Sunday, December 13, 2020

The lectionary passages for the Third Sunday of Advent are:

First Reading: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
Psalm 126:1-6
Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Or alternate Second Reading: Luke 1:46b-55
Gospel: John 1:6-8, 19-28

The liturgical color for the day is: Purple or Blue

With the Third Sunday of Advent comes the lighting of the rose-colored candle.  It is the candle of joy.  It is pink to remind us of our Easter joy and the incredible happiness and delight we have at the Resurrection of Christ.   The fullness of incarnation is seen when we realize that even death has been conquered by the goodness and grace of the God of Life.

In the reading from Isaiah for the day, the prophet says:

            For as the earth brings forth its shoots,
            And as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,
            So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise
            To spring up before all the nations.

It is that sense of knowing that God is bringing about this connection between the very heavens and the earth that is joy inducing.  It will “cause righteousness and praise to spring up.”

The only possible response is pure joy.  Yes, even here, even now when the statistics are frightening, and the daily report shows a dismal season of continuing in isolation and distancing.  As we wait, as we look to the Word, the only possible response is pure joy—that deep, deep sense of God’s enduring goodness.

It is that goodness of love that we hear echoed in Mary’s song.  Attributed to her, the tradition sings this ancient love song.  It is a song of recognizing the incredible wonder of God who looks not at us as a thing to be pitied but as a people to be loved.

Her joy is our joy—it is the joy of knowing that God wants this relationship with us.  It is the joy of knowing that God longs for us.  It is the joy of being in this great cosmic connection with Christ.

Rev. Dr. Daris Bultena
General Presbyter and Stated Clerk