The Day of the Lord, the Day of Christ: Rejoice!

Advent 3, December 16, 2012

The theme of Advent III is “rejoice.” This is shown in the happy pink Advent candle. It is also shown in the Bible readings for today.


FIRST LESSON: Zephaniah 3:14–20 [Sing, O daughter of Zion]
Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your punishment; He has turned back your enemy. The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, “Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.” “The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a reproach to you. At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame. At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the Lord.
L: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.

SECOND LESSON: Philippians 4:4–7 [Rejoice in the Lord always!]
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
L: This is the Word of the Lord.
C: Thanks be to God.
C: Alleluia, Lord to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Alleluia, Alleluia!
P: The Holy Gospel according to St. Luke, The Seventh Chapter.
C: Glory to you, O Lord.

GOSPEL LESSON: Luke 7: 18-23　　[Message to John the Baptizer in prison]
John’s disciples told him about all these things. Calling two of them, he sent them to the Lord to ask, “Are You the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?” When the men came to Jesus, they said, “John the Baptist sent us to You to ask, ‘Are You the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’” At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sicknesses and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind.
So He replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of Me.”
P: This is the Gospel of our Lord.
C: Praise to you, O Christ.

The Old Testament Zephaniah speaks to the people of Jerusalem when they were severely oppressed by many things. He proclaimed, “The day of the Lord is at hand” 1:7. But it would not be Christmas. He warned the people of old Israel that they were not ready for that “Day of the Lord,” because it would be a day of wrath (1:8). Because of their sins and unbelief and mistrust of the Lord, God would punish the nation of Judah and the capital city of Jerusalem. He tells them to “seek the Lord, seek righteousness, seek humility” in order to escape the wrath of the Lord (2:3). And the Lord would also punish the enemies of Israel who had oppressed and corrupted Israel. After the call to repent, Zephaniah gives the call to rejoice. This is the theme of the Third Sunday in Advent: “rejoice.” Zephaniah said, 3:14. “Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your punishment.” The reason for their rejoicing is that God has seen their repentance and faith. God has forgiven their sins. The rejoicing, however, comes after a time of cleansing. The rejoicing comes after a time of trusting the Lord in the midst of war and hardship. They rejoice because God is love and will save his people.

In today’s Epistle reading, Philippians 4:4, St. Paul writes, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.” At the time, it was not like Christmas for St. Paul. He wrote these words from prison. How could he tell anyone to rejoice? How could he himself rejoice? This is a rejoicing that comes after a time of struggle and cleansing. Christ has died to forgive our sin. We have struggled with the devil and temptation. We have struggled with injustice and the harassment of the world. Yet in the midst of our struggle and distress, in the midst of our dissatisfaction and disappointment, in the midst of our prisons and hopelessness, in the midst of senseless violence and grief, God is with us, “Emmanuel.” We can rejoice because in Jesus Christ, the Day of the Lord has already come. That was the Day when Christ died on the cross to forgive our sin and defeat the devil. The devil no longer has a permanent hold on us. We have hope, so we rejoice.

Like St. Paul, John the Baptist was also in prison. It was not like Christmas for him. Jesus gave him reason to rejoice. John’s disciples came and asked Jesus, “John the Baptist sent us to You to ask, ‘Are You the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?’” (Luke 7: 20.) Jesus replied to the messengers, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of Me.” (Luke 7: 22-23.) People are blessed and they can rejoice in the Good News!

We have heard the Good News. We believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior. And so we are ready for the Day of the Lord, the Day of Christ. We are ready for Christmas, we are ready for the Last Day of the World, and we are ready for each and every day of this world because Christ is with us. And so we rejoice! What does this rejoicing look like? What form does it take? First it is worship. St. Paul says it is peace in our hearts and prayer to God. Philippians 4:4-7, “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

I may not have all my shopping done and all the greetings sent, but I am ready for the Day of Christmas and the Day of Christ everyday. The love of God fills my heart and so I want to spread this love to others. This is the reason for the love and charity of this season. That love and peace is why we rejoice.

Amen.

And may the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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