Rev. Jim Hammond introduces us to each of the four Sunday’s of Advent and explores their significance and traditions. The Third Sunday of Advent Jesus is coming! There are four Sundays in the liturgical season of Advent, a time of preparation for the birth of Jesus. There are multiple ways to think about each of the four Sundays in Advent, none of which is thoroughly established in Christian teaching or in Episcopal tradition. This year we will concentrate on the themes of 1) hope, 2) faith, 3) joy, and 4) love. The verse from the fourth chapter of Philippians set aside for the beginning of worship on the Third Sunday of Advent in Latin reads, "Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete," which translates into English as, "Rejoice in the Lord always: again I say rejoice." Many composers have set this verse to music, notably among them being Henry Purcell and John Redford (by attribution). It is worth the time to find their settings on a web site such as YouTube and listen to their compositions on the Third Sunday of Advent, when the rose colored candle in the Advent wreath is lit. The rose candle is one sign of the relaxation of the spiritual discipline of preparation during Advent which leads worshipers to "rejoice in the Lord always, again and again, to rejoice that the birth of the Lord is near."
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