Third Sunday of Advent
As I write this we are in the last week of school. It is a huge week for the Year 8 Leavers, their teachers and parents and I have to say they are all really tired. It is a time of mixed emotions as they move on to their next phase of schooling and maturity, and in amongst it all, the planning for next year term 1 at St Marks is well and truly underway.
This Sunday we celebrate the third Sunday in Advent. This is often called Gaudete (meaning rejoice) Sunday. In this year’s lectionary readings, our allocated readings of scripture by the Church for the Sunday, the focus is on an authentic response to the arrival/advent of God’s new covenant that is revealed in Christ.
In the reading from the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 35:1-10) we hear of the desert rejoicing with joy and song as it blossoms. “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing.”
This wonderful imagery is Isaiah’s vision of new creation that is born out of God’s work in the world. The new creation is sprouting new shoots through Jesus. It is Jesus who tells John the Baptist’s disciples to report back to him that “the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them.” God’s kingdom is here.
God Bless you
Parish Officers
Parish Governance
Parish Groups
From the Vicar
