A Rose Sunday by Any Name!
Advent 3C
Philippians 4:4-7, Luke 3:7-18
December 15, 2018
St. Matthias
This morning we light the 3rd candle on the Advent Wreath. Now just in case, you were thinking that this is a pink candle, let me tell you that it is – in fact – officially Rose colored. And if we had a whole lot of extra money with no other needs in our world to meet, we could actually go out and buy Rose Colored vestments and altar hangings for use on this 3rd Sunday of Advent. This is Gaudete Sunday and we have reached the midway point of Advent. The word Gaudete is Latin and when we translate it into English then we literally celebrate today as Rejoice Sunday. As early as the 5th century, the Church has observed Advent as a time of preparation for the Feast of the Nativity on Christmas Eve. Originally, Advent - like Lent lasted for 40 days and began in mid-November. As early as the 7th century, the Advent Carol Gaudete was sung in Anglican Churches calling Christians to Rejoice - for the birth of the Christ Child was near. And this same call is found in our scripture lessons this morning.
Paul says in our reading from Philippians – “Rejoice in the Lord Always, Again I will say Rejoice.” We also hear that verse quite familiar to us all – “And the Peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.” Now it is important to understand what is going on in the city of Philippi when Paul is writing to the early Christians. This is a Roman city and reference to the Lord meant Caesar and celebration was what happened on Caesar’s birthday and many other imperial festivals. The common greeting on these days was Gaudete Caesar! Philippi, along with many other cities in Greece and Turkey under Roman rule, relied heavily on the Pax Romana – the Peace of Rome which was maintained by the Roman legions and was anything but peaceful. Yet here comes Paul proclaiming a Peace which passes all understanding. In the true King, Jesus the Christ, God has won the victory far greater than any Roman conquest. So now all Christians can proclaim Gaudete – Rejoice - Rejoice in the Lord always.
And so we sing the carols of Advent and Christmas and hear the story of Christ’s birth in Bethlehem. It is easy to rejoice in this season for the signs and symbols of Christmas are all around us. With each worship service – we feel the day of Christmas growing closer and even with all the going and coming – we can still feel the Spirit of the Season. So how have you rejoiced?
I think the Gospel of Luke gives us some pretty good holiday suggestions. Now I will readily admit I’m not sure why the lectionary thinks of this Gospel lesson as somehow appropriate for our preparation for Christmas. To start off with “You brood of Vipers!” is not what I would call exactly festive. But John the Baptist tells the crowds – share a warm coat with someone who has none – feed the hungry – treat everyone with respect – proclaim the Good News. Think about it – is there any better way to prepare for Christmas – any better way to rejoice?
Back to the Advent Wreath – the practice of lighting candles to mark the passage of time to a particularly important date goes back to before the Middle Ages. There is historical evidence of an advent wreath as early as the 1500s. And you will remember that on 1st Sunday of Advent, I shared that the modern-day Advent Wreath first appeared in Germany in the 1800s. A young Lutheran pastor founded an orphanage and school for unwanted children in Hamburg and created the Advent Wreath to help the young students count down the days to Christmas. Originally there were 20 small red candles for each weekday and 4 large white candles for each Sunday before Christmas. The people of Hamburg heard about the orphanage, the wreath, and these forgotten children, and soon began lighting candles on a wreath in their own homes. They would bring food and clothes to the children at the orphanage each week leading up to the Feast of the Nativity. German immigrants brought the Advent Wreath and the tradition of helping others at this time of year to the United States in the 1930s.
Today we gather as a parish family to REJOICE – to break the bread of life and share the common cup. We REJOICE that God has called us together as the Church of St. Matthias. Let us Rejoice that we have a mission and ministry to our neighbors where the hungry are fed and people find the peace that passes all understanding. We are not just a social club or a gathering of people who have nowhere else to go. We are the Church and God has called us together and our mission is to worship the child who will be born again in Bethlehem and in you and me. When we worship – let us worship in the Holy Spirit who gives us the power to serve others. When we gather as a parish, let us do so because God loves us and calls us to share that love in this part of the Kingdom of God now and for many years to come. Let us REJOICE for Christ is coming. It is Advent. Gaudete, Gaudete – Rejoice for the Lord is near. AMEN.
Comments
Post a Comment