Blessed are you, holy and living One.
You come to your people and set them free. Amen.
Let us pray together.
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known, and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lighting of the Advent Wreath
Third Candle—Candle of Joy
Light and peace, in Jesus Christ our Lord
Thanks be to God
Today is the Third Sunday of Advent and we will light the Candle of Joy. Last Sunday we lit the Candle of Peace. We light it and the Candle of Hope again as we remember Jesus, born in Bethlehem, our hope and our peace.
Light the Candles of Hope and Peace here if you have an Advent Wreath. If not, any candle will do.T
Today we light the Third Candle of Advent, the Candle of Joy. When the angel Gabriel told Mary that a special child would be born to her she was filled with joy. She sang a song that began with the words: "My soul magnifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour. Just as the birth of Jesus gave great joy to his mother, so his presence in the world gave joy to those who had none before. He healed them and gave them hope and peace when they believed in him.
We light the Candle of Joy to remind us that when Jesus is born in us we have joy and that through him there will be everlasting joy on earth.
Light the Third Candle, the Candle of Joy, here. Light a pink candle if you have one.
Joy is like a light shining in a dark place. As we look at this candle we celebrate the joy we find in Jesus Christ.
Let us pray:
Thank you God for the joy you give us. We ask that as we wait for all your promises to come true, and for Christ to come again, that you would remain present with us. Help us today, and everyday to worship you, to hear your word, and to do your will by sharing your joy with each other. We ask it in the name of the one who was born in Bethlehem. Amen.
The Collect of the Day
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.
Old Testament Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
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.
Psalm 126 In convertendo
1 When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, *
then were we like those who dream.
2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter, *
and our tongue with shouts of joy.
3 Then they said among the nations, *
"The Lord has done great things for them."
4 The Lord has done great things for us, *
and we are glad indeed.
5 Restore our fortunes, O Lord, *
like the watercourses of the Negev.
6 Those who sowed with tears *
will reap with songs of joy.
7 Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, *
will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.
The Epistle 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every form of evil.
May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.
The Gospel John 1:6-8, 19-28
There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.
This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’” as the prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.
They asked him, “Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal.” This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
The Sermon Fr. Nelson Gaetz
Here we are at the third Sunday in Advent. Usually marked as “Joy” Sunday. Because in the old Roman Liturgy, and you’ll excuse me, the Lutheran Liturgy following it, began with the word “Rejoice.” If you have a traditional Advent wreath, you’ll be lighting the pink candle today. But then the people who chose the readings picked one more week focused on John the Baptist and his sharp message about repenting. A mixed message to be sure. Seems to fit in this year when Joy is hard to find. Life lived in the shadow of COVID 19 doesn’t leave much room for joy, much less rejoicing. Even the long-awaited vaccine may be months away for most of us. So, this year we need to look very closely to find Joy in the Gospel lesson. But, it is there!
Let’s try this. The priests and the Levites come to John with a question. “Are you THE ONE?” John’s emphatic answer is where I find joy this week. He “confesses” and did not deny… “I am NOT the Messiah.” It’s wonderful to hear. Rare and refreshing. John had zero interest in making things all about him. He is there to bear witness. Such a contrast to the social values of his day and ours! We, like the society all around John, live in a world of constant self-expression and self-aggrandizement, encouraged, promoted and even demanded by social media. People spend much of their waking hours on the Internet creating a splendid image of themselves. And don’t forget, our politicians, portraying themselves as the ONLY one for the job. YES, we are living in a distinctly ego-centric, if not outright narcissistic, culture. John floods the scene with a series of denials. All the things that he is not.
So, who is John? John is exactly what God called him to be: a voice crying in the wilderness, someone preparing the way for another, a person called to point others to Jesus. Someone content to be who he is. SO, I am (we are) reminded that every time we respond to God’s call to be ourselves, and not what the culture or social media where so-called “friends” entice us to be, we discover that being ourselves IS enough. Enough for a real friend — Jesus.
That’s not going to be easy. Every TV commercial, ever newspaper advertisement is enticing us to live up to the images of the age where:
► We drive the correct car.
► We look for products that promise MORE (There is one commercial that even says it offers MORE. – Look out for it.)
►We lavish on the grandchildren piles of THINGS in competition with other family members.
►We brag about our accomplishments. (Confession, I have even been known to brag about my blood pressure. Lol.
► Add here your own list. The homework for this week.
On this Joy Sunday, we who live in this highly individualized, possibly narcissistic culture, are invited to find joy in ways that let us be genuinely ourselves and not what other want us to be. You (we) don’t need to purchase love and/or respect. We already have it from the one who counts. Jesus, the lamb of God, who loves us, values us, more than life itself.
Happy Joy Sunday.
AMEN.
THE NICENE CREED
We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,
who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come.
Amen.
THE PRAYERS OF THE PEOPLE
Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs.
Brief silence
Show us Your steadfast love, O Lord, and grant us Your salvation! Keep Your saints from every folly that would turn them from Your words of peace. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
You sent John to proclaim the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Richly and daily forgive the sins of all believers. Bless Michael and DeDe, our Bishops, and Nelson, our Rector, and all who serve Christ’s church. May we all together be rich proclaimers of the Good News to all people. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Dear Father, be the source of strength and comfort in every home. Bless the children of our families, that every darkness would be lightened by Your Son’s gracious visitation. Sanctify them completely, that their whole spirit, soul and body may be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Give wisdom and success to our nation and its leaders. Behold in mercy all who are in authority over us and those newly elected. Preserve our land and its citizens in peace and harmony, and protect all who serve in harm’s way. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Receive our thanks in every circumstance for Your kindness in Christ Jesus and the certain hope of the resurrection to eternal life with Him. We pray especially for most dear to us who now rest in your peace. Lord, in Your mercy, hear our prayer.
Into Your hands, Father, we commend all for whom we pray, trusting in Your mercy; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Confession of Sin
Let us confess our sins against God and our neighbor.
Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart;
we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us and forgive us;
that we may delight in your will,
and walk in your ways,
to the glory of your Name. Amen.
Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us all our sins through our Lord Jesus Christ, strengthen us in all goodness, and by the power of the Holy Spirit keep us in life. Amen.
So now we pray with confidence to the Father the words our Lord Jesus taught us:
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed by the Name,
thy kingdom come, thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.
The Closing Blessing
May God almighty bless and keep us, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
We go now in peace to love and serve the Lord.
Amen.