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Serving God and Sharing Good News |
Weekly Bible Notes
Third Sunday of Advent
Liturgical Colour - Purple
Introduction
I said I love you and that's forever,
And this I promise from the heart.
I could not love you any better,
I love you just the way you are.
Billy Joel
Billy Joel might not having been trying to make a great theological point when he wrote these lines, but they do make an extremely good point. The song encourages us not to try to be something which we are not. It is true that if we learn to get along with ourselves then we will be much better placed to be able to get along with others.
Collect Prayer for the Day — Before we read we pray
God of mercy and power, whose Son rules over all, grant us so to live in obedience to your holy will, that at his appearing we may be raised to eternal life; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen
God for whom we wait and watch, you sent your servant John the Baptist to prepare your people for the coming of the Messiah. Inspire the ministers and stewards of your truth to turn our disobedient hearts to you; that, when Christ shall come again in glory to be our judge, we may stand with confidence before Him, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen
First Bible Reading Isaiah Chapter 61:1-4,
8-11
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendour. They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations.
"For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity. In my faithfulness I will reward them and make an everlasting covenant with them. Their descendants will be known among the nations and their offspring among the peoples. All who see them will acknowledge that they are a people the Lord has blessed."
I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom adorns his head like a priest, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. For as the soil makes the young plant come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the Sovereign Lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations.
(This is the word of the Lord—Thanks be to God)
Second Reading 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil. May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.
(This is the word of the Lord -- Thanks be to God)
Gospel Reading
John 1:6-8, 19-28
There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
Now this was John's testimony when the Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, "I am not the Christ." They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He answered, "No." Finally they said, "Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?" John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, 'Make straight the way for the Lord.'" Now some Pharisees who had been sent questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
(This is the word of the Lord—Thanks be to God)
Post Communion Sentence
We give you thanks O Lord for these heavenly gifts; kindle in us the fire of your Spirit that when your Christ comes again we may shine as lights before his face: who is alive and reigns now and for ever. Amen
Commentary
The readings from Isaiah and from Paul to the Thessalonians encourage us to rejoice. This is appropriate at a time of year when we sing about joyfulness and truthfully most people desperately seek the fulfilment which results in the ability to live a joyful life.
So how do we arrive at a position whereby we can be joyful? The secret is surely to learn to be content within ourselves. I am not a great fan of so many of the television programmes these days which seek to reward the winner with great fame and recognition. Not because there is anything wrong with wanting to sing, just that so many people are led to believe that money, fame, success are avenues to happiness. When we look at the drug filled, lonely lives of pop stars it is transparently obvious that stardom, being regarded as an idol is no road to happiness.
Happy people are able to enjoy what they are, they are not always trying to be something or somebody else. One television programme has a catch phrase ‘tonight I am going to be.’ At which the performer goes off to make themselves look and sound like their pop look alike. At one level it is all a bit of fun, but at a more sinister level it is quite dreadful. Many people spend their lives trying to be somebody else, chasing an allusive dream, on the misapprehension that they would be happy if only they could…..
To be happy we must not want to be somebody else, not long for the moment when we can attain fame or fortune. We are best able to rejoice when we are content with being ourselves. We are to be encouraged to like ourselves more, not desire to be like another person but to have self-esteem.
Perhaps that is what John the Baptist was like. He was a rugged and wild character, poor and living a frugal life. he was completely free of pretence and more than content to point away from himself to another. He must have been very secure within himself and confident to be able to do this. John is modest, free from pretension and desires no great status or privilege.
Society is full of people who are having difficulty and we proclaim that they need to ‘find themselves.’ It is no wonder that so many relationships are on the rocks, how can we get on with others when we have so much trouble getting along with ourselves? With John there was no ambiguity, no longing to be different, just a willingness to serve God where he was.
Perhaps the most important journey which any of us make is that one inside ourselves. The ability to look deep within and ask questions knowing that there is no point lying to ourselves, that we have to see ourselves as we really are and learn to be pleased about it. It is not that we see our faults and think them to be good things, that we need no correction. Rather it is learning to accept ourselves, without pretension, no need to be artificial or put on a show. We all need to be less ashamed and more free to take a pride in our individuality, God would not have made us all so different if he wanted us to conform.
The good news is that this is how God sees us. God knows us better than we know ourselves and yet still he loves and accepts us. He doesn’t need us to look like Kylie or sing like Robin Williams, we have his approval just as we are.
I said I love you and
that's forever,
And this I promise from the heart.
I could not love you any better,
I love you just the way you are.
Billy Joel
Meditation
There is a rabbinic saying, "Every service which a slave performs for his master shall a disciple do for his master, except the loosing of a sandal thong". Disciples often performed jobs or services for their teachers, but never the menial or dirty tasks, such as tying or untying sandals. John uses the service that the rabbinic saying states is too menial for any disciple to undertake and declares he is not worthy to perform even this task for the Messiah, the one who is to follow him. His humility and his desire to point to only to Christ challenge us in a world that constantly fosters self aggrandisement and often points only to self.
Hymns
- O come O come Emmanuel, 493;
- Jesus put this song into our hearts, 376;
- Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour, 700;
- On Jordan's bank the Baptist's cry, 538
Prayers for Sunday and the week ahead
O good Jesus, radiant in your glory and tender in your compassion, cherish me, I pray, as one of your family; embrace me as your lover; rule me as your subject and welcome me as your friend, now and for ever. Amen Hildegard of Bingen, 1098-1179
O God of all hope, we thank you for your promises which find their fulfilment in your Son. We rejoice in His coming in the flesh and look for His coming in glory. By your word, sacraments and Holy Spirit make us ready to receive Christ as our Lord and Saviour, and with thankfulness praise Him, now and for ever.
Lord Jesus, redeemer and judge of all people, who came that we might have life eternal, you have taught us that you will come again in great glory to take account of your servants and reward their faithful service; help us to live as people who wait for their master, prepared, engaged in service, and ready for action; that we might not be ashamed before you at your coming so that we might enter into your eternal joy. Amen
Additional Material
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We have come into his house 729
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Make Way, Make Way 457
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Song from Big Blue Planet: Come Lord Jesus Come (on service sheet)
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When Jesus came to Jordan
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Christingle song (on service sheet)
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Love came down at Christmas (on service sheet)