Third Sunday of Advent

Welcome Statement

Joy is an emotion that we think of a lot during the holidays. Whether it be the feeling we have when we see family members we haven’t seen in months, or the Christmas presents we open on Christmas morning. There are many different definitions of Joy. Merriam Webster defines joy as

a feeling of great happiness or pleasure that can come from good fortune, success, or a sense of well-being

Merriam Webster - https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/joy

Everyone has a different definition of joy. We know from God’s word that God’s definition of joy is even deeper. As soon as God created life, he felt an immense feeling of joy, he was pleased and extremely happy over the creation and life he created, as it glorified his existence.

We have seen during this past year, through the election, and other distressing conflicts across the world, a lot of hate, bitterness, and unfortunately, it has brought the worst out of a lot of people, this is a time where we have the opportunity to refocus our lives on God, and exclaim and proclaim the joy that God provides us all in our lives. Joy is not about denying reality, but it is about recalling the faithfulness of Christ. God wants us all in on this feeling of Joy, it is there for us to experience, we just have to open our hearts to God so that he can in turn, fill our hearts with Joy! We see a call to experience this Joy, through a great rejoicing that is called upon by Zephaniah, one of the minor prophets.

Old Testament Reading - Zephaniah 3:14-20

Zephaniah 3:14–20 NRSV

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it. I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the Lord.

Exegesis

Zephaniah lived during the final decades of the Southern Kingdom of Judah. During this Time King Josiah was destroying Idols, but the culture at that time in the nation had become too entrenched in worshipping things other than God. King Josiah himself eventually died a tragic death due to his pride on the battlefield as he brought the Kingdom into a death knell with Babylon.

The Book of Zepheniah is a collection of the prophet Zephaniah poetry that was prophecying this collission course that King Josiah had started. It calls uon the judgement of Jerusalem in the first part, then calls upon the judgement of the world in the second part in conjunction with Israel, but finally, and the place we find ourselves today, it recalls the Blessed Hope we have in our Father in heaven.

Hope

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New Testament Reading - Luke 3:7-18

Luke 3:7–18 NRSV

John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor’; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?” In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

Good News of Great Joy

John the Baptist’s words hearken back to the days of Zephaniah, when hypocrites were ruling the nations. Not much had changed between the two times. John the Baptist was of course, paving the way for something greater than even him. Jesus Christ. We see John here being a messenger of Good News. Of course, there is a tough portion to this passage, as it talks about a refining fire, and the chaff that will be burned, which is simply the husks of things like cereal grains, things that can only be feed to livestock, this comparison makes one think of the Goats and the Sheep being separated as prophecied by John. Before Jesus Christ even revealed himself to the world this was prophecied over and over. So what does this mean for us? Well as believers, we have much to rejoice in. the Blessed Good News that we inherited from Zepheniah, Isaiah, John the Baptist, which all is just a precursor to the Good News that Jesus Christ was unveiling. We’ve witnessed in scripture time and time again, people groaning over the situations they are in, the suffering they witnessed and experienced, and the pain of everyday life. We see people’s hearts be hardened, in some cases hardened so much they resist God’s Grace! But we also realize, that God is who has the final word in all things. As it says in Colossians 1:19-20

Colossians 1:19–20 NRSV

For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

God is clearly pleased with us, he incarnated as a little boy, grew up like the rest of us, learning and growing of the world around him, to experience things perfectly as both human and divine. This connection is unbreakable, God has healed the relationship, he has mended the bridge, so when John the Baptist and Zephaniah cry out these words, we have nothing to think of but the Joy we held onto from Christmas past.

There is a practical side to this message of rejoicing. Again, as I said last week when it comes to finding peace in one’s life, it’s not about simply about ignoring what is around us, it’s about reclaiming a lost art that the Church has had for centuries, the ability to find abundance in scarcity, the ability to transform those around us through a good news. I’ll give an example. I have a friend who is the parking meter guy in Fairmont. How could a guy who’s day it is to ruin the day for other people who either forgot to pay, chose not to pay, or even was off by 15 minutes, bring joy to people, or even Glorify God?

Closing Statement

words

Closing Prayer

Heavenly Father, adfs asdfa

Amen.

Doxology / Benediction / Closing

Philippians 4:7 NRSV

And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:4–7 NRSV

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

May you Have a Blessed Sunday, and rest of your Week! Amen!