Homily

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Zephaniah 3:14-18; Philippians 4:4-7; St. Luke 3:10-18

Today is the Third Sunday in Advent which is sometimes called ‘Gaudete Sunday’: the word ‘gaudete’ means ‘rejoice!’. Advent is a penitential period, it’s a time of solemnity, of preparing and watching and waiting - but this Sunday we’re allowed to be a bit more joyful, to rejoice - hence the rose pink vestments which are meant to symbolise this sense of joy, and the pink candle on the Advent wreath.

And we see that theme of joy and rejoicing in our first two readings: in the prophet Zephaniah “Shout for joy, daughter of Zion, Israel, shout aloud! Rejoice, exult with all your heart…” and again in the second reading, as St Paul writes to the Philippians: “I want you to be happy, always happy in the Lord; I repeat, what I want is your happiness”. Themes of joy and rejoicing.

When did you last rejoice? When did you last feel joy? And what or who was it that made you feel joyful?

Perhaps when we think of joy we think of great feelings of elation; perhaps when we think of joy we have images of big cheesy smiles, images of partying or celebration.

But whilst these things can be true, I’d perhaps suggest that Christian joy can be more subtle. Christian joy may well involve shouting and praising and singing, but it need not be - Christian joy can be a deep, settled, and quiet joy. No less of a joy than the joy that leads to smiling and celebration, but

maybe Christian joy can be quiet and more settled.

I would suggest that not just on this Sunday, but on all Sundays and on all days of the year, Christian joy should perhaps be our basic emotion as Christians, something which comes to the surface through our living with Christ, staying close to Him, and knowing Him. We may have had painful

experiences in life, we may be going through painful experiences in life, and we may carry significant burdens -

perhaps trying to move to a place where we can see all things in our lives as things which have been touched by God, and are seen by God, and have their own meaning, even if we don’t know it or understand it, can help us to maintain an inner peace, and a quiet and settled Christian joy -

rejoicing and being joyful in the promises which God has made to us, having that deep but settled joy, knowing that we are known and loved by God. And being joyful due to being expectant for what God has promised, being joyful because of what we believe is coming into the world, and what God is doing.

And Advent is also a time of expectation, a time of waiting in hope for a joy which is to come.

Our Gospel today perhaps at first glance has less of the theme of joy and rejoicing in it compared to our first two readings, but still there’s the sense of expectation, of waiting for something, for the joy of the coming of the Christ. In our Gospel John reveals that the secret to Christian joy is in our wholehearted commitment to God’s way by doing His will. John’s call to repentance and change is a call to joy, and restoration.

We see that people are coming to John and asking him, “what must we do?”. We see John giving them advice about sharing food and clothes with people who have little; he tells tax collectors not to take more than they’re due, and soldiers not to intimidate and extort - different advice for different groups of people.

Preparing the way for the coming Messiah is not simply about being a Jew, belonging to the Jewish nation; but preparing the way for the coming Messiah came through repentance, a change of heart, a change of direction, changing one’s lifestyle. And so John gives a few practical examples of how

people can do this - sharing food and clothes, not taking more pay than they should, not intimidating. These are perhaps basic expressions of faith.

People are seeking baptism - a sign of a new and a changed life; but the people have made no changes. So John gives them these practical pointers - giving to those in need, not extracting more money, and so on - John calls the people to do justice in their everyday life and work.

And we see that there’s a feeling of expectancy amongst the people. And again this season of Advent is a season of expectation, of waiting. And so people start to wonder of John himself may be the Messiah, the Christ - he is after all a charismatic character, who’s appeared in this highly charged

landscape of waiting and expectation.

But John is not the Messiah. John only baptises with water, but the Messiah will baptise with the Holy Spirit and with fire - a fire which purifies what is good, and destroys what is evil, a sign of God’s power, and of God’s loving presence.

As well as giving us an insight into Christian joy, John teaches us that we’re called to a change of life, we’re called to examine our relationships with other people, and that joy can come (on different levels) from helping others, rather than consuming for ourselves.

Today, Gaudete Sunday, we rejoice, because Christ is near; today is a day for joy, but the whole Christian life is a life of joy - not a short lived, superficial joy, characterised by elation for short time which then fades, but a deep joy - a joy which comes from knowing Christ, doing God’s will, turning away from what takes us away from God, and turning to God in faith;

and a turning to others, which helps to take us out of our selves - these are some of the things which help to foster and cultivate Christian joy in this season of Advent, and throughout the year.

Christian joy doesn’t come from the absence of pain or sorrow or hurt, but from the awareness of Christ’s presence in our souls.

We have a true reason for joy, we look towards the coming of Christ - the coming of a hope and a peace which no other person or thing on earth can satisfy.

Fr. Nick