If you pay any attention to my very chic clergy vestments, then you may have noticed that during these Sundays in Advent, I have been wearing this gorgeous blue stole.  Now, you may be asking -- why blue?; why not purple – or even pink – to go with the candles on the Advent wreath?  I know you’re just dying to have some insight into clergy fashion – which is NOT, by the way, an oxymoron – so allow me give you a little historical background…. 

 

Long before shopping malls and the materialistic emphasis on buying and getting, Advent was a solemn fast in preparation for Christmas, a somber time of quiet introspection to think upon the coming of God into the world.  The traditional color of Advent was purple, representing penitence and fasting, which reflected this somber emphasis. 

 

To provide a little relief during this solemn time, the disciplines of penitence and denial were relaxed a little at the midpoint of Advent, giving way to a joy-filled celebration on the third Sunday – a kind of “half-time break.”  In some traditions, this is called Gaudete Sunday, from the Latin word for "rejoice.”  During the Middle Ages, it was known as “Rose Sunday” because it was the day on which the pope would give pink roses to people he especially esteemed and, as a result, pink became the color for this Third Sunday in Advent. 

 

In recent times, however, the emphasis of Advent has moved away from penitence and more toward hope, anticipation, and celebration of the season.  This shift is reflected in the change from purple to royal blue, a color which symbolizes the King of kings whom we await, as well as the night sky, in which the star of Bethlehem shines to announce the birth of the babe in the manger.

 

You will notice, however, that we still light traditional purple rather than more modern blue candles on our Advent wreath.  By the way, the Advent wreath is a Lutheran custom originating in Germany.  It is kind of odd to think that a Congregational church would put a pink candle in a Lutheran Advent wreath because of the pope – but I guess we are truly an ecumenical church!

 

You will notice also that this year, our four candles are representing the prophets, angels, shepherds, and magi rather than the traditional hope, peace, joy and love.  The Deacons thought this would be a nice change of pace, something a little different for this year.

 

But we still use purple candles, and we still light a pink candle on this, the third Sunday of Advent, and we still consider this the Sunday of Joy.  It reminds us that in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of this season, all the preparations and expectations, all the sorrows and worries of our lives, it is a time to remember the true meaning of this holy season, and to rejoice that the Lord is coming!

 

There is a clear theme of joy and rejoicing throughout our Scripture lessons this morning.  The Prophet Zephaniah exhorts:  " Rejoice and exult with all your heart,.. The king of Israel, the LORD… your God is in your midst… he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love..." 

 

In our epistle lesson, St. Paul tells the Philippians to “Rejoice in the Lord always” because “the Lord is near.” 

 

And John the Baptist tells us what this rejoicing is all about:  "..he who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie…” 

 

And so, what is the joy that we are to celebrate this Third Sunday in Advent?  First, joy is not to be confused with happiness.  The word “happiness” comes from the Middle English word for luck or chance – as in haphazard, happenstance, and hapless.  Happiness comes from earthly, external things.  Advertisers want us to think we can fill the yearning in our hearts with a fancier car or a bigger house or the latest hi-tech gizmo.  But the good feeling we get from them is fleeting, for it is not grounded in the eternal, and things won’t fill the God-shaped hole in our hearts.

 

True joy comes from God, and from being in right relationship with God, who plants it deep within our innermost beings. 

 

Paul calls us to joy with his words, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice.”

 

But his words seem impossibly optimistic for the realities of our lives in the 21^st century – war, terrorism, bombings, abuse, addiction, cancer, violence, broken relationships, foreclosures, too much work, no work… Paul wants to make it sound so easy. 

 

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice.”  Impossibly optimistic, we might say, until we learn that Paul wrote these words from a prison cell.  This former persecutor of Christians ended up being persecuted himself for his Christian beliefs.  While in jail awaiting trial and a possible death sentence, he wrote a letter of encouragement to the church he had established in the city of Philippi.  In the midst of his adversity, he writes to his fellow Christians, “Have no anxiety about anything, but... with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God which passes all human understanding will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” 

 

Philippians is called the “epistle of joy,” for despite being stripped, beaten and flogged for his faith, despite being locked up in a lonely prison cell, despite facing possible death, Paul finds reason to celebrate everywhere he turns, and he infuses his short letter with joy – the joy that God in Christ has given him.

 

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice.”  Paul doesn’t tell us to rejoice for all circumstances but rather in all circumstances.  We are not to rejoice for death or pain or divorce or cancer.  But to “rejoice in the Lord” means to rejoice for being in relationship with God.  We can rejoice that we belong to God, that we have the assurance of God’s companionship in time of trial, and that we can have hope in eternal life – which is the healing, transformation, and resurrection we can each experience in our lives through the abiding presence and love of the living Christ, who walks with us and guides us through the valley of the shadows to healing, wholeness, and joy on the other side. 

 

And this is supposed to be the season of joy.  I say “supposed to,” because this time of year has the highest incidence of depression, and we know that for many people, this holiday season is laced with pain.  Some may be facing Christmas alone, or with heavy hearts burdened by grief, loss, uncertainty or disillusionment.  You may be dealing with financial problems, or an estrangement, or an addiction, or memories of happier times.  You or someone you love may be struggling with a grim diagnosis, or a deterioration in health.  Certainly members of this congregation and the whole community feel the loss of two beloved members of our church family, Harold Curtis and Bud McMann, and we keep their families in our prayers this season. 

 

If circumstances are making it difficult for you or someone you care about to get into a joyous spirit, we invite you to our “Blue Christmas” service this coming Thursday, December 21, beginning at 7:00 pm.  On that longest night of the year, we will offer a special time to be together, to receive Christ’s words that speak to us in the midst of our sorrow, and to remember that Jesus came to bring hope and comfort to the sorrowful and grieving, and to restore the broken and broken-hearted to wholeness.

 

Listen again to the words of Paul, translated by Eugene Peterson in his contemporary language version of the Bible entitled The Message:

 

“Celebrate God all day, every day.  I mean, revel in him!… Don’t fret or worry.  Instead of worrying, pray.  Let petitions and praises shape your worries into prayers, letting God know your concerns.  Before you know it, a sense of God’s wholeness, everything coming together for good, will come and settle you down.  It’s wonderful what happens when Christ displaces worry at the center of your life.”

 

In one short week, the angel will again appear in the Christmas sky to announce to the shepherds, and to each of us, “Do not be afraid; for see — I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: ¹¹to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”

 

Christ – he is why we celebrate this season; he is why we can be sure we’ll never be alone; he is why we can have joy, even in the midst of sorrow. 

 

The Lord is near.  That is the promise.  And that is why we can rejoice.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  Amen.

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