural, and it’s often a place God can meet with, where we can rest, be refreshed, be fed and be restored.  Where we can have our needs met and our stories told. That’s the kind of home that God invites us to.  But above all, home is a place where we can have a relationship with the Father because home is where the Father lives.  As such, it’s not a physical place; it’s a place where the Father is.  For the Jews this was seen as Jerusalem and particularly the Temple.  But God is not restricted to a particular time or place or space.  God pervades every atom of our lives, He is with us always.  At Advent we look forward to His coming at Christmas and at the end of time, to invite us to His home, permanently.

Sam Cappleman

Meditation

Zephaniah is something of a mysterious book.  Despite placing itself in the days of King Josiah, 640 – 609 BC, around the same time as Jeremiah, there is considerable debate about its structure, how it was written, and about the date of the book itself.  Overall, it speaks of God’s judgement and ultimately His promise to restore the faithful few.  But there’s an interesting twist half way through today’s reading where, following some verses speaking to the readers in the third person and announcing to them that the Lord has taken away their punishment and is with them, the passage then switches to the Lord Himself speaking in the first person and promising to gather His people and to bring them home, to give them honour and praise and to restore their fortunes.  Is this home Jerusalem?  Perhaps so, but it’s clear that home is not so much a place or location, or ‘where the heart is’, but home is where God is, wherever that may be.  It could be Jerusalem, but only if God is there too.  Jane Williams reminds us that it was Augustine who wrote, ‘Our hearts are restless till they find their rest in thee’.  Sometimes everyone’s hearts can be restless and looking for a home.  It is God’s willingness to be homeless in order that he might bring everyone home that we celebrate at Christmas, and we prepare ourselves for that life changing time with anticipation in Advent.

Sam Cappleman

Gaudete Sunday

This reading from Philippians is the traditional one for the third Sunday of Advent and gave it the name by which this Sunday is sometimes known, “Gaudete Sunday” or “Rose Sunday”. It takes its name from the words of introduction to the Mass, Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete, Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice which appear in today’s reading from Philippians.  Using same liturgical colour of purple as is used for Lent, Advent is a season of reflection and carries a theme penitence (John the Baptist preaches repentance in our Gospel reading). Advent is marked by its finale of Christmas where, as the Lord comes nearer and nearer, we become more and more excited. The rhythm of Advent is well captured by the Advent wreath, which starts with one lighted candle and ends with four, the pink candle being lit today. Gaudete Sunday, Rejoice Sunday, provides the central theme of the readings for this particular Sunday in Advent. 

Additional Material

What was John the Baptist doing when he took on this very public ministry of proclamation?

John was evidently making a bold pronouncement about Jesus, he was if you like 'advertising.' His was a message directed very forcefully towards the religious people, it was for them that he saved his most vehement statements. Everybody had to 'make straight paths for the Lord.' We are tempted sometimes to think that scriptures are directed at people outside the church, to imagine that we are the good ones and that the challenge is to people who are 'unchurched.' Whoever invented that horrible word and can you ever imagine it on the lips of Jesus ! The teachings of Jesus were always strongest to those who were most religious 'you brood of vipers' he said to the professionally religious. His parables taught that the wheat and the weeds were mixed together in the field, the sheep and the goats also shared the same field. Perhaps the greatest challenge is to us who think that we are OK.

So we ask ourselves this morning whether we have paths which are suitable for the coming of our Lord this Christmas? Is our religion lifeless and boring? Do are children have any good cause if they think that our church services are completely dull? Our religion should be life changing, about a meeting with the living God, that is when it becomes a real faith, not just a set of rules and practices. How many Christians have slipped into a non-threatening cosy religion, like an old pair of slippers which fits us nicely. How easy it is for us to become accustomed to our Christianity, so that the words of Jesus no longer challenge and frighten us. How else could our churches find themselves so full of our intolerance, bigotry, envy, argument, you supply a few more suitable vices.

Yes, John the Baptist would be speaking to us this morning, us inside church, not those who are in bed sleeping off Saturday night. He would ask us to say how our religion was changing us and making a real difference. If it is not doing this then sing no more hymns, say no more prayers, God does not desire your religion he wants much more. Even the Old Testament prophets told the people that God was fed up with sacrifices and wanted love and mercy and changed behaviour. The same message is as valid today as it ever was.

As Christians we are challenged this morning to look at our spiritual nature and ask to what extent God's likeness is apparent in us. If people looked at us would they be reminded of God. This is what John the Baptist means when he tells us to make our paths straight. The Kingdom is not a far off event, as charicatured in the jokes of the pearly gates. The kingdom is here and now. It breaks into our lives every day and we do not need to ask when it will come. The kingdom seizes us, embraces us, challenges us, in the ordinary events of life. A sick friend, a discouraged spouse, a troublesome person on the telephone, a demand which is made on us which we think to be unfair. Situations which cause us to question how we will respond. Times when we can perhaps do much good with very little effort. How we react determines and tests our faith and questions our membership of the Kingdom. These are the places where we really show God's loving power coming through in our lives.

It is as we do this of course that we become like John the Baptist in declaring God and proclaiming the coming of our Lord. Our life, our deeds our words, all speaking of the Kingdom of God. It is when we do this that are perhaps the most powerful advertisement for our Lord, in so doing we make straight paths which perhaps allow others to see more easily the living Lord, the worship of whom transcends human religion.

Meditation

Other people’s fears often seem pretty silly to us. I loathe butterflies and moths, but if you are not concerned about them yourself, then it will seem stupid to you. My friend is terrified of sharks and can’t even be in the room when they are on television, but they don’t bother me. Yet phobias are real. Human fears and anxieties are also real, but again if they aren’t troubling you, then they can also seem trivial. To try and understand the worries of others is crucial to loving them as God calls us to. We are told we must try to love one another as we love ourselves. So we must try and enter into the inner fears that our friends confide to us. We must all learn to listen with real sympathy to other people’s worries and problems. Joan Crossley

Hymns

Ding Dong (bransle de L'official)

Lord the light (Shine Jesus Shine)

The orange of Christingle (Tune Holly and Ivy)

Do not be afraid (Do not be afraid, Markham)

In the bleak mid-winter (Cranham)

Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead

Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night, for the love of thy only Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

Lord, the gifts of your grace seemed to pass me by as I dwelt in darkness. But now in your light I find your touch is sure, your mercy evident. Amen. (Brian Frost)

May God who is light shine in your darkness.

May God who is love be the love between you.

May God who is life be your life everlasting. Amen

Almighty God, your Son our Saviour Jesus Christ is the light of the world. May your people shine with the radiance of his glory, that he may be known, worshipped and obeyed to the ends of the earth; who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

God for whom we wait and watch, you sent your servant John the Baptist to prepare your people for the coming of the Messiah. Inspire the ministers and stewards of your truth to turn our disobedient hearts to you; that, when Christ shall come again in glory to be our judge, we may stand with confidence before him, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.

Almighty God,

whose dear Son went not up to joy

before he suffered pain,

and did not enter into glory

before he was crucified:

mercifully grant that we,

walking in the way of the cross,

may find it none other than the way of life

and peace; through the same Christ our Lord. Amen

William R Huntingdon, 1838-1909

Additional Resources

Meditation

Wilderness is the place of Moses,

a place of no longer captive and not yet free, of letting go and learning new living.

Wilderness is the place of Elijah,

a place of silence and loneliness, of awaiting the voice of God and finding clarity

Wilderness is the place of John,

a place of repenting, of taking first steps on the path of peace.

Wilderness is the place of Jesus,

a place of preparation of getting ready for the reckless life of faith.

We thank you, God, for the wilderness. Wilderness is our place. As we wait for the land of promise, teach us new ways of living, lead us to where we hear your word most clearly, renew us and clear out the wastelands of our lives, prepare us for life in the awareness of Christ’s coming when the desert will sing and the wilderness blossom as the rose.

Francis Brienen

Commentary

Biblical timescale, or put another way, God’s calendar is not like ours. The early church lived in the expectation of Jesus’ imminent return, which we know now was not to be the case. And the prophets had promised the Messiah and people were awaiting his coming, for God had made known his way through the prophets. But prophecy had been silent for four centuries. The coming of John the Baptist, appearing dramatically in the Judean wilderness was like the proverbial bolt from the blue. This was the prophet who was to prepare the way for God’s decisive action, the signal of the coming of the New Age, the coming of the End Time. St. Luke underlines this fact by describing John’s call in the same words as the calls of the earlier prophets as well as by setting John’s coming in its historical framework.

John came to a people who were convinced of their status. Judgement would fall on the Gentiles, when the kingdom came, but the Sons of Abraham would escape by virtue of their birthright. But John demanded that everyone repent, effectively excommunicating the whole nation. Furthermore his message was emphasised by virtue of the fact that he did not preach in Jerusalem but out in the desert. It was a clear break with current Judaism.

The sign of being a child of Abraham was circumcision. The sign of membership of the new order was repentance and baptism, and that baptism was expected to show a deep inner change of heart.

The call to repentance was not in one sense revolutionary. People were encouraged to think about their lives and to begin to live them with honesty and integrity, not abusing their positions or exploiting their neighbours. It was a call which echoed the prophets who over the years had in God’s name demanded justice and a care for the poor, the widows and the fatherless. And by coming to baptism in Jordan Jesus had endorsed that call, as he continued to do throughout his ministry. John’s challenge to lifestyle is still relevant today for us, and the true enjoyment and rejoicing at Christmas should perhaps be grounded in a fresh re-ordering of our priorities and actions in our daily lives. The good news John preached to the people comes out of such re-ordering. John Stubbs

No soul on this road is such a giant that it does not often need to become a child at the breast again. ... For there is no state of prayer, however sublime, in which it is not necessary often to go back to the beginning. 16th-century Carmelite nun Teresa of Avila

Commentary

In this week's gospel text, the mantle of divine mission slips off the shoulders of one of God's servants and onto the back of another. After John the Baptist describes the distinctions between himself and the coming Messiah, Jesus himself appears on the scene. With the event of his baptism, Jesus enters into the first phase of his ministry, while John, his mission of preparation and warning now at a close, is to be imprisoned by the tetrarch Herod.

Luke devotes more time and space to John's message than do any of the other gospels. He goes into greater detail about the nature of John's proclamations and gives the Baptist a wider audience to preach before. Luke divides John's message into three distinct parts, adding a new layer of depth to the usual firebrand preaching we associate with this enthusiastic prophet of the Messiah. Verses 7-9 outline the heart of John's message of repentance. It is in these verses that Luke expands the audience listening to John to a general crowd. Verses 10-14 give the heart of John's social message. This tradition is lost in the other gospels, making this material unique to Luke. It surprises us to hear the spitfire in the hair shirt giving thoughtful job counselling to the newly baptised tax collectors and soldiers. With compassion and calm insight, Luke's John provides a way for these individuals to maintain their professional identities while they enflesh their new faith.

Verses 15-18 contain the heart of John's preachings about the Messiah. His words are a response to those who might mistakenly identify him as the Messiah, instead of the messenger. That John had been effective, persuasive and productive in his efforts thus far is evident from Luke's description of the people who heard him. They were "filled with expectation," excitedly looking for the Messiah to arrive at any moment. In fact, the whispering of their hearts and their neighbours hints that perhaps John himself is actually that One.

In verse 16, John squelches the rumours and innuendo swirling about him and makes a public announcement - he answers "all of them" at once. John distinguishes himself from the coming Messiah by comparing their identities, their ministries, and their missions. The Messiah John reveals will be far more "powerful." John baptises as a common man - with common water - and like the common man he is, John declares himself not even worthy to perform a slave's duties for this promised Messiah (untying the thong of his sandal).While John's ministry was defined by the baptism of simple water, the ministry of this powerful Messiah will be a baptism of "the Holy Spirit and fire."

Emphasis on the Holy Spirit is characteristic of Luke's writings - both in his gospel and in Acts. For Luke, the experience of the Holy Spirit is what defines Christians and Christianity. It is the presence that testifies to the individual's or the congregation's participation in the Christ-body community.

Finally John points to the mission of the Messiah, to contrast it with his own. While John may proclaim an impending age of judgement, the Messiah will actually bring it about. John's image of the flailing winnowing fork and the flying chaff depict a time of whirling turmoil. The age for talk is past, the time for action is here, as the promised Messiah dives into the frantic pace of the harvest season. There is no time for further reflection, John insists; the threshing floor must be cleared, the good wheat must be gathered, and the chaff must be quickly and completely burned. Any farmer knows that once the harvest is underway, speed is of the essence. Any grain left too long after it is cut will rot and spoil; the full grains must be placed in the granary before they are targeted by rodents; the chaff must be burned before it ignites in spontaneous combustion. The time of judgement, warns John, will mark both the arrival of the Messiah and the speedy end of those found to be so much chaff.’

Prayers for Sunday

Almighty God, in our own weakness we have failed to be your messengers of peace and love in the world. By your Holy Spirit, give us courage to follow your commands and proclaim your reign of love; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Send, O God, into the darkness of this troubled world, the light of your Son: Let the star of your hope touch the minds of all people with the bright beams of mercy and truth; and so direct our steps that we may always walk in the way revealed to us, as the shepherds of Bethlehem walked with joy to the manager where he dwelt who now and ever reigns in our hearts, Jesus Christ our Lord. John Wallace Suter (1890-1977) Dean of Washington Cathedral

Fain would we thy word embrace,

Live each moment on thy grace

All our selves to thee consign,

Fold up all our wills in thine,

Think and speak and do and be,

Simply that which pleases thee.

The fourth verse of William Bright's "At Thy Feet, O Christ We Lay" which has been described as the best morning prayer in the English language: