By Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy
v7He said therefore 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? v8Bear fruits in keeping with repentance….
….. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. v17His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” v18So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people. – Read: Luke 3:7-18
v14Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel. – Zephaniah 3:14
v4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. v5Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; v6do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. v7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:4-7
Last Tuesday I was asked to do a memorial Requiem Mass for somebody who died 40 days earlier. As I was preparing myself at the sacristy, Joy, the ever-faithful licensed minister whom I’ve known since the Young Peoples’ Christian Fellowship days, asked me if I can do a thanksgiving service at the house of the bereaved. She told me that the mother of the dead person donated one of her kidneys to her daughter. That was almost a year ago and there is no sign of any complication to both donor and recipient. The family would like to offer a thanksgiving service for that. I told Joy that this intention could be incorporated in the service that we are about to do in church. This is the beauty of the Anglican/Episcopal liturgy that all aspects of life: joy and thanksgiving, sadness, pain and suffering, even death can be incorporated in the service. The Memorial Requiem Mass after all, which was the main intention requested by the family, should be done advisedly in the context of the Great Thanksgiving or Holy Eucharist.
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This Sunday in Advent is a Sabbath of Rejoicing. The third candle in the Advent wreath is now lighted. It is customarily colored rose or pink, the color of joy, hence, this Sunday is celebrated as Gaudete Sunday which means “joy” in Latin. The church continues its tradition of celebrating the third Sunday of Advent as a day of joy and associates the pink or rose candle as a symbol of rejoicing. The prophecy of Zephaniah in the first reading appointed this Sunday reflects a rejoicing as if God’s promises had already been fulfilled. Indeed, this text is a call to rejoice. In the second reading Paul’s words are familiar to most Christians. For Christians by faith, joy is a principal characteristic. Joy permeates the Christian’s life. But all the rejoicing can only be achieved if by word and deed one must truly repent. John’s advice in the gospel lesson instructs the listeners on how to be ethical in this world in preparation for the next. How are we to attain this spiritual joy which should be rightfully ours?
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We ask this question as John in our reading was asked by the people. He replies in uncompromising language that the secret is to commit ourselves to God’s way and in so doing find our peace.
v11He answered, “Whoever has two shirts must give one to the man who has none, and whoever has food must share it.”
v12Some tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what are we to do?” v13″Don’t collect more than is legal,” he told them. v14Some soldiers also asked him, “What about us? What are we to do?” He said to them, “Don’t take money from anyone by force or accuse anyone falsely. Be content with your pay.” (Luke 3:11-14)
We can learn from this that happiness comes from doing good, being honorable and showing concern for those in need. Experience shows that the giving of what we have will certainly make demands on us. “Sharing made demands on Christ who came into our world and pilgrimaged with us from the cradle to the grave. The joy which stems from our faith means that whether playing or praying, laughing or weeping, walking or dancing, Christ shines forth from us (Desmond Knowles).” No one who has ever experienced this joy would exchange it for all pleasures and comforts of this world.
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The dreadful happenings brought about by the ongoing infection of the Corona virus all over the world give little cause for rejoicing. While we continue this earthly pilgrimage we experience a bitter sweet mixture of joy and sorrow. Christian joy does not come from the absence of sorrow, pain or trouble but from an awareness of the presence of Christ within our souls. Let us always remember what God has done. It is also important to remember what God has promised to continue to do for those who believe in the future. To remember these activities and promises of God is to be filled with joy. After all, God promises to do for His people everything that they cannot or will not do for themselves. Divine gifts provide human creatures with every reason for joy and rejoicing. To be filled with the promises of God is to realize that joy is in us. As Charles Wagner said, “Joy is not a thing, it is in us.” In other words, we do not grab for joy, rather joy grabs us. It is for this reason that Paul can say – and mean – “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you” (1 Thess.5:16-18). As Christians we rejoice because we know the source of our joy is not within us. Our joy comes from God.
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Advent means the appearance or coming of the Lord in New Testament theology. Accordingly, we now understand that there are two comings of the Lord. The first is what Christians celebrate when they observe Christmas. The second is what the church calls the parousia or “second coming of Christ.” This speaks about the time when Jesus returns to end history as we understand it. The second coming also ushers in what the Old Testament calls “the day of the Lord.” Paul reminds the church at Philippi that God will protect and fulfill God’s promise on this day. Thus, the theological importance of the advent of Christ and Christmas that follows has deep religious implications. The coming of Christ is a tangible symbol of the fulfillment of God’s millennial promise to God’s people.
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In simple terms, it means that when life is tough on Christians, the best Christian defense is to remember what God has done. Again, it is important to remember what God has promised to continue to do for Christians in our future. To remember these activities and promises of God is to be filled with joy. Christmas, and the advent of Christ that precedes it, is a constant reminder that God plants our joy into our hearts. We do not need to seek joy, nor do we have to work for it. Our faith in Christ gives us our joy. This is the true Christmas present that we have been searching for over a lifetime. Our joy is here all along!
Let us pray.
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen. (ECP-BCP Third Sunday of Advent Collect)
