Year A Advent III James 5:7-10 Matthew 11:2-11

The angel Gabriel from heaven came, with wings as drifted snow, his eyes as flame. "All hail," said he, "O lowly maiden Mary, Most highly favored lady." Gloria!

The lyrics above are from a hymn based on Angelus Ad Virginem (Angel to the Virgin), a 13th or 14th century Latin carol, and in turn the words derive from Luke 1:26-28.

It is Gaudete Sunday –also known as “Rose Sunday” – “Rejoice Sunday” - the third Sunday of Advent, the Sunday on which we light the rose coloured candle on our Advent wreath. It is the Sunday when, in the early days of the Church, Christians, who were observing the harsh fast the Church imposed during Advent, could sigh with relief and lighten up a bit.

Why speak of Mary on this Sunday? Today’s Bible lessons have been changed from what they once were – from lessons that reminded us of one special person, Jesus’ mother. While the Psalm retains Mary’s song, the Gospel that once was read today, and is reflected in the hymn at the top, will be read next Sunday. Nonetheless, the rose colour, signifying the remembrance and celebration of Mary, remains on this, the third Sunday of Advent.

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. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.

So begins the Bible lesson from James. It sounds like good advice for any pregnant lady, and seems perfectly suited to be addressed to Mary the Mother of Jesus as she awaits the coming of the Lord. Though I lack the personal experience, I’ve listened to many friends and my sister as the day of birth drew near, and by that time patience was a virtue for which they all had to struggle. Patience! We all know how difficult it can sometimes be to be patient.

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”

If we have been keeping Advent disciplines while struggling with daily life and the added pressures of the holiday rush, we may find that patience is not something we have a great deal of. When, during the holiday season, we remember times when we have felt extremely impatient, women who have borne children might think back to that last month or weeks of pregnancy, the rest of us might feel like John the Baptist, trapped in a prison created by a combination of family expectations and marketing experts. It seems that easy, joyful holidays are reserved for the very few and the very young.

And this is when doubt can set in. Unable to change the pressures, we distract ourselves with worries. Now that the baby is coming, will the birth go well, will the baby be all right, is everything at home ready, can we afford this child? Or perhaps it’s more of, have I thought of everything, found a gift for everyone, is the house ready, or perhaps, can I make that long trip, what will the crowds be like this week? So many concerns can play across one’s mind.

For John the Baptist, sitting in prison, waiting for what he probably knows will be his fate, i.e. some form of execution, a huge doubt and fear arises, was/is Jesus the long awaited Messiah? What an awful terror to assail his mind. To ease his anxiety, he does the only thing he can do in his situation. He sends one of his followers to ask Jesus that burning question, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?”

John must have been agonizing over what the response might be, so it is somewhat astounding that Jesus does not answer John directly. We always turn to our Lord for “yes” or “no” answers, and we are often puzzled by His response, or what seems to us to be His lack of response. Sometimes we are even annoyed when we do not get perfect clarification, but Jesus always has a reason for the way He answers. He responses call us to be faithful and to ponder in our hearts His teachings and those of the prophets of old.

In response to John, Jesus turns the prophet's attention to what is for us today's first lesson. Here, in what is clearly the foretelling of a coming recompense from God, Isaiah reveals the joys that will be. The lame will leap, the deaf will hear, the blind will see, and those who cannot now speak will shout the praises of God. Obviously somewhat annoyed by John’s lack of faith, Jesus finishes by saying to John, “And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.” Not, in our “yes or no” way of thinking a perfect clarification, but for John it would have been enough.

It is Advent. It is a time when we can easily get tired of waiting, and become impatient, and aggravated. In fact, it doesn’t take Advent to stress us. We are people who always want clarity and clear sailing, and we push against those things that confine us and over which we have no control. But we are called to patience, and to calm centeredness, to deep faith in the one who told us to cast our burdens on Him. How is this done?

.

Our Pastoral Prayer this morning begins with the words “stir up”. Stirring may sound like a kitchen activity, but stirring up the ashes of a fireplace, to rekindle the spark therein, comes closer to what our Pastoral Prayer refers to this morning. Stir up the ashes, find the embers, and fan them into flames. Pray and look within! It is so simple, and yet, not often easy.

Advent is an excellent time to stir up the fire in our hearts and souls. Though we know that flames can burn, and that sometimes loving Jesus requires suffering, we are called, especially during Advent, to rekindle the fire of our baptism, of the Holy Spirit, as we await the coming of the Holy Child,

Today is Rejoice Sunday. Jesus' Mother sings:

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior; *

Let us join our hearts with hers and rejoice at the coming of our Lord, the coming of the Light of the World.

Let us pray:

God above, do good and avoid evil, be patient, is so easy to say, yet so hard to put into practice. Be with us in each and every moment of each and every day so that we remain blameless and worthy of your coming. Help us, Lord, not to dampen the joy of others. Remind us this week to rejoice always and to pray without ceasing. In Jesus Name, Amen.