God’s message for the third Sunday in Advent is one of tenderness and comfort. God the Lord is coming to save us! Though He is mighty, He speaks tenderly and carries His lambs close to His heart. Though we are like grass, and our faithfulness like the flowers of the field, God’s Word endures forever. Thank God, we do not rely on our own strength, we rely only on His.
As we wait for God’s salvation in this Advent season, God sends His messenger to prepare the way – John the Baptist. And what does John say to do to prepare for Messiah’s coming? Repent. Only when we realize we are sinful and desperately in need of forgiveness do we realize the incomparable goodness of Christ’s message of grace and forgiveness. We do not need to fear the day when God will bring to light the motives of our hearts – for He will see us washed clean in the blood of the Lamb, our Good Shepherd.
The Old Testament lesson is from the book of Isaiah, chapter 40, verses 1-11:
Comfort, comfort my people,
says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
double for all her sins.
A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare
the way for the Lord;
make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be raised up,
every mountain and hill made low;
the rough ground shall become level,
the rugged places a plain.
And the glory of the Lord will be revealed,
and all people will see it together.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry?”
“All people are like grass,
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the Lord blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever.”
You who bring good news to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.
The Epistle lesson is from 1 Corinthians, chapter 4, verses 1-5:
This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful. I care very little if I am judged by you or by any human court; indeed, I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear, but that does not make me innocent. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.
The Gospel for the third Sunday in Advent is from Matthew, chapter 11, verses 2-11:
When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.”
As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swayed by the wind? If not, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? No, those who wear fine clothes are in kings’ palaces. Then what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written:
“‘I will send my messenger ahead of you,
who will prepare your way before you.’
Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Good Shepherd, by Bernhard Plockhorst [Public domain]
[…] Pastor Hopkins preached this sermon on the Third Sunday of Advent, 12/15/2019. The text for the sermon was the day’s gospel lesson. To read the Bible texts for the Third Sunday of Advent, click here. […]