Advent 3

[msethsmile]

Oops, forgot Advent 2. Oh well. Due to calendar there is no Advent 4 this year.
The Altar paraments for Advent are purple. Why? Purple is the color of royalty. The King has come to us. Purple is also the color of repentance. Rightly so.

700 years before Christ the prophet Micah wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (yes, it became true):

Micah 5:2-3
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans^[b] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times."

v5 "He will be their peace."

Predictive prophecy strikes again.

[msethsmile]

The one year lectionary assigns Isaiah 40:1-8 (one of my favorite passages) to Advent 3. While the following hymn is not divinely inspired, it is based on Isaiah 40:1-8. Pretty good stuff.

BTW, what is the job of a 'herald" (v3)? Answer: To proclaim only the message his master has sent him to proclaim.--No side stuff.

Point two. Again, She/her refers to the bride of Christ: The Holy Christian Church/The Communion of Saints.



"Comfort, Comfort, Ye My People"
by Johann Olearius, 1635-1711
Translated by Catherine Winkworth, 1829-1878

1. Comfort, comfort, ye My people,
Speak ye peace, thus saith our God;
Comfort those who sit in darkness,
Mourning 'neath their sorrows' load.
Speak ye to Jerusalem
Of the peace that waits for them;
Tell her that her sins I cover
And her warfare now is over.

2. Yea, her sins our God will pardon,
Blotting out each dark misdeed;
All that well deserved His anger
He no more will see or heed.
She hath suffered many a day,
Now her griefs have passed away;
God will change her pining sadness
Into ever-springing gladness.

3. Hark, the Herald's voice is crying
In the desert far and near,
Bidding all men to repentance
Since the Kingdom now is here.
Oh, that warning cry obey!
Now prepare for God a way;
Let the valleys rise to meet Him
And the hills bow down to greet Him.

4. Make ye straight what long was crooked,
Make the rougher places plain;
Let your hearts be true and humble,
As befits His holy reign.
For the glory of the Lord
Now o'er earth is shed abroad,
And all flesh shall see the token
That His Word is never broken.

[msethsmile]

Do we feel low and downtrodden spiritually? That's what Christ repairs in Isaiah 40.1-8. "Every valley shall be raised up."

Do we feel pompous, no need of a savior, good enough? "every mountain and hill made low."

"In the desert prepare the way for the LORD."--the desert of each person's heart.

[msethsmile]

"Tell her that her sins I cover...(v1)"

Once a year on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood from a perfect lamb on the lid or cover of the Ark. The blood would run down and cover the Ark and its contents. What was in the Ark? Among other things, the Ten Commandments--which we have broken. The blood covers our sins. This lid of the Ark was called "The Mercy Seat".---the focus of the tabernacle and later the temple. The defining attribute of God is mercy (thru Christ). He delights to show mercy. Remember, you are Christ's reward (Isaiah 40:10).

All this Old Testament ceremonial law was symbolic---but it pointed towards Christ. The real deal, prophecy and ceremonial law fulfilled.

With the shedding of blood there is forgiveness of sins and eternal life. Certainty of salvation. Christ's resurrection verifies this. Its a package deal: Christ's holy life becomes our holy life as viewed by the Father.--Our alien righteousness. This is the great exchange as found in no other religion (unique message). Christ becomes sin. We get His righteousness.

Matt 1:23b, "...they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us.")

God condescends to become man. In this case, condescension is a really, really good thing. All the above, packed into a tiny humble manger.

[sdbrison]

Luke 1:26-38
Birth of Jesus Foretold
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”


34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”


35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.