The Third Sunday of Advent Year B

The Third Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 61.1–4, 8–11
1 Thessalonians 5.16–24
John 1.6–8, 19–28

So at last, after weeks of foreboding, of warnings that the coming of the Lord is not something to take lightly or to meet with unprepared, now at last the excitement begins to mount.

First of all there is John. You could read his self-description as humble and self-effacing, but I’m not sure that it is. It rings with certainty. John knows exactly what he is and what he is not. He knows that he is a necessary part of God’s unfolding plan, the first actor on the stage, the narrator who sets the scene and lets us know what is to come. There is barely suppressed excitement in his voice as he scans the crowd, waiting for the face that he knows he – and only he – will recognize...

Taken from Lectionary Reflections – Year B by Jane Williams