Reverend Nancy Gill’s Sermon<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n<\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Sunday, December 17, 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Third Sunday of Advent \u2013 Year B<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>St. Paul\u2019s Episcopal Church, Claremore<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is. 61:1-4, 8-11 & Ps. 126 \/ 1 Thes. 5:16-24 \/ John 1:6-8, 19-28<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Rev. Nancy Gill<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Advent III: Joy (I Hope, II Peace, IV Love)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,\u201d John the Baptist declared in our Gospel lesson today, \u201c\u2018Make straight the way of the Lord.\u2019\u201d (v23)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Have you ever been in a wilderness? Sometimes translated \u201cdesert,\u201d the wilderness is by definition \u201can uncultivated, uninhabited, and inhospitable region; a neglected or abandoned area; or, a position of disfavor.\u201d (wilderness) Perhaps you have been physically present in a geographical wilderness; and perhaps you have dwelt for a time in a metaphorical wilderness \u2013 I would venture to say that we have all had this experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to statistics found in my research, it is estimated that approximately 300 million individuals suffer from depression. And would you believe that, even<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>for folks who don\u2019t normally suffer from this affliction, the holidays can be a particularly difficult time of year? That\u2019s right, it\u2019s not \u2018the most wonderful time of the year\u2019 for everyone. I certainly have, periodically, spent great chunks of time in spiritual and emotional deserts, even \u2013 maybe especially \u2013 during the holidays. I have gritted my teeth upon being reminded, as the writer of 1 Thessalonians exhorts us, to \u201crejoice always.\u201d (5:16) I have actually shaken my fists and cried out to God, \u201cI don\u2019t feel grateful right now; but because you desire it, I\u2019m saying \u2018thank you\u2019 anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maybe this is a little bit of what John the Baptist was feeling when he claimed to be \u2018the voice of one crying out in the wilderness.\u2019 As Fr. Bill reminded us last week, JB was not your typical prophet. He dressed funny and ate strange food, and he was generally misunderstood by the religious leaders who should have been the ones to \u2018get it,\u2019 if anyone was going to recognize him for who he was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But maybe there is a little clue for us in what he said: \u201cMake straight the way of the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What is this \u201cway of the Lord?\u201d Let us look to our Advent wreath for some possible explanations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>1. Two weeks ago, we lit the first candle, and we were reminded that the way of the Lord is a journey of Hope. We recall that throughout history God remains faithful. No matter what life\u2019s circumstances may hold, God is with us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>2. Last week, we lit the second candle which reminds us that the way of the Lord is Peace. Scripture tells us that this peace surpasses all understanding, for we can access it at all times, no matter what our circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>3. Today, we lit the pink candle, a reminder that the way of the Lord is Joy. This is not a toxic joy \u2013 the \u2018in your face,\u2019 \u2018smile, it\u2019s not that bad,\u2019 kind of fake and fleeting happiness. This is a deep sense of God\u2019s goodness, faithfulness, and care. God is our<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>source of joy and delight. Like peace, we can tap into this source at all times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>4. Next week, we will light the fourth candle, symbolizing Love. During this season of Advent, don\u2019t we wait with anticipation for the coming of the Christ child? And didn\u2019t that child ultimately give his life as proof of how much God loves us?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes, when I pray, I like to go to a quiet little niche in my bedroom which I have set up especially for the purpose of spending time with God. When I sit in that chair, I imagine that I am leaning into God\u2019s loving embrace. Perhaps I repeat a soothing mantra, such as God\u2019s promise from the book of Jeremiah: \u201cI know the plans I have for you\u2026to give you a hope.\u201d Or perhaps, I simply breathe, and focus on each inhalation and exhalation. I close my eyes and allow myself to feel how much I am loved by the God of eternity, by the God of all creation; and I remember that this same God desires personal relationship with me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And that is the key to accessing genuine Hope, Peace, and Joy. When you find yourself in the midst of the wilderness, be intentional about spending time in God\u2019s loving embrace. Better yet, develop a habit of spending time with God before you wander into the desert and see how much better you are able to cope the next time life seems barren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Finally, remember that, like John the Baptist, yours may be \u2018the voice of one crying in the wilderness\u2019 for others to hear. You are God\u2019s messenger. I encourage you to be so grounded in \u2018the way of the Lord\u2019 \u2013 in God\u2019s Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love \u2013 that you cannot help but \u2018make straight\u2019 this path for those around you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I invite you to pray with me the words of this well-known prayer:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lord, make [us] an instrument[s] of your peace. Where there is hatred, let [us] sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reverend Nancy Gill’s Sermon Sunday, December 17, 2023 Third Sunday of Advent \u2013 Year B St. Paul\u2019s Episcopal Church, Claremore […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":9,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/stpaulsclaremore.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/stpaulsclaremore.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/stpaulsclaremore.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stpaulsclaremore.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stpaulsclaremore.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=285"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/stpaulsclaremore.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":287,"href":"http:\/\/stpaulsclaremore.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285\/revisions\/287"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/stpaulsclaremore.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stpaulsclaremore.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/stpaulsclaremore.org\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}