John the Baptist and the Pink Candle
(Free Version)- The Third Sunday of Advent, Isaiah 35:1-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11
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Advent Week 3 is always a bit different. It is often called “Gaudete” which means “rejoice.” Historically, Advent was observed in the calendar as a somber season. This Sunday is intended as a time to celebrate in the midst of the repentance. On the Advent wreath (and often in vestments), the color is pink (rose). It is a time when we rejoice because the Lord is near.
Our readings this week speak to the joy of transformation, the reality of patience, and the promise of God’s new world.
Isaiah reminds us that God turns deserts into gardens (Isaiah 35:1-10). Life springs forth out of death. We are called to patience in the midst of difficulty. Our God will be faithful. He will do justice. When this happens, eyes will be opened and ears unstopped. Our seeing and hearing him will not be limited. And there will be a path for those to walk in his ways. This new world will be characterized by gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will fall away. This is a future reality, but it has broken into the present in Christ Jesus.
It is critical that our congregations hear this good news. There is no desert too parched, no land too barren, no person too far gone for the new life which God brings. Many in our churches bring all kinds of baggage with them on Sundays: grief and loss; abuse and mistreatment; addiction and bondage. The good news is that this is not the end of the story. God is always faithful.
Our James reading (James 5:7-10) calls us to a life of continued patience. Our longing for God’s justice is like a farmer waiting for the land to yield its crop. The church is to avoid grumbling against one another because that is the stuff that will come under judgment. And the Judge is here, right at the door! While judgement is uncomfortable, it is also good news; because our God is good and is the One who will put things right.
In our gospel reading, John the Baptizer, the very one who has spent his life pointing to Jesus as the Messiah, is now having doubts (Matthew 11:2-11). His reasoning is perhaps that Jesus is not exhibiting his Messiahship in the expected way: fire and brimstone, political revolution, etc. The reason is that Jesus has gone ahead of John in the script. Along with judgement, there is always mercy. In his very person, Jesus is calling judgement on the world, but he is also taking the consequences of that judgement upon himself.
Today, in the pink candle, we are reminded that joy breaks into pain. God is at work in the world, no matter what it looks like. Sometimes, we are looking for hope in the wrong places. In what ways is this struggle real for us today?
May God open our eyes to see His kingdom, may he strengthen our weak hands when we falter in our calling to share his grace; may he strengthen our feeble knees when we struggle to pray; may he correct our misunderstandings and our misapprehensions. May God give us patience: with the world that he has made; with those to our right and to our left; and ultimately with God himself. Come, Lord Jesus, we pray.