Pastoral Message: Gaudete Sunday, the Virgin of Guadalupe, and Luther on Mary Week of the Second Sunday of Advent December 7, 2022
Pastoral Message: Gaudete Sunday, the Virgin of Guadalupe, and Luther on Mary
Week of the Second Sunday of Advent
December 7, 2022
Dear People of God at Faith-La Fe!
For those of you who have been in the church for many years, you may remember when the liturgical color for Advent was purple (violet), the same color as for Lent. That’s because for much of the history of the church, Advent had been a more penitential season not unlike Lent. Hence the two seasons sharing the color purple, associated with more somber, penitential themes. More recent liturgical scholarship has resulted in a shift of focus in Advent from penitence, feeling remorseful for our sins, to the theme of hopefulness in Christ’s coming. Hence the color blue for the season of Advent these days, especially in Lutheran and Episcopal churches, for blue, as I suggested in last week’s message, is associated with hopefulness.
But this coming Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent, you’ll notice that the color of the hangings in the chancel and of the liturgical vestments is rose. Likewise, you’ll note that the third Advent candle on the wreath is also rose colored. That’s because at Faith-La Fe, we’ll be observing this Sunday as Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is the Latin word for “rejoice.” It’s the first word in one of the traditional liturgical canticles for this day in Catholic churches taken from Philippians 4:4 where it reads, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice.” When Advent had a more somber tone, the pious took a break from all of that on the third Sunday of the season for a day of rejoicing at the nearness of the coming of the Lord. So, this Sunday we’ll view things, as it were, through “rose colored glasses” as we see things, from God’s point of view, as an occasion for rejoicing when we wait and prepare for the Lord’s coming.
The theme of rejoicing is retained in our current lectionary, and is especially prevalent in what is the first reading this Sunday from Isaiah: “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 shouting.” (Isaiah 35:1-2a) This rejoicing mood continues for the entire passage from Isaiah appointed for Advent’s third Sunday. And now that I live in the desert, I experience this passage from Isaiah in a whole new way – especially as I rejoiced this past Saturday during the all-day rain that helps make the desert spring to life, as the Isaiah passage suggests – “For waters shall break forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert” (Isaiah 35:6b)!
With the Third Sunday of Advent comes another shift as we begin to turn attention to Christmas. While John the Baptist is still a focus of this coming Sunday’s gospel reading, we also begin to consider Mary, Mother of our Lord. For example, the appointed psalmody for this Sunday is the Magnificat, the Song of Mary, from Luke’s Gospel which she proclaimed in the presence of her cousin Elizabeth (who herself was pregnant with John the Baptist) upon receiving the good news of her pregnancy with Jesus, the word of God made flesh for our salvation.
Which is to say that there is no Christmas without Mary and her willing yes when she consented to what God through the Holy Spirit had in store for her and for all of humanity in giving birth to Jesus the Christ, the anointed one. We Lutherans of European descent, who don’t normally have a devotion to Mary, do well to take another look at Mary and her crucial role in the Christian tradition and our life of faith. We’ll certainly have an opportunity for just that this coming Sunday evening when at 7:00 pm, Pastor Veronica will lead us all in a festive liturgy celebrating Our Lady of Guadalupe, which itself commemorates an appearance of Mary on the native territory of what is now Mexico. I commend to you Pastor Veronica’s thoughtful summary statement about this festival which appears in the most recent edition of our newsletter, Faith Alive! Suffice it to say, this season is one in which we honor Mary because of her role in the coming to us of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist points us to Jesus. So does Mary, Mother of our Lord.
For some Lutherans, again, those mainly of European descent, the absence of a devotion to Mary has too often become a statement that “we are not Catholics,” a way of defining ourselves by what we are not, which is not the most commendable manner of self-identification! As we prepare to honor Mary this Sunday and during this season, and as a way of emphasizing the importance of Mary in the Christian life, I am moved to conclude this message with the words of Martin Luther concerning Mary, who held her in high regard. Here is an excerpt from his work on “The Magnificat,” with special focus on the phrase from Mary’s song recorded in Luke’s gospel, “for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name,” (Luke 2:49). Luther writes: “The ‘great things’ are nothing less than that she became the Mother of God, in which work so many and such great good things are bestowed on her as pass [our] understanding…. She herself is unable to find a name for this work, it is too exceedingly great; all she can do is break out in the fervent cry: ‘They are great things,’ impossible to describe or define. Hence [we] have crowded all her glory into a single word, calling her the Mother of God [in the Greek, Theotokos, God-bearer]. No one can say anything greater of her or to her, though [there were] as many tongues as there are leaves on the trees, or grass in the fields, or stars in the sky, or sand by the sea. It needs to be pondered in the heart what it means to be the Mother of God.” (Luther’s Works, vol., 21, ed. Jaroslav Pelican. St. Louis: Concordia, 1956, 326) Clearly for Luther, Mary’s role and status are of extreme importance, for by bearing in her womb and in giving birth, the gift of Christ Jesus, is brought to the world. Jesus Christ, born of Mary, we confess to be God, the divine word made flesh, who along with the Father and the Holy Spirit comprise the mystery that is the Holy Trinity. The fullness of these divine mysteries Mary held in her body, her womb, as she pondered all of this in her heart. These are great things indeed which take place because of Mary’s humble and willing consent, she who trusted fully in the Almighty. Mary, in her profound faith, then, becomes a role model for all of us in our own discipleship, we who are likewise called and empowered to trust in the word made flesh for the sake of the world.
So, on a festive day of rejoicing this coming Sunday, in the morning and in the evening, let us ponder the holy mysteries of Mary, pregnant with the very Word of God. And in our rejoicing may we, too, be filled with the divine word and power from the Most High that we may give birth to the word in our own ways, in our conversations and in our doings, as we lovingly serve those most humble and lowly among us.
With Advent hopefulness and rejoicing in Christ Jesus,
Pastor Jonathan Linman
Pastor’s Office Phone Number: 602-265-5860
Email: pastor@faithalive.com
Announcements
Day for a Lutheran Refresher Course – for All of Us and Prospective New Members
Everyone – and especially those who wish to become members of Faith-La Fe – plan to join us this coming Saturday, December 10 beginning at 10:00 am for a day of getting reacquainted with the basics of the Lutheran tradition by worshipfully engaging themes of Martin Luther’s Small Catechism (a devotional work that is decidedly NOT just for kids!). Our day will follow the patterns of Sunday worship, and we’ll do together the things that the Small Catechism teaches – remember our baptism, explore in conversation the Ten Commandments and the Creed, pray and deeply engage the Lord’s Prayer, share in Holy Communion, have lunch, blessed by one of Luther’s table prayers, and more. During lunch we’ll have occasion to get to know each other better and share why being a member at Faith-La Fe is so desirable. After lunch, we’ll talk about ministry and mission opportunities and activities on offer at Faith-La Fe. We’ll conclude our time by about 2:30. Again, this is a day for everyone, but also those who feel drawn to join our congregation. It’s not too late to express your intent to join us. Please RSVP Pastor Linman (in person, via phone, or email – see contact information above) to let him know of your intent to attend this event.
Join Us for Spiritual Enrichment during Advent and Christmas
Wednesday evenings in Advent – Soup Dinner at 6:00 pm with Worship at 7:00
December 7 – St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan
December 14 – Advent Lessons and Carols presented by the Chancel Choir
December 21 – La Posadas, with dinner following worship
Saturday, December 10 beginning at 10:00 am – Lutheran Refresher Day for All and for Prospective New Members
Sunday, December 11 at 7:00 pm – Celebrating the Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe
Saturday, December 24 at 7:30 pm (with special prelude music beginning at 7:00 pm) – Christmas Eve Worship in English
Sunday, December 25 at 9:00 am (in English) and 11:00 am (in Spanish) – Worship on Christmas Day
Wednesday, December 28 at 7:00 pm – Observance of “Blue Christmas” also commemorating The Holy Innocents, Martyrs
Friday, January 6 at 7:00 pm – A Casual Social and Prayerful Gathering on the Feast of the Epiphany
Sunday, January 8 at 9:00 am (in English) and 11:00 am (in Spanish) – Baptism of Our Lord and the Sacrament of Holy Baptism
Rummage Sale
Do you need more closet or storage space? Too many books? A piece of furniture you don’t need anymore? We have a solution for you! Faith will hold a Rummage Sale on January 28 with proceeds going to Faith. You can help make this a fun day of treasure and bargain hunting while at the same time raising funds for Faith ministries. Your donations will be gratefully accepted starting in January. Watch this space for more details over the next weeks.
Rain Doesn’t Dampen Neighborhood Ministries’ Christmas Fiesta!
Despite the daylong rain…more than a thousand parents and kids enjoyed fun and food at Neighborhood Ministries’ Christmas Fiesta celebrating 40 years of service to families in Phoenix’s inner city. Faith Lutheran Thrivent volunteers had the happy assignment of helping to hand out gifts to the younger children. There were 1200 beautifully wrapped presents donated by local churches and non-profits. To pick out one was almost overwhelming for some, but they all met the challenge and emerged with arms full and smiles on faces. Much more was going on… games with prizes, a seat on Santa’s lap (for young and a few old), music, entertainment, visits to a bounce house, trolley tours, and dinner featuring pozole and dessert (served inside). Pozole is a tasty Mexican soup and we used a $250 Thrivent Action Team grant to purchase most of the carnitas meat that went into the pozole. Dorothy Cowley applied for the grant and Pastor Linman, Gail Turner, Brenda Lund, John Tomlinson, and Fred Cowley took part in the gift giving.
