The Joy Candle - Advent Week 3

“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus; it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing… Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.” - Isaiah 35:1-2,5-6 (ESV) 

The third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete (“GOW-deh-tay”) Sunday. It’s the “pink candle Sunday” on our Advent wreath. Gaudete is latin for “rejoice,” and this is the Sunday where we can think about joy, maybe in two different ways: joy in what God has already done, and joy in what God has promised he will do one day. 

Having joy doesn’t mean we will always be “happy,” because happiness and joy are two different things. Happiness comes from outside ourselves, and can sometimes go away as quickly as it comes. That doesn’t mean it’s bad, but it has its limitations. A hug, a beautiful sunset, a great meal; these things can make us really happy. But joy comes from a deeper place. It happens when we know that God fully knows us and fully loves us, and that the promises he gives to his people are true and trustworthy. It’s tough to feel happiness when you are crying, but joy can be present even in the midst of sorrow. 

So, we can live in the joy of what God has already done, in the joy of Jesus’ birth, when God became a man to bring mankind back to God. We can know that because of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, he is present in our hearts and lives, as we walk with him through this beautiful but broken world. 

And, we can have joy in anticipation of his second coming, when the promises of God will be fulfilled. When Jesus returns, everything sad will come untrue, and he will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Isaiah 35 talks about that final fulfillment of God’s promises: We will never cry again, because there won’t be anything to cry about. And not only that, but there will be constant and never-ending joy because we will be hanging out with King Jesus in person. It will be a reversal of everything that’s wrong in the world – those who can’t speak will be able to sing with joy, and those who can’t walk will dance with joy. Because Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, will be shining on them, in person, forever. May our steps be filled with joy as we walk ever closer to that day when we are in the presence of Jesus forever. May he continue to shine on us, and scatter the darkness from our path. 

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Suggested Prayer 

Heavenly father, we thank you for the joy we have in Jesus. We rejoice in what Jesus has already done for us by being born a man and dying for our sins, and we joyfully await his second coming when we will be with him forever. And it’s in his name that we pray, amen. 

- Rev. Jay Traylor - Church Planter, Staunton VA, Diocese of Christ Our Hope, Anglican Church of North America