Worship Helps for Advent 3

Artwork: The Preaching of St. John the Baptist

Artist: Domenico Ghirlandaio - 

Worship Theme: This Sunday, traditionally called Gaudete, (Rejoice) captures the heightening anticipation of the coming Savior. Each lesson reinforces the “good news” on which the Gospel lesson ends. Those who anticipate the arrival of the Christ rejoice, because the Lord and his deliverance is near. Gaudeamus pariter.

Old Testament: Nehemiah 8:9-18

⁹Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites, who helped the people understand, said to all the people, “Today is holy to the Lord your God. Do not mourn or cry!” because all the people were crying as they heard the words of the Law. ¹⁰Nehemiah said to them, “Go, eat rich food and drink sweet drinks and send portions to those who have nothing prepared, because today is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, because the joy of the Lord is your strength.”

¹¹Then the Levites silenced all the people, saying, “Hush! Today is holy. Do not grieve.”

¹²All the people went to eat and drink and to send portions to others and to celebrate with great joy, because they understood the words that had been made known to them.

¹³Now on the second day, the heads of the families of all the people, the priests, and the Levites were gathered around Ezra the scribe to study the words of the Law. ¹⁴They found written in the Law, which the Lord had commanded by the hand of Moses, that the Israelites should dwell in temporary shelters during the festival of the seventh month, ¹⁵and that they should proclaim this and make this announcement in all their cities and in Jerusalem: “Go out to the mountains and bring branches from olive trees, wild olive trees, myrtle bushes, date palms, and leafy trees to make shelters, as it is written.”

¹⁶So the people went out and brought branches and made shelters for themselves. Each man made a shelter on his roof. They also made shelters in their courtyards, in the courtyards of the house of God, in the square by the Water Gate, and in the square by the Ephraim Gate. ¹⁷The entire congregation that had returned from the captivity made shelters and stayed in the shelters. From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated in this way, because there was very great joy. ¹⁸Ezra also read from the Book of the Law of God every day, from the first day to the last day of the festival. They celebrated a festival for seven days, and on the eighth day they held an assembly according to the ordinance.

1. Why had many Jewish people in Jerusalem wept?

2. What reason did Nehemiah give people not to weep?

Epistle: Philippians 4:4–7  

⁴Rejoice in the Lord always! I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. ⁶Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. ⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

3. What two attitudes does Paul encourage in us here?

4. How can someone feel joyful in the troubled world we see all around us?

Gospel: Luke 3:7–18  

⁷So John kept saying to the crowds who came out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? ⁸Therefore produce fruits in keeping with repentance! Do not even think of saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ because I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. ⁹Even now the ax is ready to strike the root of the trees. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is going to be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰The crowds began to ask him, “What should we do then?”

¹¹He answered them, “Whoever has two shirts should share with the person who has none, and whoever has food should do the same.”

¹²Tax collectors also came to be baptized. They said, “Teacher, what should we do?”

¹³To them he said, “Collect no more than what you were authorized to.”

¹⁴Soldiers were also asking him, “And what should we do?”

He told them, “Do not extort money from anyone by force or false accusation. Be satisfied with your wages.”

¹⁵The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John could be the Christ. ¹⁶John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But someone mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clean out his threshing floor. He will gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

¹⁸Then with many other words, he appealed to them and was preaching good news to the people.

5. What did John the Baptist tell the crowd should come along with real repentance?

6. What are some examples of actions that fit real repentance?

7. What was the final goal of John’s preaching?

Answers:

1. People had wept as they listened to the words of the Law which God had given Israel on Mount Sinai. The Law showed them how they had sinned against God. It also may have made them think of loved ones who had been killed when the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem, fulfilling God’s ancient threats in the Law.

2. Nehemiah said, “Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”

3. Paul tells us to rejoice and to live not for ourselves, but let our gentleness (treating others kindly and fairly) be evident to all. Anxious? Paul says to pray (for others too).

4. A) The Lord is near! B) God’s peace will guard our minds in Christ Jesus.

5. John told the crowd that they should produce “fruit” in keeping with repentance.  If they were truly sorry for their sinfulness, the fruit of faith, a fitting response, would follow.  Real repentance cannot lead to smugness, complacency or habitual repetition of the same sin.

6. Some actions which fit with real repentance, John says, include sharing with those in need, not abusing your position by cheating others, and being content with what you have.

7. John’s goal in preaching was to lead people to grasp what sin is and how bad its results are, so they could be drawn to one much greater than he.  That man was Jesus, the Christ, who was destined to die for them and who would send the Holy Spirit to create this type of life in them.

Putting your faith into action

John the Baptist gave some pretty specific instructions to the crowds on how to produce “good fruit”: Share with those who have less, don’t cheat anyone, be fair and honest, be content. These are good stewardship guidelines for us also: Give to God the portion we have set aside; then serve him by serving others with the remainder. Have a generous attitude. Don’t give anyone reason to question our faith by questioning our honesty. Give thanks to God for everything he has given us, especially the gift of eternal life through the death of Jesus on the cross and his resurrection on the third day. We should always pray that God will send the Holy Spirit into our hearts to produce “fruit in keeping with repentance,” to glorify him in all we do.

A reading from the Book of Concord for the Third Sunday in Advent

Clear testimonies in Scripture and in the Church Fathers declare that, even though we have good works, yet in these very works we need mercy.  Faith, looking upon this mercy, cheers and consoles us.  The adversaries are wrong when they praise merits and add nothing about this faith that takes hold of mercy.  The promise [of mercy] is grasped only through faith.  We justly find fault with the doctrine about wholly deserving merit, since it omits justifying faith.  It also hides Christ’s glory and office as Mediator.  We are not teaching anything new.  The Church Fathers have handed down the doctrine that we need mercy even in good works.

Scripture teaches the same.  “Enter not into judgment with Your servant, for no one living is righteous before You” (Psalm 143:2).  This denies absolutely the glory of righteousness, if God does not forgive, but judges and convicts their hearts.  For when David boasts in other places about his righteousness, he speaks about his own cause against the persecutors of God’s Word.  He does not speak of his personal purity.  He asks that God’s cause and glory be defended; “Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me” (Psalm 7:8).  In Psalm 130:3, he says that no one can endure God’s judgment: “If You, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?” – Apology of the Augsburg Confession, Articles V, Love and Fulfilling of the Law (paragraphs 202-205)

14  Arise, O Christian People

1  Arise, O Christian people! Prepare yourselves today.

Prepare to greet the Savior, Who takes your sins away.

To us by grace alone The truth and light was given;

The promised Lord from heaven To all the world is shown.

2  Prepare the way before him; Prepare for him the best.

Cast out what would offend him, This great, this heav’nly guest.

Make straight, make plain the way: The lowly valleys raising,

The heights of pride abasing, His path all even lay.

3  The humble heart and lowly God raises up on high;

Beneath his feet in terror The haughty soul shall lie.

The heart sincere and right, That heeds God’s invitation

And makes true preparation—It is the Lord’s delight.

4  Prepare my heart, Lord Jesus; Turn not from me aside,

And help me to receive you This blessed Adventtide.

From stall and manger low Come now to dwell within me;

I’ll sing your praises gladly And forth your glory show.

Text: Valentin Thilo, 1607–62, alt.; tr. Arthur T. Russell, 1806–74, st. 1-3, alt.;

The Lutheran Hymnal, St. Louis, 1941, st. 4, alt.