Third Sunday of Advent: Joy as a Sign of God's Presence with Us
Third Sunday of Advent: Joy Isa 61.1-4, 8-11 Psa 126 1 Thess 5.16-24 John 1.6-8, 19-28 Prayer of Invocation Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us; and, because we are sorely hindered by our sins, let your bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and deliver us; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and forever. Amen. Prayer of Illumination Father, enable us to embrace the true life in the midst of this false life. Restore unto us the joy of our salvation, for your glory and for the life of the world. PROCLAMATION Advent calls for joy. (“Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her king!”) But it is also a time to reflect upon joy--true, abiding, God-generated, God-oriented joy. What is true joy? Where does it come from? What is the object of our joy? Paul, in his first letter to the Thessalonians, urges his fellow followers of Jesus Christ to “rejoice always” (5.16). And he urges th