Advent 3 – 11 December 2016

 

Isaiah 35.1-10

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
   the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly,
   and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
   the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
   the majesty of our God. 

Strengthen the weak hands,
   and make firm the feeble knees. 
Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
   ‘Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
   He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
   He will come and save you.’ 

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
   and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 
then the lame shall leap like a deer,
   and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
   and streams in the desert; 
the burning sand shall become a pool,
   and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,
   the grass shall become reeds and rushes. 

A highway shall be there,
   and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not travel on it,
   but it shall be for God’s people;
   no traveller, not even fools, shall go astray. 
No lion shall be there,
   nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
   but the redeemed shall walk there. 
And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
   and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
   they shall obtain joy and gladness,
   and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 

 

Psalm 146

¹ Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul! 

² I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God all my life long. 

³ Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help. 

⁴ When their breath departs, they return to the earth;
on that very day their plans perish. 

⁵ Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God, 

⁶ who made heaven and earth,
the sea, and all that is in them;
who keeps faith for ever;
 
⁷ who executes justice for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free; 

⁸ the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous. 

⁹ The Lord watches over the strangers;
he upholds the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. 

¹⁰ The Lord will reign for ever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord!

 

James 5.7-10

Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. Beloved, do not grumble against one another, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors! As an example of suffering and patience, beloved, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

 

HYMN: There’s a voice in the wilderness, crying

Tune: Ascension Composer: H H Bancroft 1904-1988
Sung by the Schola Cantorum of St Peter’s in the Loop, USA

1. There’s 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! 2. O Zion, that bringest good tidings, Get thee up to the heights and sing! Proclaim to a desolate people The coming of their king. Like the flowers of the field they perish, The works of men decay, The power and pomp of nations Shall pass like a dream away.

3. But the word of our God endureth, The arm of the Lord is strong; He stands in the midst of nations, And He will right the wrong. He shall feed His flock like a shepherd, And fold the lambs to His breast; In pastures of peace He’ll lead them, And give to the weary rest. 4. There’s 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! Words: James Milligan 1876-1961.

 

Matthew 11.2-11

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Go and tell John what you hear and see: 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. And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.’

As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: ‘What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? Someone dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then 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,

“See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you,
   who will prepare your way before you.” 

Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

 

Reflection for the Third Sunday of Advent

Many live in a parched land, waiting for the rains to come when the wilderness will blossom once more, when life and joy returns. Like Isaiah, let us strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way and say to those with fearful hearts ‘do not fear.’ Let us look forward to the day when the ransomed of the LORD will return with everlasting joy. May our songs ring with authenticity and be an encouragement to those who need a helping hand or have lost their way, or just need someone to listen. 

• Pray that we might be patient and not grumble or complain against each other for the Lord’s coming is near.
• Give thanks for the work of USPG (based in the UK and Ireland) who have worked since 1701 to help others around the world to ‘take hold of the life that is truly life’ (1 Timothy 6.19).

Written by Dr Michael Sutton, Catechist, St Paul’s Anglican Church Burwood. © Anglican Board of Mission, 2016

 

ANTHEM: The Wilderness

Composer: Samuel Sebastian Wesley 1810-1876
Sung by the Choir of St Alban’s Cathedral

The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; And the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: The glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, They shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God. Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not: Behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompense; he will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there; And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. Amen.

Words: Isaiah 35.1-6, 8-10 AV

 

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