Year B: Third Sunday of Advent

The Joy of Confession and Authenticity

There are four Sundays of advent every year, and these four Sundays focus on the arrival of Jesus in three different ways: (1) his second coming, (2) his presence in the life of the believer, and (3) his incarnation.¹

The second Sunday of advent, along with the third, focus in on the ministry of John the Baptist since he is a key figure in preparing the way of the Lord (Isaiah 40:3).²

Year B, Third Sunday of Advent, December 17, 2023

First Reading: Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

Psalm: Psalm 126

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Gospel: John 1:6-8, 19-28

Sermon - The Joy of Confession and Authenticity

Isaiah 61, which is quoted by Jesus in his sermon in his hometown, says that the Spirit of the Lord anointed the Servant of God to bring good news. The Holy Spirit calls us to be our authentic self. When we feel called by the Holy Spirit to do this or that it is often something we have known we ought to be doing all along.

That urge to preach, that feeling we need to share the good news with that person in that chariot over there, that impulse to help her. These calls are often calls to authenticity. When Jesus read from Isaiah 61 in his hometown, it was because he was always meant to do that. Jesus, as God incarnate, couldn’t help but minister to the oppressed, heal the blind, cause the deaf to hear, and proclaim liberty to the captives.

And when John the Baptist began preaching in the wilderness, he was fulfilling a calling that had been with him since before he was born. In the womb, he recognized the Lord’s Messiah and leaped in his mother’s tummy when Elizabeth met with her cousin Mary.

It was John’s calling to point to the Messiah, as we are all called to do in some way. John’s self-effacing ministry is highlighted the most in the gospel of John, but we are familiar with his words already form Mark’s reading last week: “I’m not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal” (Mark 1:7). It is in denying himself that John finds his most authentic self.

This paradox of denial and authenticity is seen most of all in the cross. Through dying on the cross, Jesus fulfilled his role as the Messiah. The Lord’s anointed tasted death! But through death Jesus returned to the glory he had before the incarnation (John 17:5). In the same way, when we take up our cross and deny the false-self, we end up discovering who we really are beneath the lusts and desires we are told that make up the real us.

Beneath the jealously, beneath the competition, beneath the rivalry we find someone whose purpose is to love and be loved.

It was through the “joy set before him” that Jesus endured the cross, but it is through the cross that he “set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrews 11:2). Similarly, John the Baptist confessed who he was by appearing to deny who he wasn’t.

This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny it, but he confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ ” as the prophet Isaiah said. John 1:19–23

These words are so peculiar! “He confessed and did not deny it, but he confessed…” Sometimes we are known for what we are against. When people ask where I go to church, I’m often asked two questions. One question is about whether or not I think I’m the only one going to heaven. The other question is about whether or not my church has music.

Learning who we are beneath the false-self, as individuals and as a congregation, leads us to being able to point to Christ. In living authentically, we can have joy beyond joy and grace beyond grace.

Second Reading - The Incarnation is a Source of Joy 

“Rejoice always!” This line, or one like it, is found throughout Paul’s letters. In total, it’s found about 30 times across 25 different verses. How could someone who suffered so much have so much joy? 

Or as one passage says, “We are treated as impostors and yet are true, as unknown and yet are well known, as dying and look—we are alive, as punished and yet not killed, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing everything” (2 Corinthians 6:8–10).

This joy comes from the Lord (Philippians 3:1). It is in the Lord that we can always have joy, despite our external circumstances. Why is this? 

Because Jesus has come into the world. 

Jesus took on flesh so that he could identify with our suffering and death. And because of this, we can have full confidence in God our Savior. When we suffer, when we experience loss, when we feel disheartened, there God is, reminding us of the resurrection, reminding us of the incarnation. 

Jesus is born! This is a cause of unending joy. 

In Matthew 2, the scripture says, “When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy” (Matthew 2:10). 

Everyday, we have an opportunity to encounter the risen Christ. He lives within our lives, and through him and the Spirit of Truth we approach God. It is this realization that Christ was born and Christ is born in each of our hearts that provides us with this unspeakable joy. 

May we share this joy with all we can so that more and more people can wake up to the presence of God within their lives. As Paul said, “He is not far from each one of us” (Acts 17:27).

Reflections

We had technological difficulties yesterday, so there is no video of this sermon. Instead, you might take a few minutes reading my post from the other day on my own struggle with authenticity.

Thanks so much for keeping up with this blog. If you have any suggestions, reccomendations, or critiques, you can always comment here or reach out through my website: https://danielr.net.

1. “Advent is the celebration of the three comings of Christ: his coming in the flesh, which is the primary focus of the feast of Christmas; his coming at the end of time, which is one of the underlying themes of Advent; and his coming in grace, which is his spiritual coming in our hearts through the Eucharistic celebration of the Christmas-Epiphany mystery.”

Keating, Thomas. The Mystery of Christ: The Liturgy as Spiritual Experience. New York: Continuum, 2008. Print.

2. Fuller, Reginald and Daniel Westberg. Preaching the Lectionary: The Word of God for the Church Today. Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2006. Print. page 223.