Rejoice!

This weekend the third candle of the Advent wreath will be lit along with the first two. On our wreath in the sanctuary, the ribbon below it is pink. Why the different color? The theme for the third week of Advent is: “Rejoice!”

Traditionally, Advent, like Lent, is a time of special reflection on our sinfulness and need for a Savior. We are to heed the call of John the Baptist in the wilderness, prophesied in Isaiah 40:3, “Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” In other words, get ready for King Jesus. If you’ve been following along with our Advent video devotions, you may recall hearing about our brothers and sisters in the faith in Egypt who practice the Nativity Fast, basically following a vegan diet leading up to Christmas for 40 days just as Moses fasted on Mt. Sinai before receiving the Word of the Lord. They are preparing to rightly receive the Word that became flesh.

Can you imagine what it would be like never knowing if that Word had come, never being sure that the Savior was born, lived, died, rose, ascended to heaven, and is coming back? But we do know, which means that in the midst of true repentance over our sin, wanting nothing more to do with it but rather wanting King Jesus to reign in our hearts through His Spirit, we can rejoice. Our sin has been forgiven. As the hymn says,

“Hark! The herald angels sing, ‘Glory to the newborn King; Peace on earth and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled!’ Joyful, all ye nations, rise, Join the triumph of the skies; With the_angelic host proclaim, ‘Christ is born in Bethlehem!’” Rejoice!