Third Sunday of Advent, 15 December 2024: Zephaniah 3:14-20; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18; Canticle 9
“Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!”! Thus Zephaniah calls us. Why should we rejoice? “The Lord has taken away the judgments against you”. Not only that, but he has turned away enemies. And he will deal with all our oppressors! He will “save the lame, and gather the outcast”. Those problems you were worrying about? They are over. And you haven’t had to do anything, but the Lord has taken care of you.
Phew! That’s good to hear, right? The Lord is going to fix everything! Paul continues the theme of rejoicing. “Rejoice in the Lord alway”. And you should show your gentleness to everyone. Do not worry: just pray. And then the familiar and comforting blessing, “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
John the Baptist, to some extent, rains on this happy parade. John has been preaching, we saw last week, a baptism of repentence. The crowds surround him, but he calls them a “brood of vipers”. Not exactly happy. He wants his listeners to “Bear fruits worthy of repentance”. This repentance thing is not one and done, it’s about how you live your life. And precisely what is that? It looks suspiciously like the great commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself. “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” The tax collectors should only collect what was owed, not extort money from anyone.
It is notable that John’s exhortations focus not on inward aspects of life, but outward ones. How do you live with others? If you have enough, do you share? Are you honest? Do you work to make others suffer, or do you live fairly? As we say in the confession, it is not only about what we do, but about what we do not do. John does not want you to just come to the revival meeting and leave feeling good about yourself. The fruits of repentance for John are actions. And they are not actions of judgment and punishment, but of generosity and healing.
So where does that leave all the rejoicing we heard about from Zephaniah and Paul? Where is joy in this? One way to think about it is that we often hear that people feel good when they do good. And it’s true. Even a small act of kindness can make you feel like you are the person you are meant to be. Or to think about it another way, when we repent, we acknowledge the ways we have separated ourselves from God and from each other, and we commit to changing. The fruits of repentance are connection both to God and to others. The healing that Zephaniah promises for the lame and the outcast are not some miraculous act, they are the result of our actions. Surely it is God who saves me, we say in today’s canticle. It is, and because of that we act in the world.
So repent! Reconnect with God and others in whatever ways you can. And, because it is God who saves you, you will rejoice in the Lord always.