Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Let your forbearance be known to all, for the Lord is near at hand; have no anxiety about anything, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. Lord, you have blessed your land; you have turned away the captivity of Jacob.
This theme of rejoicing is found throughout the texts for this Sunday.
I have really enjoyed the readings from Isaiah this season because of the new vision of the Kingdom of God that the prophet has helped us to see. It is a vision of rebirth and renewal and a hope for salvation. As theologian Noel Erskine explains, the vision of the prophet Isaiah is one where “the presence of God provides courage and strength for all who are timid and afraid of tomorrow”.
This week’s reading from Isaiah is full of the marks of salvation…a fully realized Kingdom of God: weak hands are made strong, feeble knees are made firm, the blind shall see, the deaf shall hear, the lame will walk, and the mute will sing for joy. In the Kingdom, even the deserted waste lands will blossom. And no one who is following the path of God—the Holy Way—will go astray. The fully realized Kingdom of God will include everyone and there will be rejoicing.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice.
In the Magnificat—Mary’s Song—we again get a vision of the fully realized Kingdom of God. There is justice and mercy, the hungry are full, the weak and oppressed are lifted up, and God’s promises of grace and love are fulfilled. As theologian Christian Scharen writes, “God’s will for good, for a life of shalom, of both well-doing and doing well, evokes praise, and in that praise arises hope.”
Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice.
The letter of James was written to the early Jewish-Christian community who had started to lose hope in the coming of the Messiah. They had been raised in the tradition of the prophets like Isaiah and the words of the psalmist with much anticipation of the Kingdom of God, and they had gotten a glimpse of this new realized vision in the life of Jesus, but time had gone by and he had not returned. James is writing to remind them not to lose hope, but as beloved ones, to be patient and strong of heart. The Lord is coming!
Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice.
The gospel of Matthew also presents us with a preview of the Kingdom of God. The imprisoned John sends his disciples to ask Jesus “are you ‘the one’”. Is Jesus the long awaited Messiah? Is Jesus the one that John has been preparing the way for? And Jesus’ response is almost word-for-word a reflection of Isaiah and the song attributed to his Mother: “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them” (11:5). Jesus is the one---the one who calls to us, who leads us, who heals us, and who loves us. In Jesus, the redemptive reversals prophesized by Isaiah and Mary, are dramatic and complete; there is wholeness and transformation.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice.
In the season of Advent we stand between the reality of brokenness and the anticipation of something holy and wonderful. We are much like the recipients of the letter of James…we are waiting patiently for the coming of the Messiah in the midst of our complicated, messy, fragile lives. Yet, like the traditional Latin Gaudete (Gow-day-tay) hymn says “have no anxiety about anything”…we are called to be strong in heart, remember
that we are beloved, and wait. The Holy Way has been made clear for us and obstacles will be removed. In this in-between time, our community will continue to actively wait, watch and prepare as we serve others as Christ’s hands and feet in the world.
Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice.