“For those whom Yahweh has ransomed will return, they will come to Zion shouting for joy, their heads crowned with joy unending; rejoicing and gladness will escort them and sorrow and sighing will take flight” (Isaiah 35:10, New Jerusalem Bible).
Sabbath
Begin with entering into a posture of Sabbath. Shabbat can be translated “to cease” or simply “to stop.”
As you slow down, consider where God has been in your day so far. Join with the Spirit in celebration. Celebrate the Father for sending His Son through the Incarnation and celebrate the Son for coming down to dwell with us. Celebrate God’s gifts in creation, for the Bread and the Wine. Celebrate the Theotokos for her role in salvation history. Take up a posture of joy in the celebration. Call to mind the celebration of the Eucharist most recently received, to the coming Sunday celebration of the Eucharist, and to the eschaton and the marriage supper of the Lamb.
Read
As you read, notice what stands out to you in the passage and share it with God; consider writing it down. Read closely two or three times. Where is God present in the text? What is He doing?
Consider the usage of the word “joy”. Joy is an enlivening thing. Joy is the sort of thing that draws us deep into the celebratory life of the Trinity. The Father takes joy in the Son, the Son in the Father; the Holy Spirit unifying all things and drawing the people of God up into Trinitarian joy.
Behold
Take what you see in this passage and move slowly from pondering to beholding. Take and see. Behold the hope of God in our Lord Jesus.
Behold the passage eucharistically. Where is God using ordinary things to teach you about joy?
- Joy can be a challenging posture to enter into. Where is God inviting you into little joys in your daily life?
- Where is Christ truly present in this passage?
Renewal
Our formation into Christlikeness begins with the renewal of our minds. Invite God to show you where (in your mind/thoughts, heart, body, etc.) you need to be reformed by the truth in this passage.
Our being proceeds doing. It is His work in us.
- Consider how this passage might renew your thoughts.
- Recall the eschatological notes in the Isaiah passage. What would it look to live this Advent season crowned with joy unending? To live out of the joy that exists between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
A Collect For The Third Sunday of Advent
O Lord Jesus Christ, you sent your messengers the prophets to preach repentance and prepare the way for our salvation: Grant that the ministers and stewards of your mysteries may likewise make ready your way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient toward the wisdom of the just, that at your second coming to judge the world, we may be found a people acceptable in your sight; for with the Father and the Holy Spirit you live and reign, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (taken from the Book of Common Prayer, 2019).
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