Lessons for December 17, 2006 – Third Sunday of Advent

The first lesson

Zephaniah 3:14-20
 
    Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! [15] For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy. And the Lord himself, the King of Israel, will live among you! At last your troubles will be over, and you will fear disaster no more. 
    [16] On that day the announcement to Jerusalem will be, "Cheer up, Zion! Don't be afraid! [17] For the Lord your God has arrived to live among you. He is a mighty savior. He will rejoice over you with great gladness. With his love, he will calm all your fears. He will exult over you by singing a happy song." 
    [18] "I will gather you who mourn for the appointed festivals; you will be disgraced no more. [19] And I will deal severely with all who have oppressed you. I will save the weak and helpless ones; I will bring together those who were chased away. I will give glory and renown to my former exiles, who have been mocked and shamed. [20] On that day I will gather you together and bring you home again. I will give you a good name, a name of distinction among all the nations of the earth. They will praise you as I restore your fortunes before their very eyes. I, the Lord, have spoken!"  (NLT)

Isaiah 12:2-6
 
L.  See, God has come to save me.
C.  I will trust in him and not be afraid.
L.  The Lord God is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."
C.  With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation! 
L.  In that wonderful day you will sing: "Thank the Lord! Praise his name!
C.  Tell the world what he has done. Oh, how mighty he is! 
L.  Sing to the Lord, for he has done wonderful things.
C.  Make known his praise around the world. 
L.  Let all the people of Jerusalem shout his praise with joy!
C.  For great is the Holy One of Israel who lives among you."  (NLT)

The second lesson

Philippians 4:4-7 

    Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! [5] Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 
    [6] Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. [7] If you do this, you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.  (NLT)

    
The Gospel Lesson

Luke 3:7-18
 
    Here is a sample of John's preaching to the crowds that came for baptism: "You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee God's coming judgment? [8] Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God. Don't just say, 'We're safe—we're the descendants of Abraham.' That proves nothing. God can change these stones here into children of Abraham. [9] Even now the ax of God's judgment is poised, ready to sever your roots. Yes, every tree that does not produce good fruit will be chopped down and thrown into the fire." 
    [10] The crowd asked, "What should we do?" 
    [11] John replied, "If you have two coats, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry." 
    [12] Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, "Teacher, what should we do?" 
    [13] "Show your honesty," he replied. "Make sure you collect no more taxes than the Roman government requires you to." 
    [14] "What should we do?" asked some soldiers.
    John replied, "Don't extort money, and don't accuse people of things you know they didn't do. And be content with your pay." 
    [15] Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah. [16] John answered their questions by saying, "I baptize with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. [17] He is ready to separate the chaff from the grain with his winnowing fork. Then he will clean up the threshing area, storing the grain in his barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire." [18] John used many such warnings as he announced the Good News to the people.  (NLT)