Rooted in joy

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

 

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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!