Year A, Advent 3, 2019 – Gaudete!!

More Than Hearing

Hey all!! A couple years ago, in our Year B Advent 3 episode, I used four or five versions of the hymn Gaudete to introduce the episode. I had never heard the song before and was so taken by all the different versions, I included links for each. (In that episode’s show notes, click the different words of the lyrics to hear the different versions.) This Sunday in the Advent cycle is the day we celebrate joy, and singing is a great way to exhibit it! We also have examples of the other seven intelligences tucked away into the Isaiah, James, and Matthew passages. Joy can also be a quiet confidence that assures us that God has not forgotten God’s people, even if all evidence at hand suggests otherwise. The photo above may have been better utilized last week for peace – she looks peaceful, doesn’t she? – but I think there is something deeper within her that radiates outward. What do you see?

Don’t forget to take a look at what we did for Year A, Advent 3 in 2016. We did not use the Psalm selection then, so we have new information for it this year, below. Let’s go look at what we’ve got for illustrations and special effects!

Note: David’s schedule crunch led me to volunteer to edit and post the podcast. I’ve done this before while he was traveling for his sabbatical, but it took me a while to remember what to do. If you are someone who notices things, you’ll hear some rough edits and the sound may be different. My apologies, but we got it up and running!!! ~Molly

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Matthew 11:2-11 – [03:16]

Matthew 11:2-11 worksheetDownload

How unusual to use for the Joy Sunday a passage from Matthew that starts with John the Baptist in jail, doubting Jesus is the One he sacrificed everything for. John sends word to Jesus via his disciples, and Jesus responds to his cousin by telling him to look around him and see evidence of Isaiah’s prophecy coming to pass. What might we see as we look around? Can we see evidence of Jesus’ reign on earth? If not, how might we participate in it so that others can see it?

• EYE smart – [04:52]
• MATH smart – [06:20]
  • the definition of an iteration loop
• MUSIC smart – [09:36]
  • be sure to download the worksheet for David’s poetry

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James 5:7-10 – [11:34]

James 5:7-10 worksheetDownload

In Advent and in all other times, Christians await the coming of Jesus. It’s not always easy, and as the world devolves around us, we may get a bit un-nerved and wonder if it will happen. The selection from James gives some practical advice to be patient. Each spring, farmers plant their crops not knowing what the harvest will bring and so have learned to work both the land – and to be patient. Good advice!

• EYE smart – [12:28]
  • images of dawn skies
• BODY smart – [13:14]
• NATURE smart – [14:10]
• PEOPLE smart – [15:10]
  • A Star Wars clip from Episode I – The Phantom Menace
• SELF smart – [18:22]
  • practices that might foster patience:
    • Here are a few from Inc.com.
    • These are better from Dave Ursillo.
    • These aren’t bad from Psychology Today.

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Psalm 146:5-10 – [20:31]

Psalm 146:5-10 worksheetDownload

The final few Psalms are heralds of joy and praise for the good that God has done for the people. Reading these psalms may help foster the patience James advises.

• WORD smart – [21:35]
  • אָשַׁר (ashar) which means “to go on straight ahead”
• BODY smart – [24:14]
  • An essay by Amy Ziettlow in The Christian Century
• MUSIC smart – [26:02]
  • commentary by James Howell, Working Preacher
  • and his source re: Brueggemann — “Psalm 146: Psalm for the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost,” No Other Foundation, p. 29

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Isaiah 35:1-10 – [28:32]

Isaiah 35:1-10 worksheetDownload

Jesus uses imagery from this prophecy to answer his cousin’s inquiry. “What have you seen me do, John?” he seems to say. And, yes – what have we seen? What have we heard? What have we experienced that reminds us God is near and Jesus has come?

• NATURE smart – [29:53]
  • Commentary by Talitha Arnold, The Christian Century
  • Death Valley bloomed spectacularly in 2016.
  • Make your own river in a dry land – sort of like this or this, but smaller.
• PEOPLE smart – [33:13]
• SELF smart – [34:26]

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Photo by nappy from Pexels. Used with permission.

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