Advent 3 (A) sermons
Answer, Advent 3 (A) – December 14, 2025
[RCL] Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:5-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 We want answers, most days. We crave them; we seek them; sometimes we demand them. We peer at stars and read between lines and survey the vast, muddied landscape of our experiences, hoping to catch sight of something clear and telling. Often they are quite matter-of-fact,…
Expectations, Advent 3 (A) – 2022
[RCL] Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:4-9 or Canticle 15 [or Canticle 3]; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 The Third Sunday of Advent is traditionally known as “Gaudete” or “Rejoice” Sunday, so called because of the heightened excitement in anticipation for the birth of Christ. But as we listen to the gospel appointed for this day, it may…
The Unexpected, Advent 3 (A) – 2019
[RCL]: Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:4-9 or Canticle 15; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 “Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us…” begins our collect for today. This sounds like one thing, but it means something else entirely, doesn’t it? It sounds like God is out at Hogwarts with Harry Potter, stirring…
Can You See and Hear God’s Presence in Your Life?, Advent 3 (A) – 2016
We are well into the third week of the Advent season. Advent is a season of waiting, expectation, and preparation for the coming of the Messiah. But who is this Messiah? Do we have any preconceived idea how we would like this Messiah to be? John the Baptist seems to have certain ideas. In today’s…
Expecting the Unexpected Messiah, Advent 3 (A) – 2013
What happens when our expectations don’t get met? How about when it’s our expectations about God that don’t get met? A few years ago, Steve Johnson, a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills, voiced his surprise on Twitter when things didn’t turn out the way he hoped during a football game. After Johnson dropped a…
When Cooks Attending Services…, Advent 3 (A) – 2010
“Stir up your power, O Lord, and with great might come among us.” When cooks attending services in villages all over England would hear these words from the Collect of the Day, they would hurry home afterward to stir up the fruity batter that had been fermenting in their kitchens for weeks, the prime ingredient…
The Season of Advent Is Perhaps…, Advent 3 (A) – 2007
The Season of Advent is perhaps the most confusing and most inspiring of our church seasons. In it, we anticipate both the coming of the Christ child at the first Christmas and the second coming of Jesus at the end of the world. It is a season in which the readings focus on the paradox…
Stir Up Your Power, O Lord, Advent 3 (A) – 2004
Here’s a question for you. Why the pink, or rose-colored, candle on our Advent wreath this morning? After all, the other three candles are all either violet or perhaps a shade of blue. Need a hint? Well, consider that this is the third Sunday in our current Advent season, a time of reflection and even…
For God’s People, God’s Holy Way Is a Choice, Advent 3 (A) – 2001
A highway shall be there,and it shall be called theHoly Way;the unclean shall not travel on it,but it shall be for God’speople;no traveler, not even fools, shallgo astray.(Isaiah 35:8-10) The earlier verses (5-6) of this beautiful chapter in Isaiah are much more familiar than the few lines quoted above. The opening of blind eyes and…
Sponsored
Kristen LeMay
Editor
