The Third Sunday of Advent
Sunday 17 December 2017
!¡•••●••••••《☆☆▪☆☆☆▪☆☆》••••••●•••¡!
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 (NRSV)
The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion—to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory. They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations. For I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery and wrongdoing; I will faithfully give them their recompense, and I will make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants shall be known among the nations, and their offspring among the peoples; all who see them shall acknowledge that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my whole being shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation, he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 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.
!¡•••●•••••••《☆☆▪☆☆▪☆☆》•••••••●•••¡!
Advent is drawing to a close with this reading. By this point the Advent wreath is almost fully lit, and the Rose Vestments mark that the halfway point of these days of waiting and anticipation are nearly complete. There is an interesting twist in focus that occurs in the Old Testament readings for Advent at this point. Up until now the readings from Isaiah have been all about a dialogue between God and the prophet. Here the prophet now speaks to the people. He speaks with the confidence of one who has been given words of life for the people of God that long to be spoken in the name and with the voice of God incarnate in a human mouth. This is a powerful testimony. It is one that we are called to embrace and to proclaim to those who in the midst of deep darkness need to hear of light, joy, and life found in living relationship with God.
!¡••●•••••••《☆☆▪☆☆☆▪☆☆》••••••●•••¡!
Fr. Timothy Alleman
No comments:
Post a Comment