Revised Common Lectionary Readings for the 3rd Sunday in Advent
Zephaniah 3: 14-20, Isaiah 12: 2-6, Philippians 4: 4-7, Luke 3: 7-18
Today’s texts remind us to celebrate, rejoice, be joyful (not necessarily happy) while being reminded by John the Baptist to seek pathways of justice through not hording or extorting the gifts of Grace from others. A powerful reminder amidst the cultural imperatives to spend, buy and purchase “gifts” so that others will know we “love” them. As a side note, I find it odd that the USA’s economy is set up in such a way that the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas determine whether a merchant/retailer/etc. will come out in the “black” or end up in the “red” by the end of the year.
A friend of mine mentioned seeing the following sweatshirt on a teenager while in the mall this past week. There is the face of Jesus. Below are the words: “I didn’t come down here for you to buy this junk.”
And John the Baptist reminds us that true repentance is seen in how we live out our lives.
"Repentance is not just saying you're sorry, nor is it merely a change in your head or even your heart. Gospel repentance involves a change in your behavior, in the way you live your life. Most people likely see John's call to a transformed life as an indictment, and his mandate for treating the poor justly as, at best, an unpleasant chore. But John's call to repentance should be seen for what it is: an invitation to salvation, the fruit of relationship with the Holy One coming into our midst. When we respond to this invitation in a joyful spirit, we may help to contribute not only to a transformed world but to our own liberation. That, indeed, is call for exuberant rejoicing."
~ Jim Rice, “Rejoice in the Lord,” December 14, 1997 Living the Word
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