3 Advent/Year C
Dec 12, 2021
Canticle 9; Zephaniah 3:14-20; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18
What then shall we do? Teacher, what should we do? And we, what should we do?
Those questions are what stood out for me this week as I was preparing my Advent reflection to share with you today.
Of course, John’s words at the beginning of the gospel always stop me in my tracks…But this year…the questions of those gathered at the Jordan River to be baptized and to hear what John had to say…kept pulling me in…
What then shall we do? Teacher, what should we do? And we, what should we do?
I don’t know…maybe I’m drawn to these questions because of living in these pandemic times the past couple of years…With all the uncertainties and ever-changing flow of information associated with this time of the pandemic…lots of new questions have come up on a daily basis…
At first these questions really frustrated me and has made me inpatient at times…and they still do every once in a while…
But, living in these uncertain times has also broken open a spirit of longing and hunger in me to ask the “Where are you, God?” questions and the “God, what should I do?” questions…This time of questioning and wondering aloud has awakened in me a strong desire to seek and recognize the signs of God’s hope, peace, joy and love present in our collective lives now, and as we wait for what is still yet to come… I’ve experienced a yearning, like no other time in my life before, to see and hear the good news about God’s saving grace and mercy in this moment of time…And, my prayers have been unceasing in asking God to ease the worrying and the anxieties of the human family in this time of the pandemic, and in this time of social unrest and political division. With thanksgiving and gratitude, I’ve let my requests be known to God, often…trusting and believing that it is the love of God, the Hope of God, the Peace of God, that will be the beacon of light and joy that will guide us through these pandemic times…
All these questions and wonderings…can inspire us to be on the lookout for signs of new life and new beginnings waiting to be born anew in our own lives, and of course, in the lives of all we share this sacred earth with…
In the season of Advent, we hear a lot about endings…but we also hear the good news proclaimed about new beginnings, as John balances it out for us in today’s gospel reading…He points others to the One yet to come…and gives his questioners some simple suggestions to help re-orient their lives to the creation of new beginnings, rooted in loving actions that will help prepare the way for a new kingdom that will come…here on earth….as in heaven….
What then shall we do? Teacher, what should we do? And we, what should we do?
I invite you to spend some time with those questions this week… Go back and read and re-read the scriptures, the canticles, and the hymns appointed for today…they sing out joyfully with the good news of what God is about to do…and is already doing in our lives today… And then, look all around you, for the opportunities that are plentiful to bring about some hope, some peace, some love and some joy into each other’s lives….
When we ask these questions together, when we keep awake to the ways God is showing up in each other’s lives now…we slowly, but surely usher in a new way of living in this world together…a way of love that will bring us all through these pandemic times together….with a renewed hope, a renewed peace, a renewed joy in the Lord and a renewed love and respect for the dignity of every human being…
What then shall we do? Teacher, what should we do? And we, what should we do?
Right now, we should pray…with these joyful and hope-filled words of this advent hymn …Hark! The glad sound!…
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, AK
The Hymnal 1982 - #72 Hark! The glad sound!
1 Hark! the glad sound! the Savior comes,
the Savior promised long:
let every heart prepare a throne,
and every voice a song.
2 He comes, the prisoners to release
in Satan’s bondage held;
the gates of brass before him burst,
the iron fetters yield.
3 He comes, the broken heart to bind,
the bleeding soul to cure;
and with the treasures of his grace
to enrich the humble poor.
4 Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace,
thy welcome shall proclaim;
and heaven’s eternal arches ring
with thy beloved Name.