Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 7:18-28
Rejoice in the Lord
3rd Sunday in Advent
December 13, 2015
Today is the Sunday of the rose-colored candle. On the other Sundays in Advent, we light the blue candles on the Advent wreath. Advent is a penitential season, one of preparation for Christmas. Just as John the Baptist came preaching repentance to prepare the way of the Lord, so Advent calls us to mourn our sinfulness and to repent of our sins and to bear fruit in keeping with repentance as we prepare for our Lord’s coming. The world, and our sinful flesh feels as though this is an unhappy thing. But it’s not. Repentance is part of the Christian faith, and that faith in Christ is always joyful. And so we light the rose colored candle today to reflect that joy, reminding ourselves that our Redeemer’s coming is near.
The Introit of the Day sets the tone for the day. It begins: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” The Latin word for “Rejoice” here is “Gaudete,” and so this Sunday, the Third Sunday in Advent, is known as “Gaudete Sunday.” We focus on the joy of repentance and the joy of our Christ, even while recognizing the painful reality of living in a fallen and broken world.
Consider John the Baptist. Here he was, the great forerunner of the Lord, the greatest man ever born of woman, the epitome of all the Old Testament prophets. John was raised up to proclaim, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” He is the one who leaped inside his mother’s womb when first meeting Jesus, whose fiery sermon we heard last week about the axe being laid at the root of the trees. Here was a man who did the will of God with boldness and faithfulness and what kind of reward did he get for all that? He got thrown into prison and was about to get his head chopped off. He has bewildered disciples, whom he sent to Jesus asking if He really was the One that has been promised of old.
In the first advent, Jesus reveals Himself primarily as a Messiah of mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. Jesus doesn’t come to execute judgment in the way John thinks, nor in the way many still think today. He has come to serve, to seek, and to save. His first Advent was not to execute judgment, to take judgment upon Himself. To receive the wrath of God upon the cross. There is nothing more scandalous, nothing more offensive than this.
The progress of Jesus’s ministry has not been what many expected. The call to repentance and faith in Christ is offensive. It offends our pride to hear we aren’t good enough. It offends our skewed ideas of justice and fairness to hear that all our goodness isn’t good enough. The cross is a stumbling block that will cause people to be scandalized. Identity of Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah prophesied in the OT. Not all are willing to acknowledge this, not all like what they see or hear in Jesus.
What they hear and see is this: “He healed many people of diseases and plagues and evil spirits and on many who were blind He bestowed sight.” After John the Baptist’s disciples hear and see these things, which are simply the fulfillment of Old Testament promises, Jesus answers their questions telling them to go report back to John these things. Notice that Jesus doesn’t just say, “I am.” He directs people to the Word, to the promises of God that are fulfilled in Him.
That is where we see Him working. In and through His Word. The benefits of Jesus’ first Advent are delivered to us through His Word and Sacrament. In His means of grace the Lord is present to gather His people and deliver forgiveness, life, and salvation. But make no mistake, judgment is coming with Christ’s final return. Hebrews 9:26b-28 is clear, “But as it is, He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to beard the sins of many, will appear a second time, not deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.” Christ will return to judge the living and the dead. But we sho have been called, gathered, and enlightened by the Gospel and kept in the true faith have no reason to fear, but to rejoice! On the last day, we are revealed as His people fully healed and free from reproach.
Never has there been a greater cause for joy. For God is, in Christ, rescuing the world from the grip of evil. Christ is the source of joy, even in the midst of our repentance, in the midst of our troubles, in the midst of our sin, in the face of death, and under attack by the devil. Our joy lies in the fact that our Lord is at hand. He is not far off from His people, nor immune to the suffering of the world. If ever there was unjust suffering, this is it. If ever it seemed like evil was triumphing, it was on that day when the sky turned black and God’s own Son cried out in agony on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Never has there been anything so unfair and unjust. Never has there been such a reason to rejoice.
Here is the only answer that works, ultimately. Jesus taking the evil upon Himself, and bearing the burden for us. Here is redemption for all your sins. Here is the only thing that will give you the strength and the comfort and the peace you need to rest your soul amid all the turmoil and trouble of this troubled life. This is the only reliable reason to rejoice in any and every circumstance. It is knowing, it is believing, it is the certain and eternal hope, that God has dealt with the problem of evil and sin in the most decisive way. For God has given Christ to be our Savior, and by trusting in Him, we share in His victory over sin and death and evil.
In light of this reality, we have little reason to be anxious about anything. We are left with a peace under the cross of Christ, a peace that surpasses all understanding which remains despite affliction and tribulation. In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.