Third Sunday of Advent Yr C 2024
Advent • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 14 viewsOur readings are about joy both because the king is coming and because he is already “in your midst.” But our experience is often anxiety so how can we live this without being fake? Recognize our anxiety, keep telling yourself the truth about the king being already near. act in concert with the king getting in tune with him, and talk honestly with God, handing over anxiety causing situations to him as many times as needed. Then eventually the peace of God, not the peace we create, will come, and your living that peace honestly makes you able to share process with others.
Notes
Transcript
Title
Title
Joy
Outline
Outline
Our readings are about joy
Our readings are about joy
Zephaniah is all about singing and exultation because of what God has done or is about to do, because “The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior.”
John the Baptist does not mention joy, but he does talk about preparing for the joyful coming of the Messiah.
Paul starts with “Rejoice in the Lord always . . . The Lord is near.”
But how can one live in joy without it becoming cheesy or a show?
But how can one live in joy without it becoming cheesy or a show?
Isn’t John the Baptist a bit of an anxiety generation with his talk of the one who has “his winnowing fan in his hand to clear his threshing floor?”
Indeed, Paul (and psychologists into family systems) points out that anxiety is our core problem. And he is not talking about the anxiety that is like a thorn in the flesh, a wound from childhood or later trauma. He is talking about our choosing to let anxiety control us, which is precisely what it does in most people.
Some good steps are pointed to in our readings
Some good steps are pointed to in our readings
First, recognize our anxiety and its source. Is it an old wound or a real threat?
Second, keep telling yourself the truth: the king is in your midst; in one sense he is near and in another he is already in us. That constant meditation is connects us to his power to deal with anxiety or to set it aside.
Third, do something, act in concert with the king which unbends our minds and gets us in tune with Him. John the Baptist says this as does Paul, “Your kindness should be known to all.”
Fourth, talk honestly with God: prayer and petition, “your will be done,” “Jesus this is where I am at, let me hand it over to you to deal with.” “Holy Spirit, show me how to deal with this issue.” And especially, “Thank you for this and that gift, mercy, beauty, for they make me aware of you.” Do it an repeat it over and over.
Then, what started as a discipline becomes the welcome mat for “the peace of God” that you do not understand and it is him guarding your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
This is, of course, far to brief and it is certainly not a quick fix, but it is a start in the right direction either for you or for sharing very gently with others.
The king is already here and he is coming as well. What we need is to make that our experience and let others see it.
