Third Sunday in Advent – 11:30 am
Advent is that season of expectation, when we await the First and Second Coming of Christ – as Saviour and then as Judge. Traditionally, Advent includes looking at the dark things – including Death and Judgement. Advent means “arrival.” And so we wait expectantly for Christ to come.
The first coming of Christ our Saviour was as a baby in a manger. Our first hymn captures the rejoicing of that first coming: “Hills of the North, rejoice… Christ comes in righteousness and love; he brings salvation from above.” But simultaneously we wait in expectation of the Second coming of Christ – as King and Judge of all.
The prayer of watchful expectation in Advent is Maranatha – “O Lord come.”
Expectation and waiting!
As children, my cousins and I waited with high expectation for the coming of Santa Claus. There was huge speculation about how Santa might actually arrive. Sri Lanka has an average temperature of 25-30 centigrade at Christmas – there is absolutely no snow for a sleigh. And there are no fireplaces with chimneys. So we worried as we waited. How would the reindeer manage the heat? How would Santa get in without a chimney? Funnily enough, our parents, aunts and uncles ignored our request to leave the doors open all night for Santa.
This third Sunday in Advent has a special name. It is Gaudete Sunday. Guadete means Rejoice. You may have heard the carol “Gaudete, Gaudete!” sung during Christmas – a call to rejoice because Christ is born.
“Be glad and rejoice with all your heart” says Zephaniah. “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice” says the Apostle Paul.
During Advent we look forward to Christmas, when we celebrate Christ’s coming – the Light of the world breaking into the darkness. The commercialisation and bright lights of Christmas fill us with “Christmas cheer.” But, we lose the true meaning of Christmas. The coming of a Saviour and Redeemer only has meaning if we take seriously the darkness within us and the world. How can we rejoice at the coming of the Light of the World, if we do not recognise the need for His light?
We forget that at Christmas time many among us are in pain. I love that Ballyholme has a Service of Remembering during Advent. It’s a time when those who are bereaved pause to bring their darkness and grief to God. It is right to give space to acknowledge the darkness at Advent. We recognise the need for a Saviour and rejoice that He will come again to restore our brokenness and our world.
Rejoicing is at the heart of the first coming of Christ. People rejoice, glorify God and are filled with Praise. Israel had waiting in expectation for the coming of a Saviour.
We hear Zechariah declaring the coming of Christ – those familiar words we hear at Christmas: the “Dayspring (the Sunrise) shall visit us from on high, to give Light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet in the way of Peace.” How can we not rejoice at that?
Mary’s thinks of the child within her, and declares in the Magnificat: “my spirit rejoices in God my saviour.”
The angels bring good news of great joy and glorify God in song. The shepherds return glorifying and praising God after they find the Christ-child. The Wise Men “rejoice with exceeding great joy when they see the star” that leads them to Christ.
The Christmas story is infused with rejoicing at the coming of Christ on earth. We should rejoice as we look forward to that time when the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
The waiting in expectation for the second coming of Christ is a slightly different matter. I suspect, if we are honest, we are more interested in the first coming. The story of a little Lord Jesus in the manger tugs at our hearts. He is manageable. Sweet. And we have food and presents.
But Christ returning as King and Judge – I suspect we are not so comfortable with Him. Did you know that the word “Advent,” when it was first used in the 6th century, referred only to the 2nd coming of Christ to judge the world? It was in the Middle Ages that it was linked to Christ’s first coming at Christmas. In fact, the early Christians and NT church didn’t even celebrate the 1st coming. The epistles don’t mention it at all.
Without the expectation of the Return of the King at the end of all time, the meaning and purpose of the Incarnation is incomplete. The heart of the season of Advent now – for us – is to look forward to the coming of Christ the King and Judge. But how does that make us feel?
The world is uncomfortable with the idea of Divine judgement. We in the church are no different. We prefer a Saviour, and a God of Love. The thought of Christ, the righteous King who comes to judge the world, brings discomfort. Perhaps we are not sure it will happen. Perhaps we worry that it will!
In Zephaniah and Luke we see God as Judge. Zephaniah looks back at God’s judgement and John the Baptist warns of the wrath to come. Yet the Scripture readings call us to Rejoice. But what does rejoicing have to do with Advent theme of judgement?
In college, we discussed why we are so uncomfortable with God as a judge. Katie, our Biblical Studies lecturer, pointed out that those who are suffering through oppression and exploitation long for a righteous heavenly judge. Those who are enslaved or exploited right now, those caught up in conflict and war, those who suffer at the hands of evil people – rejoice at the justice of God. For them, God’s love for them is expressed in Judgement of those who cause their suffering. And they rejoice in it.
We discussed how we are often the oppressor. We do not pay workers an honest wage – or we buy goods that are cheap because of the exploitation of workers. We belong to nations that are complicit in bringing suffering on others. We ignore God’s expectations of how we are meant to live – because it doesn’t suit us. If we read through the Gospels, the life we are called to live is often so far from the one we do live. He who has two coats – give to him who has none. Love your neighbour as yourself. Bless those who curse you. It’s not easy!
Perhaps we do not wait for the judgement of God because we live fairly comfortable lives. So comfortable, perhaps, that we forget how far we are from living as God wants us to live.
The Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians was written while he was under house arrest, facing possible execution. Yet what flows from him is a ceaseless rejoicing, and a call to the Philippians (and to us) to rejoice in the Lord. Seven times he talks of rejoicing; the word joy occurs five times.
This is a rejoicing that transcends our situations, our suffering, our pain. It is a rejoicing because we KNOW that Christ is King. And that, as the Creed puts it, He will return to judge the living and the dead. We rejoice that the justice and righteousness of God, will triumph in the end.
We do not fear Judgement because as the Apostle Paul tells us we live for Christ. We are those whose gentleness is evident – the Greek word for gentleness includes graciousness, unselfishness, mercy, tolerance, and patience. We are those who depend on God, who bring ourselves to him in prayer. In an anxiety ridden world – we are not anxious. We have a peace that passes understanding.
We rejoice because the Lord is near. Because we long to see Him. We live with the word Maranatha on our lips: “O Lord come.”
Our hearts should quicken at the thought of Christ’s return.
When I think of Advent, I am reminded of C.S. Lewis’ Narnia stories. The seven books have a constant undercurrent of expectation – for Aslan’s arrival. There is a longing tinged with joy because they know he will return. And when he does everything will be put right.
I want to leave you with a quote from The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Mr Beaver, one of the talking animals, tells the children who are just discovering Narnia:
“Aslan is on the move… perhaps he has already landed.”
The moment the Beaver had spoken these words everyone felt quite different… At the name of Aslan each one of the children felt something jump in his inside. Edmund felt a sensation of mysterious horror. Peter felt suddenly brave and adventurous. Susan felt as if some delicious smell or some delightful strain of music had just floated by her. Lucy got the feeling you have when you wake up in the morning and realize it is the beginning of the holidays or the beginning of summer.”
We are waiting to celebrate Christ’s first coming – the light of the world. And we wait for his return, to bring justice and judgement.
My hope this Advent is that, as you wait for the first and second coming of Christ, you will feel “something jump” inside of you. That you will have that same longing and sense of rejoicing, when you realise that Christ is on the move.