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3rd SUNDAY OF ADVENT
Joy and its various cognates form the theme of the lessons for the third Sunday of
Advent. (The exception is the gospel lesson, though even in that lesson, joy may not be as
far away as we think-given that joy may well accompany the fruit of repentance.) You may
want to choose one of the lessons as the theme of joy and then draw on the other passages
as variations of that theme.
ZEPHANIAH 3:14-20-JOYOUS DAY A’COMIN
The prophet Zephaniah probably preached during Josiah’s religious reforms of the
early 7th century bce. The book includes such topics as a day of coming judgment, the
punishment of Judah for her worship of lesser gods, and the general judgment of all
nations. This Sunday’s lesson, however, is a shaft of hope in a better future. The
lesson moves us beyond the doom and destruction of Judah to its restoration - a vision
that lyrically proclaims the joy and shouting of the people in whom God delights.
ISAIAH 12:2-6-A TIME FOR JOY
In this first part of Isaiah (chaps. 1-39), Assyria is breathing down the neck of the
southern kingdom. Isaiah, however, focuses on a more formidable enemy: Judah’s
personal complicity with unjust actions and their lack of trust in God. The lesson forms a
hymn of thanksgiving that envisions a better day, one in which the inhabitants trust
God’s saving power. This day of salvation will be joyful, celebrative, and
missional-the whole world will hear the good news that God has descended to live among
mortals.
PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7-BE JOYFUL AND REJOICE
In this familiar passage the apostle Paul admonishes the Philippians to rejoice and be
joyful, an attitude which permeates much of the epistle. What follows are numerous other
admonishments-be gentle, don’t worry, fill your minds with praiseworthy thoughts.
Such admonitions surround the discipline of prayer: pray in a spirit of thankfulness and
be careful what you think about.
LUIKE 3:7-18-JOY IS IN THE FRUIT OF REPENTANCE
From the standpoint of our lessons, it seems as if we we’re once again in the
presence of the doom and gloom oracles of the 7th century bce. We get our longest glimpse
of the preaching content of John the Baptist in this lesson. In Matthew, for instance,
John’s preaching to the rank and file is a one-liner (3:1), and in Mark’s
gospel, he says even less. We hear John on this Sunday speaking in harsh tones about
slithering serpents, punishment, and bearing fruits of repentance. Unique to Luke is the
verbal responses given to John’s preaching: Luke contextualized what people should do
to demonstrate such fruits of repentance.
