Blessed are you, O Lord God, ruler of the universe. You call all nations to walk in your light and to seek your ways of justice and peace; for the night is past, and the dawn of your coming is near. Bless us, Lord, with your light, and make us ready to greet your Lord when he comes, and to welcome him into our hearts, for he is our light and our salvation. (BCP)
You know what time it is, now it is high time to wake out of sleep, for salvation is nearer to us than when we became believers; the night is far gone, and the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us live honorable as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires. Romans 13
“There is a voice in the wilderness crying, a call from the ways untrod, prepare in the desert a highway, a highway for our God. The valleys shall be exalted, the lofty hills brought low, make straight all the crooked places, where the Lord our God may go.”
My brothers and sisters in Christ, we are living in trying times, we are parched like the desert and longing for spring rains, but in these times, we must learn to listen to the voice crying in the wilderness, we must seek to draw closer to God who alone is able to turn our parched places into pools of water, he is the only one who is able to send us the early and latter rains and to make all of our crooked places straight. There is a voice in the wilderness crying, urging us to prepare to meet our God. Do not ignore the message because of the messenger.
“Oh, little town of Bethlehem, how still we see thee lie, above thy deep and dreamless sleep the silent stars go by, yet in thy dark streets shineth, the everlasting light, the hopes, and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight. For Christ is born of Mary, and gathered all above, while mortals sleep the angels keep their watch of wondering love. Oh, morning stars together, proclaim thy holy birth, and praises sing to God the king, and peace to men on earth.”
Lord, teach us as we diligently keep watch for the Virgin birth, to spread hope, peace, joy, and love to one and all. As we adorn our homes with Christmas lights for all to see, so too let us allow the light of Christ to shine forth from within us so that it may illumine others for the glory of God.
“O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here, until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, shall come to you, O Israel.” Come Lord Jesus!
“O come, O come, great Lord of might, who to your tribes on Sinai’s height in ancient times did give the law, in cloud and majesty and awe. O come, O Branch of Jesse’s stem, unto your own and rescue them! From depths of hell your people save and give them victory o’er the grave. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel, shall come to you, O Israel.”
“Lo, he comes with clouds descending once for all when thou was slain, thousand, thousand saints attending swell the triumph of his train, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia, Christ the Lord returns to reign.”
“Yea, Amen! let all adore thee, high on thine eternal throne; Savior, take the power and glory, claim the kingdom for thine own. O come quickly! O come quickly! O come quickly!Alleluia! Come, Lord, come!”
“Redeemer of the nations come, reveal yourself in virgin birth, the birth which ages all adore, a wondrous birth befitting a king. We wait expectantly for your coming, come Thou Lord Jesus.”
“Jesus, your cradle shines with glory’s light, its splendor pierces all our gloom, our faith reflects those radiant beams, no night shall overcome it now.” Thank you, Jesus! May you give us more grace to cast away the works of darkness and to walk in your marvelous light.
“Prepare the way of the Lord!” John the Baptist was the messenger sent by God to prepare the way for us to meet him. Give God the glory!
“On Jordan’s bank the Baptist’s cry, announces that the Lord is nigh. Awake and harken, for he brings, glad tidings of the King of kings! Then cleansed be every life from sin, make straight the way for God within, and let us all our hearts prepare where such a mighty guest may come. Stretch forth your hand, our health restore, and make us rise to fall no more. O let your face upon us shine and fill the world with love divine. All praise to you, eternal Son, whose Advent has our freedom won, whom with the Father we adore, and Holy Spirit, evermore!”
Whatever God predestines comes to pass in his own time. All of Judea was amazed at the birth of John the Baptist and were shaken, and kept asking, “What kind of child is this, that the hand of God is with him? Zacharias then filled with the Holy Spirit prophesied to them regarding John the Baptist, the forerunner of our Lord.
Zacharias said, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a mighty salvation for us, in the house of his servant David. And you child shall be called the prophet of the highest, for he shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation unto his people for the remission of their sins, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to his Holy Spirit as it was, in the beginning, is now and shall be forevermore.”
“After Zacharias confirmed the name of his son to be John, immediately his mouth was opened after nine months, and his tongue was loosened, and he began praising God.”
Fear came upon all who witnessed what had happened to Zacharias and Elizabeth, and the word traveled throughout the hill country of Judea, and all those who hear kept the words in their hearts saying, “What kind of child is this that the hand of God is with him?”
Today is the third Sunday of Advent and we are lighting the candle of joy, also called the Shepherd’s candle.
A candle is burning, a candle of joy, a candle to welcome brave Mary’s new boy, our hearts filled with wonder, and eyes light and glow, as joy brightens winter like sunshine on snow.