Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11(Advent 3B)
St. John, Galveston 12/17/23
Rev. Alan Taylor

+ In Nomine Jesu +

Grace and peace to you, from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.

The season of Advent originated as a fast of 40 days in preparation for Christmas. Originally, it commenced on the day after the feast of Saint Martin of Tours, which is on November 11, and so, early on it was often called Saint Martin's Lent, a name by which it was known as early as the fifth century. Later, the duration of Advent was reduced to four weeks (a period starting four Sundays before Christmas), and Advent preserved most of the characteristics of a penitential season, which made it a kind of counterpart to the Season of Lent.

Lent and Advent bear another similarity. Both seasons offer a “break,” if you will, about midway through the otherwise penitential nature of the seasons. In Lent, that break is called Laetare Sunday, the Latin word for “Rejoice.” In Advent, it’s Gaudete Sunday, which was the name of a 16th century Christmas Carol, meaning “Rejoice, Ye.” On this Gaudete Sunday, special emphasis is placed on the nearness of the Lord’s coming. Thus, we will join today with Isaiah in rejoicing in the remarkable gifts of our God and Savior bestowed on us in Christ Jesus.

“I will greatly rejoice in the Lord (says the prophet); 
my soul shall exult in my God, 
 for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; 
he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, 
 as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, 
and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels. 
For as the earth brings forth its sprouts, 
and as a garden causes what is sown in it to sprout up, 
 so the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise 
to sprout up before all the nations.”

The Book of Isaiah has a great deal to say about the coming of the Messiah. Though it was written some 700 years before Jesus’ birth, it tells of the child that would be born to a virgin. “Behold (wrote the prophet), the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah goes on to prophesy of the virgin birth of Jesus yet a second time. And, of course, it’s Isaiah who gives us those beautiful words that describe the Messiah, words that find their fulfillment in the Incarnation of Jesus. “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

As much as Isaiah gives us some of the most beautiful promises regarding the coming Messiah, he also speaks rather harshly to a people who have left their God, to a people who have gone astray, having wandered off into pastures that seemed much greener and much more lush than those that God had provided for them. In that respect, the people of Israel were, in many ways, a lot like us. Oh, I don’t mean us as a nation. I mean, us, as in, you and me. In difficult times they tended to draw near to God, but in less difficult times, they tended to drift, to forget about God and to do things their own way. It’s part of our fallen nature really. We tend to think of it as an independent spirit, a good thing, but it’s part of our desire to be the master of our own destiny.

In Isaiah’s day, God’s people were enjoying a relatively long period of peace and prosperity. As a nation they hadn’t experienced any wars or skirmishes with other nations in some time. Again, as is often our tendency in such times, they grew complacent toward God. Isaiah warned them time and again that God was going to allow a neighboring nation, namely the Babylonians, to come in to the Holy Land and destroy their temple and drive them out of their land. It wasn’t a purely punitive action on God’s part. Rather, it was to call His people to repentance, that they might remember the God who delivered them so many times over the years.  

In the portion of Isaiah that’s before us this morning, the people of Israel had heard the Law, they had heard God’s stern warnings through Isaiah and other prophets and now, it was time for them to hear the promise of God, that He wouldn’t forsake His people, that He wouldn’t leave them alone, even though it seemed like that was exactly what they wanted. God is our Savior and Redeemer. He rights what is wrong and He restores our souls, as the psalmist says, to “green Pastures.”

With the reading for this morning from Isaiah 60, envision, if you would, a woman dressed for a funeral who receives word that a mistake has been made. She is told, “Instead of a funeral there will be a wedding with the love of your life!” What does she do? In breathtaking speed she washes the ashes from her face, she dons her wedding garments, and crowns her head with a garland of flowers. It is time to celebrate! It’s time to be joyful!

In like manner, Zion’s wailing has been turned into celebration; her sackcloth is gone, and she is girded with joy. Zion’s beauty comes from Yahweh. And it is everlasting!

Regardless of the struggle that God allows, He is faithful to redeem His people, to call them back, to restore them to their place in His kingdom. Today, my friends, is that day. Christ is near. He comes, not in power and might, nor in fierce anger and judgement, but in meekness and humility. He comes, not to condemn you, but to save you. He comes, not to expose the waywardness of your heart and your ways, but to cover you, to shield you, to wrap you in His own righteousness and purity.

Isaiah paints for us such a beautiful picture of the essence for our salvation in Christ Jesus. God doesn’t save us because we are renewed each day, growing better and better, becoming more righteous and holy in His sight. Rather, He saves us by clothing us with the garments of salvation. In Christ, and in particular, in your baptism, God has clothed you with His Son. You have put on Christ, in much the same way that a groom puts on a wedding garment to prepare himself to receive his bride.

All of this is to say that your salvation is ultimately outside of you. In Christ, God has declared you to be holy and righteous in His sight. There is a sticker that I’ve often seen on the bumper of cars. It says, “Christians are not perfect, just forgiven.” I get it. The person who sports that sticker is trying to acknowledge that we Christians are still sinners, that we don’t do things perfectly in life. At the same time, though, the message is misleading and just plain wrong. The Gospel is such that the Christian is not “just forgiven,” rather, he or she is perfect in the eyes of God. As perfect as the Son of God Himself, because he or she is clothed in Christ.

Today is a day to rejoice! The Lord is near! Baptized into Christ Jesus, you have received one of the marvelous gifts that could ever be given to anyone. As the Father said to His Son at His baptism, “you are my beloved Son, in you I am well pleased,” so He says the same thing to you, clothed as you are in Christ Himself. “You are the beloved son, the beloved daughter of Christ, and you God is well pleased.”

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

The peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.

+ Soli Deo Gloria +