By the Rev. Robert Blezard
Revised Common Lectionary reflection for the Third Sunday of Advent, Year A
December 14, 2025
Key verse: 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 shouting. -Isaiah 35:1, 2
Joy is the traditional theme for the Third Sunday in Advent, also known as Gaudette Sunday (gaudette being the Latin word for joy).
And we could sure use some joy in our world. Russia’s unprovoked and antagonistic war against Ukraine continues, Israel has reduced Gaza to rubble, and the displaced Palestinians are starving and without housing or adequate medical care. In our own nation, political divisions have left us hostile and mistrusting of one another, even as our government drifts away from long-established norms and values.
Yep. We could use some joy right about now.
But it was the same for the original hearers of Isaiah’s words in this week’s lesson. Exiled in Babylon, they were emotionally and spiritually scarred from their forced eviction from Jerusalem, and many were also physically scarred from fighting or mistreatment by their enemies. Isaiah brought a word of joy with a promise of God’s restoration.
In Isaiah’s Edenic vision, all will be renewed: The weak made strong, the fearful made courageous, the blind made to see, the lame made to “leap like a deer,” the ears of the deaf opened and the tongues of the mute loosened (vv. 3-6). The land, too, will undergo renewal, with water springing up to hydrate the parched soil.
Accompanying the news of a “Holy Way,” a superhighway on which the righteous people of God could travel back home (v. 8), Isaiah describes joy so great that even the lands rejoice (vv. 1, 2).
So, too, our Gospel lesson brings joyful news to people in a bleak situation. John the Baptizer, who in last week’s lesson was hard at work proclaiming the coming Kingdom of Heaven, is now in Herod’s prison, no doubt questioning the status and future of the movement he helped start. John’s disciples ask Jesus whether he is the long-awaited messiah. As he does so often when questioned, Jesus answers obliquely rather than directly. Jesus points to how he is fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah, sending John a message of joy: The messiah has arrived.
Joy effervesces throughout the optional reading from Luke, Mary’s Magnificat. The Virgin rejoices that God’s salvation plan is underway – and that she plays a central role. Mary is fully aware that her selection to be the bearer of the messiah is consistent with God’s intention to overturn the princes and powers of the world alift up the lowly, like herself.
Though providing joyful news in the direction and goals of God’s efforts, the readings also describe them as works-in-progress. Things are moving in the direction of God’s purposes, but their completion will come t in the future. The reading from James makes this explicit. To God’s people who are weary, perhaps discouraged, that God’s fulfillment is taking so long, James counsels patience and endurance: “Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near” (James 5:8).
Our own time finds God’s people similarly worn down by the sinful state of the world and impatient for, and perhaps doubtful of, the fulfillment of God’s plans. Perhaps like many of the first readers of the Epistles, people today are tired of waiting for the return of Jesus. Parousia-fatigue has set in. After all, it was 30 years ago that the Left Behind book came off the press, helping to launch three decades of hysteria and hype about Jesus’ Second Coming. We need some joy.
For this third week of Advent, when we need relief from our world-weary stress and impatience, a well-placed sermon might highlight the continuing joy we have in Jesus, the messiah. Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s plan, and his work continues in us and among us.
As Advent prepares us for the celebration of the miracle of Jesus’ birth two thousand years ago, we rejoice in God’s continuing care and desire to restore and rescue us from the world. At the same time, we open our hearts and minds to the leading of the Holy Spirit that calls us to be active participants, not passive observers, of God’s work in the world.
In worship
Explain – maybe in announcements, a bulletin insert or at children’s time – the reason “joy” is the theme for the Third Sunday in Advent. First you have to explain that in generations past, Advent was observed as a somber time of self-reflection, discipline and prayer in preparation for Christmas. “Joy” provided a welcome break from the heaviness of the season. (Of course, nowadays that needed break has been swallowed in our culture’s full-speed-ahead celebration of Christmas that begins after Halloween!)
The liturgical color for Gaudette Sunday is rose, reflecting the Sunday’s less-penitential theme. So, if your church has rose-colored paraments, be sure to put them on display. If not, perhaps your congregation could improvise with a rose-colored cloth substituting for one of the blue (or purple) paraments, maybe on the ambo or pulpit.
Most traditional Advent Wreaths have one rose-colored candle amid three blue ones. If your congregation has such a wreath, while lighting two blue candles and the rose candle this week, be sure to explain the significance of the color.
And by all means, this is a good week to sing the carol, “Joy to the World,” which is sometimes mistakenly considered exclusively Christmas carol but is actually appropriate for Advent.
With youth and children
A time with children and youth presents a good opportunity to explain the significance of Gaudette Sunday. The rose-colored paraments and Advent Wreath candle, along with “joy” banners can serve as visual props.
You could also invite youth and children to share what they understand “joy” to be. How does it differ from happiness? Ask them what brings them joy. After they have shared, remind them that in Advent we are joyful because Jesus is coming. Close with a prayer thanking God for sending Jesus into the world.
Previous reflections for Advent 3A:
2022 – Stewards pf Advent hope
2019 – The radical and impossible Advent YES
2016 – Fulfilled and fulfilling
2013 – Life is a highway
2010 – Go and show and tell
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