On this Third Sunday of Advent, we celebrate the gift of joy. While the themes of the various Sundays of Advent are somewhat flexible, with hope and peace in particular floating around the season, the Third Sunday of Advent has long been a celebration of joy. This is reflected in the readings appointed for the day and in the traditional opening words of worship for this day.
Today our reading comes from 1 Thessalonians 5 (see 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24) as we consider the why we have joy and how we can offer joy to others.
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In the Catholic tradition, the mass on this Sunday opens with the words, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice.” In Latin, the opening words are “Gaudete in Domino semper,” leading to the name Gaudete Sunday which some of you may have heard before.
As the season of Advent developed in the history of the Church, it sometimes takes the form of a little Lent. During the season we celebrate before Easter, our focus is on penitence and a recognition of our own shortcomings. As Advent developed, there was a similar feel of penitence as we prepare for the coming of the Lord. The season had something of a somber tone overall.
This Third Sunday serves as a small break from that. It is a Sunday for rejoicing, for remembering all that we have been given and giving thanks. It is a Sunday to step out of the sorrow and guilt that can overwhelm us in seasons of penitence and celebrate what is good in our lives and our world.
Some traditions even step out of the typical colors of the season to instill a more joyful color. In some Catholic and Anglican churches, the color for today is Rose, rather than the purple or blue we are more familiar with. This is why we light the pink candle on this Sunday. It is a reminder of the joy we have in all we have been given, our joy at the gift we anticipate in Jesus.
And so it is fitting that we hear these words from Paul today. Returning to the First Letter to the Thessalonians that we read some from earlier this fall, Paul is closing out his letter with a few key reminders for the congregation. He wants to leave us with a few short reminders of all that he has said. This closing begins, “Rejoice always. Pray continuously. Give thanks in every situation…” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, CEB).
As Christians, Paul reminds us that one of the first things we are expected to do is to rejoice. We rejoice for the gifts of God. We rejoice for the gift of Jesus. We rejoice for the work of the Spirit in our lives. We rejoice for our salvation. We rejoice, and we give thanks.
During this time of year, it is often easy for us to find joy. For many of us, there is the joy of time spent with family and other loved ones. We know the joy of music, of food, of revelry. Even for many who do not believe as we do, there is a festive air to the world at this time of year that brings joy to many. At a time of year where darkness is growing here in the Northern half of the world, this season of lights and warmth brings a certain sense of comfort.
For those of us participating in the traditions of the season, we know the joy of opening gifts from loved ones. And many of us know the joy of surprising others with gifts that are given out of love.
While this year is obviously different, there is still room for many of these joys. Though it is not what most of us prefer, things like Zoom, Google Meet, and Facetime make it possible to spend time with others even if we can’t be in the same room. These forms of technology make it possible to share the opening of gifts and the singing of Christmas songs, even when you can’t be together.
At my house, we have holiday music on constantly either on the radio, the CD player, or a music app on our phones. We look forward to opening gifts and to surprising loved ones with thoughtful gifts of our own.
Each of these small acts of joy point us to the larger joy we have in the love of God shown to us in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. In just a few short days, we celebrate the birth of Jesus, the in-breaking of God into this world. God wanted so much to be in relationship with us and to show us a better way to be in relationship with one another, that God came into the world as Jesus. That is truly cause for joy.
And so we rejoice always. We pray continuously, offering our joys and our needs, the celebrations and the hurts of our community to God. We give thanks for all that God has done, is doing, and will do.
But we don’t stop there. We rejoice as well that God is still not content to simply give up on us. Throughout history, God has been in relationship with humanity. Through the Hebrew Scriptures, our Old Testament, we see the stories of God’s relationship with God’s people. Through the stories of Jesus and his followers, we see God’s continuing relationship with God’s people. But Jesus told us that was not the end of God’s relationship with us. As Paul reminds us, the Spirit continues to move among us, prompting us and nudging us. God has not given up on us, no matter how many reasons we may provide for it.
The Spirit continues to speak to us if we take the time to listen. As we discussed hope last week, a large part of finding hope is finding ways to listen to God. Some of us listen through the stories of Scripture. Some of us listen to God’s voice echoing through creation. Some of us listen in times of silent prayer. There are numerous ways to listen to the Spirit of God continuing to speak to us today. The very fact that God continues to reach out to us is an argument for us to rejoice.
In fact, our reading today closes with the reminder that God is faithful. “The one who is calling you is faithful…” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, CEB). Beyond the history of God’s relationship with humanity, most of us can easily point to the times and places in our lives when we have been aware of God’s faithfulness. We have experienced answered prayers, even, perhaps especially, the times when a prayer was answered in an unexpected way. We have felt the assurance of God’s grace in our own lives. We have seen the gifts that God has provided. We can trust and rejoice in God’s faithfulness.
Perhaps this gives us a hint at how we can offer joy to others as well. We can model God’s faithfulness to others in the ways in which we are faithful. We can model God’s grace to others in the times we offer grace. We can allow others to rejoice in God’s relationship by giving them opportunities to grow into that relationship themselves.
As we consider this Sunday of joy and the joy we have in the gift of Jesus this season, what brings you joy? Perhaps there are things about this time of year that bring you joy. Or perhaps there are other times and activities when you are more apt to rejoice. But I want you to really consider what it is that causes you to rejoice.
In a year when many of us will not be able to celebrate as usual, what are ways you can still celebrate with joy?
As we look at the world around us, a world seeking an excuse to rejoice, what are ways we can safely share our joy with others?
What gift can we bring? What present, what token? What words can convey it -- the joy of this day? When grateful we come, remembering, rejoicing…
We rejoice for the gift of grace that we have been given. And we celebrate that gift when we offer grace to others.