Advent III C The Lighter Hue of Hope (Pink Advent Candle)



Advent III C The Lighter Hue of Hope (Pink Advent Candle)

Ernest F. Campbell

Preached December 12, 1982


As you have already noticed; this third Sunday in Advent we lit the purple candle with the lighter

hue. The gift of God’s transforming grace is so close, so near that the Spirit of Joy can no longer

be contained.


The expectation of finding a new more perfect more meaningful way of life, just ahead bubbles

up like the spontaneous effervescence of a carbonated rink.


It is like people who, on hearing that the war is over, start to dance in the streets…even before

the official surrender papers are signed. It is the joy, following a harsh winter, of seeing the

bright spring flowers smiling up through the melting snow.


It is like C.S. Lewis “The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe” when the White Witch notices that

tne snow is melting and knows that Asland is on the Land.


The theme of Advent III is JOY that can no longer be contained. It calls for a symbolic response

and so we burn the purple candle with the light hue (pink). Call it the light of Joyous

expectation!


Hear now the theme expresses itself all through today’s propers: In the collect – Because we

have surely hindered by our sins…pray God let His bountiful grace and mercy speedily help and

deliver us.


In the old testament: Sing Aloud…rejoice and exult with all your heart…the Lord your God IS

IN YOUR MIDST -- He will RENEW you in His love.


From Philippians: Rejoice in the Lord Always (and then just in case anyone may not have been

tuned in) Paul says, AGAIN I will say REJOICE. Why? The Lord is at hand! Have no anxiety

about anything!


And from Lukes Gospel we hear John the Baptist proclaim: There is coming someone mightier

than I…so mighty that He will fill you with god’s Spirit and you will not simply be reformed….

but TRANSFORMED!


And from the Psalm: Cry aloud, inhabitants of Zion and (Walla Walla), ring out your joy, for the

Great One in the midst of you is the Holy one of Israel. For the Lord is my stronghold and my

sure defense, and HE WILL BE my savior.


*[read as if reading a notice at a doctor’s waiting room] – If something destructive has you in it’s

grip, if something like worry, or resentment, or a bad habit, or an inclination to play God to your

family and peers, is wreaking havoc on the hope for a loving, trusting community, then listen and

rejoice! Transformation of all that destructive Disease is at hand. A decision away. To own it

merely [only] requires a single YES!


When we say YES to the gift of God’s forgiveness and Grace and accept Jesus as the Lord of our

lives, we are supernaturally transformed and our destructive tendencies tend now to loosen their

grip. That ‘mere’ decision brings a healing peace…a peace that passes human understanding.

Why is God’s peace beyond our understanding? Because it surpasses all human effort to attain it.

Jesus said to His disciples: my peace, which is the same as saying, my father’s peace…I give to

you.


Let me try to ehlp us see and appreciate what it really means to be transformed into a new

creature.


To do that I [would] like to take you back a few years to 1954. In that year of 38,000 new cases

of the dread illness Polio were reported. Some of the younger members here this morning may

have never even heard of polio but for those that are old enough to understand, in that year Polio

packed a lot of fear.


Ex)

    1. It was the disease of the young

    2. Could cripple or kill the victim and sometimes needed an iron lung to breath for you for

         the rest of your life.

    3. All kinds of theories as to what causes it…which required strange restrictions.

    4. Margaret, my wife, contracted the disease…she was separated…lonely…like living in a

        vacuum.

    5. All who cared for her had to wear surgical masks, including her parents, who were

        allowed to visit 2 times a week for one half hour. Any toy or book you touched had to be

        burned. There was no TV. You could not sit up.


Can you imagine the longing desire to get out of that situation? The hope each day that when you

picked up the news paper it would report a breakthrough in the fight against polio?

Out of the waiting…grew a hope…out of the hope…an expectation. Something has to happen to

break the grip of this crippling disease!


Then one day came this report. Dr. Jonas Salk had discovered a vaccine that would immunize

ALL of us against polio! The doctor could say you can go home son…the victory is at hand.

Polio no longer has power over us. Dr. Salk’s vaccine has transformed all of us into new

creatures that are no longer subject to polio! REJOICE! Take down the separating glass

petitions…touch and hug and dance. We are new creatures. Some of you may be wondering if

you have been immunized against polio…the answer is yes: 5 times…at 2 months, 4 months, 6

months, 18 months and again at 4 – 6 years. We have been transformed…we no longer need to

dread polio.


Now, let’s talk about a spiritual disease that also has power to cripple and destroy us. It is our

human tendence to want to be like God…to have our own way…to be selfish and self-centered.

John the Baptist knew the problem and he new how people had been waiting, hoping for some

way of changing our destructive ways. People went to John the Baptist like people searched their

news papers for news of a breakthrough on polio. They all wondered if their human plight would

ever go away. They knew from experience that it would not wish away.

Then John the Baptist announced the Good News to a waiting world…THE CHRIST is coming

and He will rid us of our selfish ways!

When the people asked John what they could do, He said you can start cleaning up your act right

now. We can reform (the anointed one will transform us) We can choose to cheat your neighbor

or not. When we have accepted Christ in our hearts we won’t WANT to cheat our neighbor.

As we receive Dr. Salk’s vaccine, we are no longer subject to Polio; so too when we accept

Christ’s sacrificial offering for our sins, we are free of the burden of trying to justify ourselves at

others expense. In Christ’s love we are immune from the deadly separating power of sin. We are

exposed to sin but not stricken and separated by it.


In Christ we are encouraged to meet, listen, dialogue, share, understand hung and dance.

In Christ, all of the dark foreboding corners of our lives have a lighter hew. As Christmas

approaches let that light so shine before men, that they may see our good works.

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