This Sunday is Advent III, and this year that means it’s our last Sunday in the Hebrew Bible. What a journey. This week we get another prophesy from Isaiah, but a whole different kind. It’s a beautiful passage, rich with powerful imagery around equity and justice. It’s so great, even Jesus quoted it! So, I suppose if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for us. The third Sunday in Advent is also the Sunday we light the pink candle on the Advent wreath. Why is there a pink candle? Well, going way back in Catholic tradition, the third Sunday in Advent is the Sunday of “Joy” and is connected to Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” It’s been given the name “Gaudete Sunday”, which is Latin for “rejoice”. And many protestant traditions, like ours, have simply carried on the tradition. So, there you have it. -Pastor Paul
SCRIPTURE: Isaiah 61: 1-11 (NRSVUE)
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,
2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 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.
4 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.
5 Strangers shall stand and feed your flocks;
foreigners shall till your land and dress your vines,
6 but you shall be called priests of the Lord;
you shall be named ministers of our God;
you shall enjoy the wealth of the nations,
and in their riches you shall glory.
7 Because their shame was double
and dishonor was proclaimed as their lot,
therefore in their land they shall possess a double portion;
everlasting joy shall be theirs.
8 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.
9 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.
10 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.
11 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.