Lessons for December 16, 2008 – Third Sunday of Advent

The first lesson

Isaiah 35:1-10
 
    Even the wilderness will rejoice in those days. The desert will blossom with flowers. [2] Yes, there will be an abundance of flowers and singing and joy! The deserts will become as green as the mountains of Lebanon, as lovely as Mount Carmel's pastures and the plain of Sharon. There the Lord will display his glory, the splendor of our God. 
[3] With this news, strengthen those who have tired hands, and encourage those who have weak knees. [4] Say to those who are afraid, "Be strong, and do not fear, for your God is coming to destroy your enemies. He is coming to save you." [5] And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unstop the ears of the deaf. [6] The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will shout and sing! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the desert. [7] The parched ground will become a pool, and springs of water will satisfy the thirsty land. Marsh grass and reeds and rushes will flourish where desert jackals once lived. [8] And a main road will go through that once deserted land. It will be named the Highway of Holiness. Evil-hearted people will never travel on it. It will be only for those who walk in God's ways; fools will never walk there. [9] Lions will not lurk along its course, and there will be no other dangers. Only the redeemed will follow it. [10] Those who have been ransomed by the Lord will return to Jerusalem, singing songs of everlasting joy. Sorrow and mourning will disappear, and they will be overcome with joy and gladness. (NLT)
 
Luke 1:47-55
 
L.  How I rejoice in God my Savior! 
C.  For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, 
L.  and now generation after generation will call me blessed. 
C.  For he, the Mighty One, is holy, and he has done great things for me. 
L.  mercy goes on from generation to generation, to all who fear him. 
C.  mighty arm does tremendous things!
L.  he scatters the proud and haughty ones! 
C.  as taken princes from their thrones and exalted the lowly. 
L.  as satisfied the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. 
C.  how he has helped his servant Israel!
L.  as not forgotten his promise to be merciful. 
C.  he promised our ancestors—Abraham and his children—to be merciful to them forever."  (NLT)
 
The second lesson

James 5:7-10
 
    Dear brothers and sisters, you must be patient as you wait for the Lord's return. Consider the farmers who eagerly look for the rains in the fall and in the spring. They patiently wait for the precious harvest to ripen. [8] You, too, must be patient. And take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near. [9] Don't grumble about each other, my brothers and sisters, or God will judge you. For look! The great Judge is coming. He is standing at the door! [10] For examples of patience in suffering, dear brothers and sisters, look at the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.  (NLT)

 The Gospel Lesson

Matthew 11:2-11
 
    John the Baptist, who was now in prison, heard about all the things the Messiah was doing. So he sent his disciples to ask Jesus, [3] "Are you really the Messiah we've been waiting for, or should we keep looking for someone else?" Jesus told them, "Go back to John and tell him about what you have heard and seen— [5] the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor. [6] And tell him: 'God blesses those who are not offended by me.' " 
[7] When John's disciples had gone, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. "Who is this man in the wilderness that you went out to see? Did you find him weak as a reed, moved by every breath of wind? [8] Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? Those who dress like that live in palaces, not out in the wilderness. [9] Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. [10] John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say,

    'Look, I am sending my messenger before you,
        and he will prepare your way before you.'
 
[11] "I assure you, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the most insignificant person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is!  (NLT)