3rd Sunday of Advent Year B - Hearts Burning Within

The Lectionary and Scripture Interpretation during Advent

Today is Gaudete Sunday. The traditional entrance antiphon for today’s Mass comes from Philippians 4:4:

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice.”

To use a musical metaphor: this Sunday is a crescendo of joy! We can ask what each of these passages have to say about joy.

Isaiah 61:1-2A, 10-11

Background of the book

Today’s reading is from the part of Isaiah where the people are trying to figure out how to exist back at “home” where everything is different. Sometimes when you’re trying to figure out a new reality, the old one seems so much more golden! Either that or it’s tempting to look to the future. Anywhere but the present. Chapters 60-66 are a looking towards the future – a new heaven, a new Zion, the Messiah, a new temple. But to some degree, it’s a desire to capture all they’ve lost – a restoration of the good ole days.

With the words of v1-2, Jesus will announce that the Messianic era has come.

The coming of the Spirit is associated with the coming of the Messiah (see Joel 3 and Zechariah 12). The word “anointed” is translated in Greek as “the anointed one,” the messiah, Christos.

When Jesus reads this, especially in Luke’s gospel, it’s like his mission statement – these are all the things we’ll see him do in his earthly ministry.

Verse 2 mentions proclaiming liberty. Leviticus 25 and Deuteronomy 15 talk about the Jubilee Year: every 50 years all slaves were to be set free and all debts forgiven. As you might imagine, this envisioned a radical re-orienting of an entire society. Interestingly, there is no evidence that Israel actually ever observed this particular law.

In 587BC, Jerusalem was captured and the people were enslaved. In 538, King Cyrus decreed they could begin to return home – almost 50 years later. Some rabbis interpreted the Babylonian Exile as “making up” for all the Jubilee Years they did not celebrate, because when they did return, they were all on level playing ground again. The return to Jerusalem is like a Jubilee Year for them. A time when everything was finally set to right.

Verse 3-9 are not in the lectionary, although there’s imagery in those verses which reinforce the notion of today as Gaudete – JOY – Sunday. Verse 10 continues this idea.

Verses 10-11 give some metaphors of joy:

garments of salvation
robe of justice
wedding imagery – a bridegroom and a bride. A wedding was always a hugely joyful event.
a blooming garden. This would be especially important to a people who lived surrounded by so much desert wasteland. It evokes the joy of abundance.

What metaphors do you use to illustrate joy in your own life?

Jesus will later use verse 1 as sort of a “mission statement” to describe the things he will do. As Christians, we are called to model our lives after Jesus. In what ways do you model this mission statement?

The prophet expresses his joy in a Psalm. Consider writing your own Psalm of Joy and praise to God.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Background of the book

Last week we read from 2 Peter which was probably the last writing of the New Testament. Today we’re in 1 Thessalonians which is the earliest writing of the New Testament – written around 50AD. You can read the background of the book here.

The passage today feels like shotgun instructions. We usually associate Paul with long wordy sentences and we wish he’d just say it already. I think it’s interesting that in his first letter he has this sort of style, a style which changed over time.

The passage begins by saying “rejoice always.” Remember this is Gaudete Sunday – Rejoice! Philippians 4:4 says joy is a fruit of the Spirit. Remember from Isaiah that the coming of the Spirit is associated with the messianic age.

I know you know this but it bears repeating every now and then – this kind of joy that Paul urges on us is not the kind that comes out of freedom from sadness or worry or pain. This joy that is the fruit of the Spirit is one that comes in the midst of all that. It’s partly a disposition on our part but it’s also something that God produces within us when we allow that to happen.

So…. rejoice always and then pray incessantly. Without ceasing. Some take this to mean observing regular times of prayer, like the monastic life does. Others view it as praying all the time – maintaining a spirit of prayer all the time. I think it can and should mean both.

Have you ever wondered what God’s will is?! Read verse 18! God’s will is that we give thanks in all circumstances. Not necessarily for everything but in the midst of it all. Just like our rejoicing – it’s not a “freedom from” but a “disposition in the midst of.”

Verse 19 says that we are not to quench the Spirit. The word “quench” is a word associated with putting out fire. When the Spirit came to the upper room it was experienced as “tongues of fire.” What Paul is saying is that when the Spirit is at work, don’t try to put out the fire of God’s presence. This is perhaps easier said than done because burning away our impurities is never a comfortable process.

Verse 20 continues that thought. Here, the Spirit is specifically at work speaking through prophets. Prophecy is a speaking of God’s word in such a way that it calls attention particularly to those areas where the people are falling short. It’s a hard message to give and even harder to receive – that’s why the prophets were so often violently rejected. Paul tells us not to turn away from such messages, not to blunt them.

So don’t despise what the prophets say but “test” everything. This word test is translated elsewhere as “analyze” or “discern.”

Prophets in ancient Israel often learned under a senior prophet (think Elijah and Elisha). The junior prophet might have a learning curve but you should still pay attention and compare what the junior prophet says to the senior one to see what is worth following. Today there are people in our lives whose manner of living leaves no doubt of their holiness. And there are others who sometimes do or say things that you know are God-inspired. Paul is saying to listen carefully to those who are obviously holy – take in their message even when it’s painful and challenging. But don’t discount those who may not appear quite so advanced. God will often speak through them as well. Take it all in and discern where God is speaking and what God is saying.

Interestingly, v20-21 are played out in today’s gospel: the Pharisees send people down to check John out, to test him, to discern if what he is saying is true.

In some places Paul will painfully spell out different kinds of evil to avoid but in verse 22 he just very shortly says refrain from every kind of evil.

In verse 23 Paul reminds us what we see over and over again in scripture: our universal call to holiness. We are called to be holy, to live holy lives. How can we possibly do this?

Paul provides an answer in verse 24: God has called us and God is faithful to accomplish making us holy if we cooperate with that work.

How might you create a life in which you rejoice always? What about praying unceasingly or giving thanks?

Is there any message you’ve heard recently or in the past that you might have quenched? Perhaps it was a hard message that hit a little too close to home on something you’re not quite ready to change. Talk to Jesus about this.

In what ways do you discern all the input of your life?

How is God making you holy?

John 1:6-8, 19-28

Background on the book

The Second Sunday of Advent is always John the Baptist being the voice of one crying in the wilderness. The Third Sunday is always something more about John.

In other years, all readings are done from the gospel of the year. Mark, however, is sparse on many things, so today we hear from John’s Gospel.

One might reasonably ask the question: why do we spend so much time in Advent on John the Baptist? One reason is because he serves as a superb model for us as Christians. He prepared the way for Jesus to come into the world by pointing others to Jesus just as we also are called to do.

The core message from this passage: who are you in relation to the Messiah. John had an answer. Do we?

Verses 6-8 are lyrical and poetic. The Gospel of John as a whole is like this but it doesn’t always carry over into English translations.

The cult following of John the Baptist was strong. Acts 19 talks about Paul in Ephesus, where he encounters some people who only knew of John’s baptism – they didn’t know Jesus at all. The Jewish historian Josephus wrote in the first century and he documents John as a major religious figure. But all the gospels make sure to let us know that John the Baptizer was not the Messiah. He was important, to be sure. But he wasn’t the Messiah.

V19 – 28 contain an interchange between John and “the Jews” from Jerusalem. “The Jews” in John’s gospel are always the ones standing in direct opposition to Jesus. These Jews come and ask John, “Who are you?” In v20 John tells them outright “I am not the Messiah.” Okay, if you’re not the Messiah who or what are you? Are you Elijah? Or one of the other prophets? Malachi 3:1 (and other prophets too) predicted that Elijah would return before the Messiah. Mark clearly identifies John as Elijah but John himself denies that he is any of those figures.

In verse 22 they press him a third time: then who the heck are you? We’ve been sent on a mission and we’re not leaving until we get an answer! Who are you?

The answer John gives them defines his identity in relation to Jesus the Messiah. We get this same quote of Isaiah 40:3 that we heard last week but this time it’s slightly different. Mark changes the punctuation to fit the geography while John’s gospel changes the wording – from “prepare” to “make straight.” The gospel of Mark clearly wanted to identify John as the Elijah-like forerunner of the Messiah. The gospel of John downplays this; rather, John is a witness making straight Christ’s way. No wandering around – just straight to the point.

Verse 24 introduces the Pharisees – a part of “the Jews” in general but a specific subgroup. They want John to justify why he’s out at the Jordan baptizing people. The Jews expected some type of baptism in the last days, in the eschatological end of time. Whether by the Spirit or by water – there’s evidence that baptism was linked with the end times in ancient Judaism. John has already said he’s not an eschatological figure like Elijah or the Messiah. So they want him to then justify his baptism – why is he doing something associated with the end if he doesn’t herald the end himself?

In the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke), John is seen preaching a baptism of repentance, of metanoia. This gospel doesn’t say too much about the purpose of the baptism and John himself kind of skirts the issue in verse 26. He doesn’t say what his baptism is about; rather he again identifies himself in relation to Jesus – Jesus is the mightier than John.

Let’s come back to the core message from this passage: who are you in relation to the Messiah. And what kind of work are you about in relation to Jesus?

I think these two Sundays of Advent that focus on John, we sometimes miss that John is pointing not to the second coming or even the nativity. John the Baptist is pointing to Jesus’ ministry and his work on the cross. He’s giving us a model to follow – how we define ourselves and our work is always in relation to Jesus; it’s not about us. Don’t get lost in the seasonal focus on the nativity. This time is about the work we’re called to do and the person of Christ in whose name and mission we’re called to do it.

How do you define yourself? Who are you in relation to Christ?

Questions to ponder