Today is Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent – “Gaudete” means rejoice – Advent is a season of waiting and preparing for the coming of Christ – both to celebrate his birth and Christmas, but also his coming again at the end of time. Waiting – what do we rejoice in this time of waiting?
Waiting – just waiting for someone to come or something to happen. Sometimes it is for something simple – Why has my pizza not arrived yet? Why is the package I ordered from Amazon not here yet? Students might ask how Christmas Break is not here yet. But there are others – why have I not gotten that promotion at work? Why has this prayer not yet been answered? All sorts of things we long for. There is little to make things happen faster – simply wait – patiently waiting. How is one to rejoice?
Of course, this is not something new today. Israel had been waiting for a messiah for centuries. There are all these promises of a messiah to come – the savior for Israel – in particular in Isaiah, where we hear so many readings from through the Advent season – Today’s reading is no different. We hear of this blooming desert – one that will bloom with abundant flowers. The splendor of God will be shown forth – “eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing.” A promise worth rejoicing about – For God’s word is sure.
It must have seemed like a desert at times for the Jewish people. Conquered, minimal control, when was it to end? They had no power to resolve the challenges – waiting – patiently waiting for the Messiah to come – It is then that it will happen that “Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy; they will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee.” – Surely many though it should happen faster – no one can tell you for sure why Jesus decided to come when he did– patience was required, for Christ would come when the time is right. It was not in anyone’s power to tell Christ when he should come. Yet, even if it required patience, they could rejoice – for Christ’s promise is sure - knowing the Messiah is to come, even if they must wait for it.
Waiting –John the Baptist had announced that the wait was coming to an end – the Messiah was here. Yet, where is the blooming desert? Is it so visible? Was not Christ to fulfill this prophecy from Isaiah? – Yet the Romans were still here – all the problems still seem to exist, the desert seems to still be very present - The disciples of John the Baptist have come asking this very question. – “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”
Of course, Jesus does affirm that he is the Messiah, directly calling back to Isaiah – “the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” – yet it seems the desert is still present – where is the blooming desert? Where is the great salvation that was promised?
The Jews had waited for Christ – and he came, but not as expected. Christ came and defeated death and sin – the desert of this world, corrupted by original sin, does indeed bloom – for souls have been ransomed and returned to God – in Christ we have the promise be being crowned with everlasting joy - hope holds firm to those with faith in Christ – even though, looking at the world it may not seem like it – Looking at the world, it may not always seem like the desert has bloomed – It did, and through the Martyrs the Church spread – the gospel, the good news - blooming throughout the world – something which continues today. Something worth rejoicing about – even as we still wait for something more. – for him to come again in glory
Even as he comes, bring salvation - there are still some deserts in the world and in our lives – we all can say where there are some deserts around. They are not the same as the literal desert by the Jordan river nor the same problem of a conquering Roman Empire. Our deserts are also not just minor problems like Amazon boxes not coming on time or the pizza delivery from Dominos taking too long– but the desert of virtue that is social media – the civic discourse of politics and the news cycle. – Almost everyone has something today that might as well be a desert – and we look to Christ – recalling his coming in history, his birth, death, and resurrection – that he has made the desert bloom – and look forward to when get comes again in glory, when all will be made right – we do not know when he will come, but we know that he will. So we wait and pray with patients.
But we also rejoice - In Advent, we prepare to celebrate Christmas – it is a season of preparing and waiting –Waiting for Christ to come again – But there is also a reason for rejoicing – for his promise is sure, he has come in history and has made the deserts of sin bloom with his grace – and why we might not know when he will come again in glory – his promise is sure. Therefore rejoice.