The Third Sunday of Advent, 14 December 2014
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
Psalm 126 or Canticle 15
I Thessalonians
St. John 1:6-8, 19-28
Background: The Magnificat
In the Gospel
of Luke, at least in his Birth Narratives, characters often burst into song,
namely, Mary sings the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), Zechariah sings
the Benedictus (Luke 1:67-79), the angels sing
the Gloria in Excelsis (Luke 2:13-14), and finally,
Simeon sings the Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:28-32). Mary’s song is
sung at her visitation with the mother of John the Baptist, Elizabeth, which is
celebrated by the western church on 31 May. In many respect the song reflects
the Song of Hannah (I Samuel 2)
whose phraseology, themes, theology, and vocabulary are reflected in the Lucan
psalm as well. It presents an able summary of Luke’s concern for the poor, or
“the little ones” as he calls them. The psalm serves as a liturgical piece on
various occasions – as the Responsorial Psalm either on Advent III or IV in the
Revised Common Lectionary. The song is also sung at Evensong, or Vespers in the
Roman Catholic, Episcopal and Lutheran churches. In the Eastern Church it is
sung at Sunday Matins.
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11
The spirit of
the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the
LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me
to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the
brokenhearted,
to proclaim
liberty to the captives,
and release to
the prisoners;
to proclaim the
year of the LORD's favor,
and the day of
vengeance of our God;
to comfort all
who mourn;
to provide for
those who mourn in Zion—
to give them a
garland instead of ashes,
the oil of
gladness instead of mourning,
the mantle of
praise instead of a faint spirit.
They will be
called oaks of righteousness,
the planting of
the LORD, to display his glory.
They shall
build up the ancient ruins,
they shall
raise up the former devastations;
they shall
repair the ruined cities,
the
devastations of many generations.
For I the LORD
love justice,
I hate robbery
and wrongdoing;
I will
faithfully give them their recompense,
and I will make
an everlasting covenant with them.
Their
descendants shall be known among the nations,
and their
offspring among the peoples;
all who see
them shall acknowledge
that they are a
people whom the LORD has blessed.
I will greatly
rejoice in the LORD,
my whole being
shall exult in my God;
for he has
clothed me with the garments of salvation,
he has covered
me with the robe of righteousness,
as a bridegroom
decks himself with a garland,
and as a bride
adorns herself with her jewels.
For as the
earth brings forth its shoots,
and as a garden
causes what is sown in it to spring up,
so the Lord GOD
will cause righteousness and praise
to spring up
before all the nations.
In the midst of a general message of salvation that
encompasses chapters 60-62 in so-called Third Isaiah, this pericope stands out
in contrast to the surrounding material. One might think, given the language of
the opening verse, that this is a call to a particular individual, such as the
call to Isaiah (Isaiah 6) or
Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1). It has more in common with Second Isaiah
Suffering Servant (Isaiah 42:1-4,
or Isaiah 49:1-6). Like the
servant this person is anointed with the Spirit, and the mission is one of
gladness and telling good news. It clearly stands in the tradition of those who
have been anointed as “seers”, and in its words we can see reflections of
Micah, Elijah and Elisha, and others. The mission “to comfort mourners” is
unique to Third Isaiah, and unlike Second Isaiah, who looks forward to God’s
intervention in particular history and event, the Third Isaiah has a much more
hazy approach.
In the second pericope (verses 8-11) we see what God is
offering “instead of” (“garland instead
of ashes”, etc.) as seen in the first verses of the pericope. The themes
are more definite here, revolving around “justice”. It would be good for you to
read the intervening passages that the lectionary skips over (verses 5-7), in
order to see the specificity that this Isaiah describes:
Strangers shall stand ready to pasture your flocks,
foreigners shall be your farmers and vinedressers.
You yourselves shall be called “Priests of the LORD,”
“Ministers of our God” you shall be called.
You shall eat the wealth of the nations
and in their riches you will boast.
Because their shame was twofold*
and disgrace was proclaimed their portion,
They will possess twofold in their own land;
everlasting joy shall be theirs.
Shame is followed by
recompense and a renewal of the “everlasting covenant with you.” The former
devastations are reversed with images of the garden/earth bring up shoots,
which are the signs of salvation.
Interestingly, Claus Westermann[1],
excerpts verse 10, and places it after verse 11, giving it a responsorial
flavor – an ejaculation of praise for what God has done. His reasoning for this
placement flows from the examples in Second Isaiah, where similar hymns of
praise form a concluding statement after large pieces of material with a common
theme. There is a difference, however.
Second Isaiah’s hymns are sung by the community, while Third Isaiah’s
hymns are sung by an individual.
Breaking open Isaiah:
- Is God’s promise for your
future hazy? How?
- Do you have shame in your
life? How does God answer it?
- What might your hymn of
praise sound like?
Psalm 126 In convertendo
When the LORD
restored the fortunes of Zion, *
then were we
like those who dream.
Then was our
mouth filled with laughter, *
and our tongue
with shouts of joy.
Then they said
among the nations, *
"The LORD
has done great things for them."
The LORD has
done great things for us, *
and we are glad
indeed.
Restore our
fortunes, O LORD, *
like the
watercourses of the Negev.
Those who sowed
with tears *
will reap with
songs of joy.
Those who go
out weeping, carrying the seed, *
will come again
with joy, shouldering their sheaves.
This psalm functions in much the same way as Third
Isaiah’s Hymn of Praise (see verse 10 above).
The difference is that the voice of this sung is more than one; it is
the voice of the entire community. Its
metaphor is an agricultural one, in which the psalmist would have us understand
and take on the anticipations of the farmer.
Planting the seed, watering, hoeing, and finally harvesting, give us a
good picture of the anticipation of God’s graces to Israel. Notice the contrasting language –
sowing/tears, reaping/joy, go out/weeping, come again/joy. For those who think
of a life of faith as a steady stream of happiness and good fortune, this psalm
is a good reminder that God’s good fortunes for us come in the context of
difficult things, and yet we are called to dream.
Breaking open Psalm 126:
- What are your dreams?
- What have you sown in your
life?
- What do you hope to reap?
Or
Canticle 15
The Song of Mary Magnificat
Luke 1:46-55
My soul proclaims
the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit
rejoices in God my Savior; *
for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day
all generations will call me blessed: *
the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on
those who fear him *
in every generation.
He has shown
the strength of his arm, *
he has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast
down the mighty from their thrones, *
and has lifted up the lowly.
He has filled
the hungry with good things, *
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to
the help of his servant Israel, *
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he
made to our fathers, *
to Abraham and his children for ever.
Glory to the
Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: *
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen.
Like Hannah’s song (see I Samuel 2), Luke’s Magnificat is a collection of phrases
and themes from other sources. The reader may want to consult Psalm 111, especially verse
9 as well. It is also similar to Psalm 126 (above) in its picture of the
reversal of fortunes. Here God is seen as the One who does not take what the
world gives as given, but stands against it and its harsh truths and realities.
It is a theme that Luke rejoices in as he constantly pictures God’s
interventions into the lives of the lowly. Mary does not stand outside the song
as an observer, but as a significant contributor, “for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.” Mary not only
sings about the lowly and those that are servants, but also embodies that role
in what she has taken on, “be it unto me according to your will.” She is not
the only one who lives the life of this psalm – Abraham and Sarah are
remembered as well. Mary in her role as the theotokos
is the reality of the promise made to them.
Thus generations from Abraham on – into the future – can remember God’s
gracious promise.
Breaking open Canticle 15:
- How have you been a “lowly
servant”?
- In what way are you one of
“the proud”?
- Will other generations
call you blessed? Why?
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Rejoice always,
pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of
God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise the words
of prophets, but test everything; hold fast to what is good; abstain from every
form of evil.
May the God of
peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be
kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who
calls you is faithful, and he will do this.
Once again Paul advises Christians on the duties of “holy
waiting”. It is a formidable list of rejoicing, praying, giving thanks,
testing, abstaining, and testing everything. It was a fervent and fertile time.
The Gospel was being tested for its limits and its applicability as the people
of the new Israel waiting for the second coming. So Paul’s admonitions are a
good addition that brings responsibility and conscientiousness into the duties
of those who wait. The goal is simple, to be found “sound and blameless”. Paul describes Jesus as the faithful one,
and by implication makes the same requirement of his readers.
Breaking open I Thessalonians:
- What do you usually do
while you’re waiting for something?
- What is “holy waiting”?
- What are you waiting for
god to do in your life?
St. John 1:6-8,19-28
There was a man
sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify to the
light, so that all might believe through him. He himself was not the light, but
he came to testify to the light.
This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and
Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?" He confessed and
did not deny it, but confessed, "I am not the Messiah." And they
asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am
not." "Are you the prophet?" He answered, "No." Then
they said to him, "Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent
us. What do you say about yourself?" He said, "I am the voice of one
crying out in the wilderness, `Make straight the way of the Lord,'" as the
prophet Isaiah said. Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him,
"Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah,
nor the prophet?" John answered them, "I baptize with water. Among
you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not
worthy to untie the thong of his sandal." This took place in Bethany
across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
The great commentator on the Gospel of John, the Rev. Fr.
Raymond E. Brown, S.S.[2]
describes the Prologue of John with these words,
“An early Christian hymn, probably
stemming from Johannine circles, which has been adapted to serve as an overture
to the Gospel narrative of the career of the incarnate Word.”[3]
One wonders if these are also
not remembrances of the Baptist’s community as well who speculated about the
“career of the incarnate Word.” Our pericope comes from the prose end inserted
after the second strophe, and a pericope that follows the Prologue proper in
the introduction to the Book of Signs where the ministry of John and its
relationship to the ministry of Jesus is described. John’s introduction to the
Baptist seems to deflect the focus on John to a focus on Jesus, “He himself was not the light…” If the
Prologue has displayed for us a cosmic vision of the Word, the introduction of
John the Baptist quickly brings things into a focus. No long the cosmos, but
rather the world of humankind will be the stage upon which the Baptist speaks
his message, or, should I say, give his testimony.
The lectionary casts a quick
light on the ministry of the Baptist by cutting to these questions borne of the
Pharisees. It is a question of
authority. The prior piece from the
Prologue quickly dispenses with any question of authority as it describes the Baptist
as “a man sent from God.” The foes,
however, want to know more – “who are you?” they ask. The possibilities are
interesting: messiah? Elijah? or a prophet? Which will it be? John quickly
dispels there wondering. “None” is the sharp response, and like the John in the
Prologue the light and focus is shifted to “the
light.” All of this is meant as an introduction to the work and ministry of
Jesus, but one wonders if this is not also a comment to the contemporaries of
this Gospel who still wondered about and followed the message of the
Baptist. John the Evangelist is clear.
Jesus is the focus, and even the innovations of the Baptist will be followed by
a completely different ministry of the one who follows. Liturgically these
texts set up a sharp anticipation of the cradle, and the mother and child. Who
is it that the shepherds will worship, and the magi travel to see?
Breaking open the Gospel:
- What kind of authority do
you look for in those who would preach to you?
- How is John actually a
prophet?
- How is John different from Jesus?
After breaking open the Word, you might want to pray the
Collect for Sunday:
Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come
among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful
grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to
whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
Questions and
comments copyright © 2014, Michael T. Hiller
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