During Advent readers are invited to look at the Sunday readings (from the Revised Common Lectionary) and consider where and how we are part of the long and ongoing Sacred Story of God’s work in the world. Some suggestions about doing this can be found in the Nov. 27 post.
Readings for Advent 3
Isaiah 35:1-10
1The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert
shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus 2it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God. 3Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the
feeble knees. 4Say to those who are of a fearful heart, “Be strong, do
not fear! Here is your God. He will come with vengeance, with terrible
recompense. He will come and save you.” 5Then the eyes of the blind shall be
opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6then the lame shall leap like
a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break
forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; 7the burning sand
shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; the haunt of
jackals shall become a swamp, the grass shall become reeds and rushes. 8A
highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way; the unclean shall
not travel on it, but it shall be for God’s people; no traveler, not even
fools, shall go astray. 9No lion shall be there, nor shall any ravenous
beast come up on it; they shall not be found there, but the redeemed shall walk
there.10And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to
Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain
joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.
James 5:7-10
Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the
Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient
with it until it receives the early and the late rains. 8You also must be
patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is
near. 9Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be
judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! 10As an example of
suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the
Lord.
Matthew 11:2-11
2When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he
sent word by his disciples 3and said to him, “Are you the one who is to
come, or are we to wait for another?” 4Jesus answered them, “Go and tell
John what you hear and see: 5the blind receive their sight, the lame
walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor
have good news brought to them. 6And blessed is anyone who takes no
offense at me.” 7As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about
John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the
wind? 8What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes?
Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. 9What then did you
go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10This
is the one about whom it is written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of
you, who will prepare your way before you.’ 11Truly I tell you, among
those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the
least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Summary Reflection
The readings this week call us to patient waiting. Even
though the Christmas frenzy of gifts and decorating and travel and family is
starting to ramp up all around, Advent invites us to WAIT. Wait for the new
life that is coming. We wait for the time when sorrow and sighing shall flee
away. And that promise is fulfilled in the One soon to be born in a
borrowed cave.
On this third week of Advent, we find images more
spring-like than December. Isaiah promises new life springing forth when God
comes. For anyone who has heard Handel’s Messiah, it is almost
impossible to read verses 5 and 6 without hearing the Alto recitative ((1644) Handel Messiah, Alto
Recitative: Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened and Alto/Soprano Duet -
YouTube). That’s not all there is to this citation, though. The full
promise is that the redeemed will return and find joy and gladness. Spoken to
the people of Israel in exile, this was powerful. Spoken to us over 2500 years
later, it is still powerful.
The Epistle counsels patience, like a farmer waiting for a
crop. The Gospel reading is Jesus’ reflecting on the ministry of John the
Baptist who we met last week at the Jordan. Jesus refers back to the prophetic
promise of blind receiving sight and lame being able to walk as signs that he
is, indeed, the long-awaited promised Messiah.
Waiting is difficult. Whether it’s waiting to see if you got
the gift you wanted, or waiting for the greater gift of God’s love, it is hard.
We don’t want to be in the uncomfortable position on not knowing when or what
or how. Images of new growth and farming are good reminders that waiting is
an important and inescapable part of life. The end result is worth the wait.
