The Rev. Dr. Kenneth H. Saunders III
Greeneville, TN
The Third Sunday of Advent
December 14, 2025
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The third Sunday in Advent can be a bit strange for folks… Strange, because we heard a lot about John the Baptizer last week. And it seems that this week, we're hearing about John again. Strange because there is a different-colored candle lit on our Advent wreath. A Rose colored candle – meant to show us that today is a day to "lighten up..." to lighten up and rejoice!
The focus in our readings, even though they continue to tell John's story, is also a little different for us today. Our readings this morning start in ancient Israel… And we know that ancient Israel was a mess; the people were on the threshold of destroying themselves. Doesn't it seem familiar…
God's people had turned away from God, and they were teetering on the edge of total devastation. They stopped trusting God and loving each other, and they turned inward, relying entirely on themselves. Evil and greed had taken over because they had lost their focus on what was really important.
They had forgotten to love one another and to give, just to give, without focusing on what they get in return. Like us, they were living in those places subject to their own demise… those wild and wilderness places of darkness of the devices and desires of our own hearts… Those wilderness places that I talked about last week.
So God sent them the prophet Isaiah to remind them (and, in turn, remind us) that God is God and we are NOT. To remind us that, regardless of how bad it gets, God will be there and be the one who redeems. God will make blossoms bloom abundantly in the desert out of absolutely nothing! And every living thing shall witness the majesty of God! This will be a day of great comfort, but it will also be a day of significant equity. Everything that we understand in our conventional wisdom will be redefined.
If we have adequately prepared, all we need to do is be patient for God to be God in God's time. We need to be patient for the coming of the Lord, heed the prophet's warning, and continue to prepare ourselves
and be ready.
But we are impatient, and we don't want to wait, we don't like to wait; "we want it all, and we want it ALL RIGHT NOW!"
That's how the community that James was writing to was acting. They knew Jesus was coming back, and they were trying to plant seeds so they could grow good fruit. But they weren't patient and wanted to reap the rewards right then. They weren't willing to watch and wait. They weren't willing to be patient. They didn't understand that things happen in God's time, not theirs. So James challenged them to strengthen their hearts, not go about grumbling and complaining, but to prepare and be patient. Be patient, for the coming of the Lord is near.
And now, it is nearer to us than it has ever been. It is even nearer to us now than it was last year or last week. It's nearer to us than it was yesterday… God continues to send messengers and prophets to us to help us prepare the way, to get people ready to receive the kingdom of God. Isaiah and John are just two of the prophets that we heard about this morning.
One of them (Isaiah) reminds us that God delivers God's people who remain faithful. The other (John) has been captured because of his conviction and imprisoned as Herod's political prisoner. But even in the darkness of John's cell, he remains faithful and seeks to learn what Jesus is doing... learning how Jesus is redeeming the world. John asks the hard question for all of us, the question that we all want to ask at one time or another: "Are you the one who has come, or are we to wait for another?"
He wants to know if Jesus is the "real deal" or not. Is this business of Jesus the Christ, the messiah, the savior of the world… Is this more than just a figment of John's or any other prophet's imagination? Jesus answers John, very much like he answers us. Jesus says that we have to decide for ourselves whether or not he is the "real deal."
We have to look for the evidence that is presented. Jesus tells John's disciples to go tell John what they hear and see. The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.
So, when we look for the evidence, what do we hear and what do we see??? I will never forget Mr. Rodgers of Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood. Fred Rogers says, If you want to see the good among the chaos, look for the helpers… I think that is where we get a glimpse of the kingdom.
I think that whenever we see the evidence of God's love…Wherever we see displays of unity and equity, of resurrection, restoration, and reconciliation… We are, in fact, a little closer to the kingdom of God.
I am convinced that regardless of how bad things seem to get… how much we see crumbling around us… how this world seems to be focused primarily on selfish desires… There are always glimmers of God's grace… all we need to do is look for them…
Look for God's grace in Jesus Christ… that light that comes shining through in our relationships with others. When we see this grace, when we witness it... We know that we are in the presence of Jesus
And that Jesus is the real deal. When we see results of abundant grace, great love, and mighty works taking place around us, then our souls can tell out the greatness of the Lord like the Blessed Virgin Mary.
This Sunday is called Gaudete Sunday. "Gaudete," meaning rejoice… from which we get the word joy. Because the focus today is on the joy of God's people who have been delivered and redeemed by God.
As we continue to prepare this Advent season, we are called by God to a place of patience, a place of waiting in God's time. In these times, in these tween spaces between the already and the not yet, we are all called to be pregnant with anticipation and wait for the second coming of Christ.
We are called to let the Christ continue to grow in us and we are called to make room for him and help the world prepare for his coming again. That is probably the one thing that I can point us to... to make sense of our purpose in this world…
Our purpose is to know Christ and make Christ known, to be Christ to others, and to love and serve others in his name. To reconcile the world to God through Christ. It's the thing that helps us both in our relationship with God and our relationships with each other…
We are to go around the world making disciples for Christ... other followers who will help us proclaim God's love and love others in his name. It's our job to remind others that everything in this world comes from God and exists for God's glory.
If we want to bring true Christmas joy into our lives, if we want to live a redeemed life... forgiven, restored, and renewed, then we must wait and prepare, and put things in their proper perspective… Prepare and focus on what's really important… Focusing outward, as well as inward…
Focusing outward and proclaiming the greatness of the Lord by sharing the love and joy that Jesus brings to our lives and by making His might, His love, and His deeds known to others.
So this season and always, Christ is our one TRUE hope… Christ is our one TRUE gift, and Christ is our TRUE joy… So rejoice, my friends, the Lord is near…
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