We are already at the third week of Advent. On the third
Sunday many churches will have pink flowers on the altar to recognize Gaudete
Sunday. This was originally to offer a bit of lightness into the mildly penitential
tone of Advent. Often the words of Philippians 4:4-6 are sung. “Rejoice in the
Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Let your forbearance be known to all, for
the Lord is near at hand; have no anxiety about anything, but in all things, by
prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be
Last week I suggested that “Telling one another when
blessings happen deepens the joy for both parties. Let's tell our stories.” Our
joy will be greater when shared. This is the time of year when we do a lot of
celebrating with friends and with family. Sometimes it can be pretty
superficial, but there are also times when you have lunch with a dear friend or
two, or with someone in your family and you can share you deepest joys and
sorrows.
That is what happens with Elizabeth. It is always more fun
to celebrate in community. In following the Way
of Love curriculum and Advent calendar*, we come to the community
celebration of the birth of John to Elizabeth and Zechariah. Remember, this
child would grow up to become John the Baptist, the forerunner of Messiah. For
now, though, this is a joyful party rejoicing in the birth of a son to an
elderly couple. The Gospel of Luke says, “Her
neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her,
and they rejoiced with her.”
The art by Luca Giordano from the
1680s entitled Birth of St John the Baptist captures the joy of the moment when all the friends and family gather together to rejoice at the new baby.
Inviting the community can be a mixed blessing. Friends and
family think they have to have input into all the decisions. “On the eighth day they came to circumcise
the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his
mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” They said to her, “None of your
relatives has this name.” Then they began motioning to his father to find out
what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His
name is John.” And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to
speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things
were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard
them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed,
the hand of the Lord was with him…The child grew and became strong in spirit,
and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel” (Luke
1:57-80)
In keeping with the theme of ‘rejoice’ this week, the story
of John’s birth and circumcision is filled with joy. As soon as he can talk
again, “[Zechariah] began to speak, praising God.” His entire prophecy
for his son, is a joy-filled hymn of praise in a way that touches on each of the 7 Way of Love disciplines. Take some time this week to pause with
each phrase and pray about what it means to you, your Advent journey, and all those on the Way of Love.
Pray: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he
has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.
Worship: He
has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David
Learn: as he spoke through the mouth of his holy
prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand
of all who hate us. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and
has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor
Abraham,
Go: to grant us that we, being rescued from the
hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and
righteousness before him all our days
Turn: And you, child, will be called the prophet
of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give
knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins.
Bless: By
the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give
light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death
Rest: to guide our feet into the way of peace.
On the Planner page,
you will find some hints for thinking about Community as you go through the
week.
The Way of Love curriculum*
asks participants to consider all seven of the Way of Love practices (Worship, Go, Learn, Pray, Bless, Turn, Rest)
with some thought-provoking questions that you may want to think about.
• Which of the practices brought you the most joy…or
blessing? Which practice has been life-giving and where did you cross borders?
• How does your
community celebrate joy together? How does your community support others in
their joy?
• Who in your faith community has a prophetic voice?
(perhaps it is you)
• When have you experienced God’s love for you here? When
have you felt yourself loving God in the context of this community?
This week you may want to use this prayer from the
curriculum:
Merciful God of peace,
your word, spoken by the prophets, restores your people’s life and hope: Fill
our hearts with the joy of your saving grace, that we may hold fast to your
great goodness and proclaim your justice in all the world. Amen [Revised
Common Lectionary Prayers, alt., proposed by the Consultation on Common Texts
(Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002), p. 33].
*Way of Love Advent
Curriculum; By Jenifer Gamber and
Becky Zartman; Copyright © 2018 by The Episcopal Church;
The Episcopal Church/
815 2nd Ave/New York, NY 10017
