Third Sunday of Advent - Mary Letter Day 13

Third Sunday of Advent

The Collect 

 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 for ever. Amen.

 Old Testament Zephaniah 3:14-20 

 

Sing aloud, O daughter Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has taken away the judgments against you, he has turned away your enemies. The king of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall fear disaster no more. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands grow weak. The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival. I will remove disaster from you, so that you will not bear reproach for it. I will deal with all your oppressors at that time. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth. At that time I will bring you home, at the time when I gather you; for I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes, says the LORD. 

 Canticle Isaiah 12:2-6

 Surely, it is God who saves me; *

 I will trust in him and not be afraid. 

 For the Lord is my stronghold 

and my sure defense, * 

and he will be my Savior. 

 Therefore you shall 

draw water with rejoicing * 

from the springs of salvation. 

 And on that day you shall say, * 

Give thanks to the Lord 

and call upon his Name; 

 Make his deeds known 

among the peoples; * 

see that they remember that 

his Name is exalted. 

 Sing the praises of the Lord, 

for he has done great things, * 

and this is known in all the world. 

 Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion, 

ring out your joy, * 

for the great one in the midst of you

 is the Holy One of Israel. 

 Glory to the Father, and to the Son,

 and to the Holy Spirit: * 

as it was in the beginning, 

is now, and will be for ever. Amen. 

 The New Testament Philippians 4:4-7 

 

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 

 The Gospel Luke 3:7-18 

 John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruits worthy of repentance. Do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our ancestor'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?" In reply he said to them, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise." Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you." Soldiers also asked him, "And we, what should we do?" He said to them, "Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages." As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people.

Dear Elizabeth,

Well, I am a married woman! It was a sweet ceremony despite the drastic limitations due to the circumstances. Mama and Papa cried, as did I. Joseph smiled throughout and teared up as well. There was quiet toasting and wonderful foods that Mama had prepared. I thought I would be sad for the lack of a big party, but actually, it was the best. A holy moment, quiet and yet very powerful.

For now Joseph will live here with us, at least, until the baby is born. The wise woman, our cousin, says it will be sooner than we had thought. We hope to delay our trip to Bethlehem until after the child appears, anyway. What the authorities say is a whole different thing, Papa and Joseph had gone to their offices to plead our case. Joseph is sleeping in my room on a palette, as he doesn't want to hurt me or the baby in the precarious time. Joseph has proven to be the kindest of men. He lies next to me at night and tells me stories, occasionally singing as well. He is so gentle and yet I feel his deep strength. He has made me feel safe in these strange and dangerous times. I now look forward to the time we can be fully husband and wife, and I am not afraid now.

The future is uncertain, surely, but right now, I take great comfort in my husband and family. And I am so grateful to God for surrounding me with this peace in such a time as this. My prayers as with you as it must soon be your time to be delivered.

Love,

Mary