Third Sunday of Advent
Zephaniah 3:14-18, 1st Reading
Isaiah 12
Philippians 4:4-7, 2nd Reading
Luke 3:10-18
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The Tree of Jesse
This icon depicts the many prophecies
of the Virgin birth of Christ.
There are twelve Old Testament
prophets, shown holding things that reveal their identity and the prophecy they
foretold of the Theotokos and the virgin birth of Christ.
1.
In the top row, from left to right: St. Daniel, whose scroll reads: "The stone
was cut out of the Mountain without hands" (Daniel 2:45);
2.
St. Moses holding the bush that was
burning, yet not consumed (Exodus 3:2-4);
3.
St. David, whose scroll reads: "Arise O Lord
into thy rest: Thou and the ark of thy strength." (Psalm 132:8);
4.
St. Isaiah holding tongs with live coals
(Isaiah 6:6);
5.
St. Jeremiah, whose scroll reads: "He was
seen upon earth and conversed with men." (Baruch 3:37);
7.
St.
Nathan's prophecy to King David whom St. Samuel had anointed (2
Samuel 7:13-16). In the bottom row, from left to right:
8.
St. Habakkuk holding the overshadowed
Mountain that is the Virgin (Habakkuk 3:3);
9.
St. Micah, whose scroll reads: "He is come
unto the gate of my people." (Micah 1:9);
10.
St. Gideon holding a fleece: "As dew
upon the fleece hast Thou descended into the womb of the Virgin, O Christ"
(Judges 6:37-38);
11.
St. Ezekiel, whose scroll reads: "This gate
shall be shut, It shall not be opened." (Ezekiel 44:2); St. Amos holding
an ark referring to the Virgin serving as the Tabernacle of Christ (Amos
9:11); Prophet Balaam, whose scroll reads: "There shall come a star out of
Jacob and a sceptre shall arise" (Numbers 24:17). Enthroned in the
center of the tree sits the Holy Virgin Mary.
12.
At the foot of the tree lays St. Jesse asleep. Jesse is portrayed
asleep, to tell us in a way that we know his righteous character not so much by
the works done in his own lifetime, so much as by the righteous line that
proceded from him. That line which started with David and culminated with the
Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ our Savior. We don't
know much about Jesse, other than that he was the father of King David, who was
"a man after God's own heart." But the Scripture honors him calling
Jesus Christ the "root of Jesse". Romans 15:12:
This icon is by the hand of Nicholas
Papas. It is located at St. Philip Antiochian Orthodox Church,
Souderton, PA.
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Worship Song
Entrance Antiphon
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near (Philippians 4:4,5).
Opening Prayer
Lord God, may we, your people, who look forward to the birthday of Christ experience the joy of salvation and celebrate that feast with love and thanksgiving. We ask this…
First Reading
Zephaniah 3:14-18
14Shout for joy, daughter Zion! sing joyfully, Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, daughter Jerusalem! 15The LORD has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies; The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. 16On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, Zion, do not be discouraged! 17The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior, Who will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, Who will sing joyfully because of you, 18as on festival days. I will remove disaster from among you, so that no one may recount your disgrace.
Alleluia
Alleluia, alleluia. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. Alleluia, alleluia. (Isaiah 61:1; cited in Luke 4:18)
Gospel
10And the crowds asked him, “What then should we do?”11He said to them in reply, “Whoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” 12Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”14Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.” 15Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah.16John answered them all, saying, “I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.17His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”18Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people.
Reflection
Every age in human history grappled with evil and suffering. An explanation given by one school of thought in the Old Testament was this: In the beginning, the principle of good and evil fought with each other. The principle of evil won. This explains why the power of evil is so evident in the world. But this situation will not last forever. A time will come when the principle of good will overpower and destroy evil.
The coming of Jesus launched God’s Kingdom and the power to overcome evil. When Jesus shared the Spirit after his resurrection, he shared this power with those who believe and who allow this power in their lives. By becoming man, Jesus also showed that this power of God will continue through every person who believes in him. Despite the gravity of the evil present in our world, evil will not have the last say. Jesus promised that eventually good will reign. The dominating presence of good is already being manifested in our culture. Yes, there is evil but it will never win over good. God has overpowered evil.
The challenge Christmas poses on us is this: Jesus wants to conquer evil. But he can only do so through people who believe in him, and who allow him to be the power in this world through their lives by living his values, mentality and lifestyle. Can we be generous enough to lend our whole being to God?
Reflection Credits: Fr. Magdaleno Fabiosa, SVD, the Word in other words, slightly adapted
Prayer Response
God of mercy, free us from our sins, and prepare us for the birthday of our Savior, who is Lord forever and ever.
For Action
Treat people fairly and kindly. By our actions, we contribute to the coming of God’s Kingdom.
“Our actions are the best witnesses of our thoughts.” ~ Anonymous
Silencing
We cannot know God unless we have listened to him in the silence of our hearts. Rest in the loving arms of the Lord with an open mind and an open heart.
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