[RCL] Zephaniah 3:14-20; Canticle 9; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18 The Third Sunday of Advent is traditionally known as Gaudete Sunday. “Gaudete,”when translated from Latin, means “rejoice”. We know that Advent is a season of waiting and today we are called to be joyful as we await the coming of Jesus Christ. God, through Zephaniah, offers…

[RCL]: Zephaniah 3:14-20; Canticle 9; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18 “I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth.” (Zephaniah 3:19) Introduction In Advent, we are asked to wait. Instead of jumping immediately into Christmas, we spend four weeks pacing along its…

[RCL]: Zephaniah 3:14-20; Canticle 9; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3:7-18 Technically, Christmas lasts 12 days. It starts at sundown Christmas Eve and continues until January 6, the Epiphany. In the old days, Christians refrained from Christmas celebration until Christmas Eve. Not even the tree would go up before then, as people respected the holy anticipation of…

Power. What a strange thing to be thinking about in the midst of Christmas shopping and holiday plans. But today’s lessons and prayers are about just that. Power. Today we ask for God’s power to come amongst us. We hear, in Luke, that John the Baptist’s power wasn’t enough. In Zephaniah we are told of…