Third Sunday of Advent

Joy

 

 

7John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 9Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

10And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" 11In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." 12Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" 13He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." 14Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."

15As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

18So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

Luke 3:7-18

 

Payment of the Tithes, or, The Tax-Collector

(also known as Village Lawyer)

Workshop of Pieter BRUEGEL the Younger

1617-1622

USC Fisher Museum of Art

Los Angeles

California

 

There are numerous versions of this painting by Pieter Brughal and his workshop.

USC Fisher Museum of Art, payment of the tithes, bruegel

 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pieter_Brueghel_the_Younger,_%27Paying_the_Tax_(The_Tax_Collector)%27_oil_on_panel,_1620-1640._USC_Fisher_Museum_of_Art.jpg

 

https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/diglib-fulldisplay.pl?SID=20211211630359874&code=act&RC=55413&Row=7

 

 

 

 

Joy is the feeling

of grinning inside.

~ Melba Colgrove

 

 

 

Joy does not simply happen to us.

We have to choose joy

and keep choosing it every day.

~ Henri Nouwen

 

 





You cannot get through a single day

without having an impact on the world around you.

What you do makes a difference,

and you have to decide what kind

of difference you want to make.

~ Jane Goodall

 

 

 

 

 

Christmas Joy

 

 

Elf!

Arvada Center for the Arts

December 5, 2021

Lynn and Jim Gilbert and I enjoyed the Arvada Center’s

production of Elf!

 

 

Roger Fertig, Rita Carver, and Linda Lovin checked in people

for our Annual Holiday Party at Hiwan Country Club.

 

 

Randy Sackerson, Bob Bradley, and Bill Manning …

three of my favorites!

 

 

Party organizers Gail Sharp and Brenda Belrose with Marsha Manning 

 

 

Sondra Kellogg, Marilee Ross, Karla Byrd and I

enjoyed a delightful and delicious lunch at Sondra’s on Friday.

 

 

 

 

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as, the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders, of His love.

by Isaac Watts
melody composed by Lowell Mason*

 

 

 

 

 

 

December 12, 2021 - Third Sunday of Advent - Year C

 

Previous OPQs may be found at:

     http://www.dotjack.com/opq.htm

 

 

*  Quite a few years after Isaac Watts death, the words of the hymn were put to music through the efforts of Lowell Mason. Dr. Mason did not write the music himself but improvised from another hymn called the Messiah by Frederick Handel. He had a great music career and composed more than 1600 devout works.

 

Agnus Day, by James Wetzstein

Luke03v07to18_2012.jpg

Agnus Day appears with the permission of www.agnusday.org

 

 

 

The Joy You Give
~ John Greenleaf Whittier

 

Somehow, not only for Christmas

But all the long year through,

The joy that you give to others

Is the joy that comes back to you.

And the more you spend in blessing

The poor and lonely and sad,

The more of your heart’s possessing

Returns to you glad.

 

 

 

Holidays Happy Holidays GIF - Holidays Happy Holidays Cats - Discover & Share GIFs

 

 

 

 

 

Zephaniah 3:14-20

Isaiah 12:2-6

Philippians 4:4-7

Luke 3:7-18

 

Summary

The crowds wondering whether John could be the Christ is understandable. The events of John’s life mimic the Lord’s: he comes from a miraculous birth, leads a popular movement encouraging repentance, preaches to the crowds, excoriates the religious leaders, and dies at the hands of the rulers. There is a very specific reason for the similitude. The Old Testament prophets were often commanded by God to do symbolic actions to amplify their verbal message (cf. Ezek. 4, 24). John’s very life is a “speech-act” that heralds Jesus’ life and ministry, proving the continuity between the old covenants and the new. Christians too should expect their lives to become such “speech acts” mimicking Christ’s. This is not a matter of life or career planning. John certainly didn’t plan his own trajectory, but his life nevertheless took on Christ’s shape because he was fully open to God’s molding his habits, life, and path. We too should open ourselves, day by day and moment by moment, to the Spirit’s influence. If we practice this simple way, we will find at the end of our lives that we have imitated Christ and heralded him to the people around us.

https://www.preachingtoday.com/lectionary/

 

 

First Reading Zephaniah 3:14-20

14Sing aloud, O daughter Zion;

shout, O Israel!

Rejoice and exult with all your heart,

O daughter Jerusalem!

15The LORD has taken away the judgments against you,

he has turned away your enemies.

The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;

you shall fear disaster no more.

16On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:

Do not fear, O Zion;

do not let your hands grow weak.

17The LORD, your God, is in your midst, 

a warrior who gives victory;

he will rejoice over you with gladness,

he will renew you in his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing

18as on a day of festival.

I will remove disaster from you,

so that you will not bear reproach for it.

19I will deal with all your oppressors at that time.

And I will save the lame

and gather the outcast,

and I will change their shame into praise

and renown in all the earth.

20At that time I will bring you home,

at the time when I gather you;

for I will make you renowned and praised

among all the peoples of the earth,

when I restore your fortunes

before your eyes, says the LORD.

Canticle Isaiah 12:2-6

2Surely God is my salvation;

I will trust, and will not be afraid,

for the LORD GOD is my strength and my might;

he has become my salvation.



3With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. 4And you will say in that day:

Give thanks to the LORD,

call on his name;

make known his deeds among the nations;

proclaim that his name isexalted.



5Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously;

let this be known in all the earth.

6Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion,

for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

Second Reading Philippians 4:4-7

4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. 5Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Gospel Luke 3:7-18

7John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. 9Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

10And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" 11In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." 12Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" 13He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." 14Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages."

15As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

18So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.