Today in the Spirit: Advent 3A (Gaudete)
In all three years of our Sunday lectionary, Advent 3 is also “The Baptist” 2. After reacquainting us with the character and preaching of John the Baptist in Advent 2, the church assigns a collect and readings to take us deeper into consideration of the power of biblical prophecy in general and John’s role, in particular, as herald of the Messiah. Traditionally, this Sunday has been called “Joy Sunday,” but in Year A, with one exception, the words “joy” and “rejoicing” figure not at all in the church’s messaging for the week. The central focus is rather on an authentic response to the advent of God’s new covenant revealed in Christ.
The assigned Gospel reading from Matthew 11:2-19 narrates the account of John the Baptist’s disciples inquiring, on John’s behalf, if Jesus is indeed the Messiah. Our Lord responds, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them” (4-5). Jesus goes on to declare to the crowd: “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (11).
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The one exception to a scarcity of references to joy on Joy Sunday, Year A, is the assigned OT reading from Isaiah 35:1-10. This passage continues our meditation in worship this cycle on visions in Isaiah concerning a new creation born out of the work of YHWH in the world: “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing” (1-2). The coming of God will also drastically alter people’s circumstances. We hear a hard “Then” followed by the words Jesus paraphrases in his response to the Baptist’s disciples: “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy” (5-6).
The appointed Psalm 146 this week appears more often than any other in the three-year cycle (Advent 3A, Proper 18B, Proper 27B, Proper 21C). Here, there is another reference to the ministry of YHWH, which is like that of Jesus: “The LORD sets prisoners free; the LORD gives sight to the blind. The LORD helps those who have fallen; the LORD loves the righteous” (8-9). Joy is found in this psalm, but only by implication as a reward to the believer who by determination never compromises on trust in God alone.
The appointed NT reading from James 5:7-20 is the closing homily in the epistle exhorting the faithful community to be patient in suffering and to pray with one another “until the Lord’s coming” (7).
The assigned collect for Advent 3 is the only Sunday prayer addressed by name to “Jesus Christ.” This is significant in that the petition is for “ministers and stewards of your mysteries,” that is, all preachers of the word; that they be given prophetic power in their work to turn people from disobedience to faith. It is Jesus Christ himself who calls and sends his people to the ministry of the word, and so to him we intercede for them in particular.
The Collect
O Lord Jesus Christ, you sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries may likewise make ready your way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient toward the wisdom of the just, that at your second coming to judge the world, we may be found a people acceptable in your sight; for with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
And a Highway Shall be There (Isaiah 35:1-10)
1 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
Isaiah 35:1-10
the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
2 it shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
3 Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not!
Behold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”
5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
For waters break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7 the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
8 And a highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it.
It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
9 No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
Or, “A highway will be there, a roadway…” (8, NASB). The images of peace and safety in this passage stand in direct contrast to earlier sections of Isaiah that foretell devastation in this area of the world due to the invasions of Assyria and Babylon. Notice in this text how, in contrast to the flowers and “the springs” of nature early in the reading, the “highway” (the Hebrew word referring to a raised road) appears later, like an added thing constructed as if by humans. Jesus Christ, the God-Man, is the “Way of Holiness” for men. In his life, death, and resurrection, he lays the road of salvation for human beings; his body and blood are the very stones laid down for the saints to walk on.
Devotionally, we find in the Scriptures that we who are in Christ are employed, as it were, continuing the work of constructing the road. Every word of testimony, every kind gesture, every personal sacrifice we make in Christ for the gospel is like a brick we hand to our Lord that he might extend the highway of God for generations to come. Our suffering, too, contributes, like unfinished labor, as Paul says, “[filling] up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions” (Col. 1:24). It is Christ’s work, and we help. He is the builder always deserving of the “greater honor” (see Heb. 3:3).
John Wesley’s words in a 1780 Covenant Service express a right zeal to join in the saving work of the Lord:
I am no longer my own, but thine. Put me to what thou wilt, rank me with whom thou wilt. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be employed by thee or laid aside for thee, exalted for thee or brought low for thee. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and heartily yield all things to thy pleasure and disposal.
Today, under the direction of the Spirit who is in us, supervising the work of the Father and the Son, let us see how we can labor in the ongoing construction of heaven’s “highway.”
The LORD Will Reign Forever (Psalm 146)
1 Praise the LORD, O my soul; *
Psalm 146, New Coverdale Psalter (BCP 2019)
while I live I will praise the LORD.
2 Indeed, as long as I have my being, *
I will sing praises unto my God.
3 Put not your trust in princes, nor in any child of man, *
for there is no help in them.
4 For when one breathes his last, he shall return again to the earth, *
and in that day all his thoughts perish.
5 Blessed is the one who has the God of Jacob for his help *
and whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is therein; *
who keeps his promise for ever;
7 Who does right to those who suffer wrong; *
and who feeds the hungry.
8 The LORD sets prisoners free; *
the LORD gives sight to the blind.
9 The LORD helps those who have fallen; *
the LORD loves the righteous.
10 The LORD cares for the strangers in the land; he defends the fatherless and widow; *
but the way of the ungodly he makes crooked.
11 The LORD shall be King for evermore, *
even your God, O Zion, throughout all generations. Praise the LORD.
Consider the lofty language at the beginning of the psalm. “Praise the LORD, O my soul; while I live I will praise the LORD. Indeed, as long as I have my being, I will sing praises unto my God” (1-2). “While I live” and “as long as I have my being”! In our worship, we are compelled to ask, “What is inspiring such deep devotion?” What is the psalmist “seeing” in his mind’s eye to render such extravagant praise? Beloved, it is the list further down, delivered like shots from a repeating rifle: “The LORD sets prisoners free; the LORD gives sight to the blind. The LORD helps those who have fallen; the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD cares for the strangers in the land; he defends the fatherless and widow; but the way of the ungodly he makes crooked” (8-9). The LORD…the LORD…the LORD…the LORD!
Devotionally, we can easily locate ourselves in the experience of any one of the unfortunate types listed in the body of the poem: the oppressed, the hungry, or the sojourners, etc. Nothing wrong with that; truthfully, in our sin we must all count ourselves among the needy whose only hope is the Lord’s kindness. But in the rapid-fire repetition of “the LORD,” what the psalmist desires is that we perceive, like he does, the relentless, overarching desire of YHWH to lift the entire group up and over.
Imagine yourself one fine day at the water’s edge on a beach. You look up to see the sun shining in the blue sky, then back to see children playing on the sand, then out to see huge ships moving effortlessly over the water: then, inspired by the whole picture, you sigh and say, “What a beautiful day!” This is how the psalmist intends for us to read, say, or sing these words.
Today, in the Spirit, look with the wide eyes of the psalmist on the majesty of God over all things and all people across all time and “Praise the LORD.”
Until the Coming of the Lord (James 5:7-20)
7 Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains. 8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful. 12 But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. 13 Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. 18 Then he prayed again, and heaven gave rain, and the earth bore its fruit. 19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, 20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.
James 5:7-20
When James writes “until the coming of the Lord” (7) and “the coming of the Lord is at hand” (8), should we think he only has in mind Jesus’ final “coming”? Must we believe that his only counsel to the faithful is to grin and bear evil until the great return? Of course, James would have our Lord’s parousia in view. But, looking at the whole book, we find also enthusiastic expectation of the Lord “coming” with reckless abandon into the saints’ lives in the present: Jesus reveals himself now with “every good and perfect gift” (1:17); with “wisdom that comes from heaven” (3:17); with “powerful and effective” answers to prayer (3:13-16), to name a few.
Beloved, our understanding of Advent from the teaching of the apostles must be of, not just two, but three comings of Jesus: his first in a mortal body at the incarnation, his second in a body of resurrection glory, and his third via spiritual intervention in the bodily lives of his saints in the world. This latter advent in the interim period is infinite in scale, reaching every Christian around the world and across every succeeding generation through history. And Jesus, we find, comes to us not only at one point of personal surrender to him (conversion), but in prevenient grace leading to that point and sustaining grace afterward. Breathtakingly vast and beautiful are his appearances to us now!
James will urge us, therefore, to live in anticipation of the approach of Jesus Christ in the present and in the future, the one, as it were, a deposit into the other: Advent now and later. Today, Holy Spirit, equip me in this season to be watchful for signs of your presence, which may come at any time.
From John the Baptist Until Now (Matthew 11:2-19)
2 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” 7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written,
“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.’
11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear. 16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces and calling to their playmates,
17 “‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance;
we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn.’
18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”
This is a hard passage. (see also the parallel in Luke 7:18-35). In most English Bibles, there is an alternative reading for “the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, something like the kingdom of heaven has been coming violently” (as in ESV). Going with the latter, it seems Jesus wants to teach the crowds about a change of eras, a transition between the time of the Prophets and the Law until John and the time of the days of John the Baptist until now: In the first, the reign of heaven on earth has been foretold; in the second, it has come and advances forcefully (by the Spirit’s power unleashed by the saving ministry of the incarnate Jesus). Poor John; notice how his name appears in the description of the two ages. It is in the middle: he is at one level sure, by what he knows to be the word of God, and at another unsure, by what he experiences as separation from the action (in prison).
John the Baptist, beloved, is an icon of the Church of Jesus Christ. We find ourselves in a similar position to his. We are sure of the word concerning the coming age of the fullness of the kingdom, yet “imprisoned” by what in our local circumstances appears to be no change at all. We ourselves can and do ask hesitantly, “Are you the one, Lord?” We are grateful for the signs we do receive of the forceful, new life of the Messiah coming out in our lives and those of others.
But today, Lord, in this age of the Spirit, we pray for your continued ministry of reassurance through the word, like that you gave to the Baptist.
Today in the Spirit
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