Zephaniah 3:14-18 The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst
Philippians 4:4-7 The Lord is
very near
Luke 3:10-18 'Someone is
coming who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire'
Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
Zephaniah
3.14
+
Last
week I was at the Minster Junior School for their Advent School Eucharist.
We
explored the theme of preparation - after all, it’s Advent - and they told me
their morning routine of preparing for school: have breakfast, brush teeth,
have shower, put on uniform, and one girl, rather impressively said that she
makes her bed!
And
then we turned to how we prepare for the coming of the Lord and welcoming God
into our lives.
I
asked the children how they think we should prepare for the coming of the Lord,
and a sea of hands went up.
I
really should ask you now to put up your hands and do the same thing!
What
would you say is the way to prepare for the coming of the Lord?
From
the children I got the following answers:
To prepare for
the coming of the Lord we should pray.
To prepare for
the coming of the Lord we should fast.
To prepare for
the coming of the Lord we should ask forgiveness.
To prepare for
the coming of the Lord we should lead godly lives.
To prepare for
the coming of the Lord we should be joyful.
What
a collection of wise and good counsel!
As
Jesus reminds his hearers ‘Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings [God] hast
perfected praise’ (Matthew 21.16 citing Psalm 8.2)
He
says that, having observed the children, with their exuberance and joy, waving
Jesus into Jerusalem, with palm branches and singing, on the first Palm Sunday.
Children’s
praise can cut through the jaded, world-weary, adult mind that lacks a sense of
expectation and hope.
These
themes of expectation, hope and joy within the context of preparation, all come
out of our readings today, and actually flesh out what the children said in
that School Eucharist.
Prayer,
fasting, asking forgiveness, leading godly lives and being joyful.
Can
we find those things in the readings today, is there more we should add?
We
can certainly find prayer: ‘in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be
made known to God’. (Philippians 4.6)
The
promise is that lives soaked in prayer, will receive ‘the peace of God, which
surpasses all understanding, will guard [our] hearts and [our] minds in Christ
Jesus’ (Philippians 4.7).
That
peace, like prayer, is for heart and mind: it’s a whole person activity and
blessing.
What
of the next word a child suggested? Fasting?
We
don’t explicitly find fasting mentioned in our readings today – although John
the Baptist does talk about sharing food with those who have none.
I
guess many of us would associate fasting with the season of Lent; but the
practice of fasting can happen through the year, because it is about depriving
ourselves of something – typically food – so that, first, we remember from who
all good gifts come in the first place, God the creator, and, second, to
appreciate the gifts we enjoy mindful of the needs of others.
Fasting
in the midst of the pre-Christmas feasting is a good Advent discipline, so long
as we do feast at Christmas.
That
takes us to forgiveness.
John
the Baptist proclaimed the intense preparation that is about getting ourselves
in right relationship with God: smoothing the paths for him to come.
John’s
proclamation is of ‘a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins’, as we
heard in last week’s gospel (Luke 3.3).
Being
forgiven people, who are forgiving people
is indeed how we are called to prepare for the coming of the Lord.
And
that takes us to a phrase one of those children used, that is not on the lips
of many people today, leading godly lives.
That
is what John the Baptist addresses in answer to the crowds’ question, ‘what
then should we do?’ (Luke 3.10).
He
effectively says lead godly lives.
He
goes on to say, ‘and this is what it looks like’.
For
all of us, be generous: “Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has
none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.”
If
you’re a tax collector: “Collect no more than you are authorized to do.”
If
you’re a soldier: “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or by false
accusation, and be content with your wages.”
There’s
a great Advent question for us all: what does leading a godly life look like
for me?
And
perhaps that takes us back to the title of this Sunday, Guadete Sunday,
translated ‘rejoice Sunday’, from those verses of Paul’s letter to the
Philippians, ‘Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.’
(Philippians 4.4)
This
isn’t about banal, happy smiley Christians, but rather to be rooted in the deep
joy that comes only from God.
A
joy that doesn’t evaporate when times get tough, but sustains us through the
tough times.
A
joy that is expectant, even exuberant, as Zephaniah describes it: “Sing aloud,
O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O
daughter of Jerusalem!” (Zephaniah 3.14).
This
is the joy of the valleys, of which prophets speak, that ‘shall blossom
abundantly and shall rejoice with joy and singing.’ (Isaiah 35.2)
This
is the reverent joy, described in Revelation, of the exquisite sound of those
gathered in heaven, ‘singing a new song before the throne.’ (Revelation 14.3)
‘So
with many other exhortations [John the Baptist] preached the good news to the
people.’ (Luke 3.18)
Pray.
Fast. Forgive and be forgiven. Lead godly lives. Be joyful.
Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
