Advent 3�The Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ Brings True Rejoicing, Even Under the Cross

Is. 35:1-10; James 5:7-11; Matt. 11:2-15; Psalm 146

Exegesis of the LectionaryStudying, expounding, and interpreting the Bible readings through the Church Year

Advent 3 (15 December 2013)

Isaiah 35:1–10James 5:7–11Matthew 11:2–15

The Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ Brings True Rejoicing, Even Under the CrossSometimes life requires the astonishing patience of Job. Like him, we are to rejoice in the midst of affliction, be grounded in repentance under the cross of Christ and hope relentlessly in His resurrection, that we might see “the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful” (James 5:11). Therefore, in the promise of the Gospel, “be patient” and “establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand” (James 5:8). Like John the Baptist, whatever your own kind of prison or suffering may be, call upon Jesus and receive the strength of His Word from those He sends to you. For as “the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up” (Matt. 11:5), so is the Good News of Jesus preached to you also. He comes and restores the fortunes of Zion, His holy Church, so that “sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Is. 35:10).

This week:

Compassion

•Christmas is a time to focus on others. •What’s the coolest gesture you’ve seen around the holidays to help make the world a better place?

Use your prayer notes. Use a verse from the

bible to reflect on. Pray about how the

cross brings rejoicing. P raise

R epentanceA ppreciationY ouE veryoneR esolve

Prayer Activity

In peace, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy. For a proper faith that trusts in Jesus for forgiveness and believes Him to be the promised Christ, let us pray to the Lord: Lord, have mercy. For right preparation for the Lord’s return, that we might remain steadfast until that day… For this congregation, that she would continue to be a place where the Gospel is rightly proclaimed and the Sacraments correctly administered for the life and salvation of God’s people and that she might be an instrument of God’s mercy to her neighbors… For our spiritual fathers, especially Matthew, our Synod

president; ______, our district president; ________, our circuit counselor; and _______, our pastor, that they might be encouraged to declare the goodness of God to us… For our civil servants, especially Congress; our justices and judges; Barack, our president; ______, our governor; _______, our mayor; and all in positions of secular authority, that they might execute justice, protecting the innocent and punishing wrongdoers…

Use your prayer notes. Use a verse from the

bible to reflect on. Pray about how the

cross brings rejoicing. P raise

R epentanceA ppreciationY ouE veryoneR esolve

Prayer Activity

 For any who suffer, [especially _______________,] that they might find hope in the Lord who gave sight to the blind, made the lame walk, cleansed the lepers and raised the dead… For those in economic distress, the hungry, the homeless, the unemployed or underemployed, and any less fortunate, that God would grant them relief in distress and courage in anxiety…

 For those who receive the body and blood of Jesus in the Holy Supper this day, that they would eat and drink confident of the Lord’s power to save… These things and whatever else You know that we need, kind Father, grant us for the sake of Your beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

LSB 345

1 Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding!"Christ is near," we hear it say."Cast away the works of darkness,All you children of the day!"

2 Startled at the solemn warning,Let the earth-bound soul arise;Christ, its sun, all sloth dispelling,Shines upon the morning skies.

3 See, the Lamb, so long expected,Comes with pardon down from heav'n.Let us haste, with tears of sorrow,

One and all, to be forgiv'n;

4 So, when next He comes in gloryAnd the world is wrapped in fear,He will shield us with His mercyAnd with words of love draw near.

5 Honor, glory, might, dominionto the Father and the SonWith the ever-living Spirit While eternal ages run!

Meet w/teams3-5 min per box

What are the major points of your text? How does your topic fit the pericope

theme? How does it connect to the other texts?

How is it unique?

Group Time The Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ Brings True Rejoicing, Even Under the Cross

Isaiah 35:1-10The Ransomed Shall Return35 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;    the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;2 it shall blossom abundantly    and rejoice with joy and singing.The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,    the majesty of Carmel andSharon.They shall see the glory of theLORD,    the majesty of our God.3 Strengthen the weak hands,    and make firm the feeble knees.4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,    “Be strong; fear not!Behold, your God    will come with vengeance,with the recompense of God.    He will come and save you.”5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,    and the ears of the deaf unstopped;6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer,

    and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.For waters break forth in the wilderness,    and streams in the desert;7 the burning sand shall become a pool,    and the thirsty ground springs of water;in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down,    the grass shall become reeds and rushes.8 And a highway shall be there,    and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;the unclean shall not pass over it.    It shall belong to those who walk on the way;    even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.[a]

9 No lion shall be there,    nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;they shall not be found there,    but the redeemed shall walk there.10 And the ransomed of the LORDshall return    and come to Zion with singing;everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;    they shall obtain gladness and joy,    and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

James 5:7-11Patience in Suffering7 Be patient, therefore, brothers,[a] until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.8 You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. 9 Do not grumble against one another,

brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. 10 As an example of suffering and patience, brothers, takethe prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. 11 Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.

Matthew 11:2-152 Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word byhis disciples 3 and said to him, “Are youthe one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” 4 And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers[a] are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. 6 And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John:“What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A man[b] dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are

in kings' houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet?[c] Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.10 This is he of whom it is written,“‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face,    who will prepare your way before you.’11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,[d] and the violent take it by force. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. 15 He who has ears to hear,[e] let him hear.

Psalm 146Put Not Your Trust in Princes146 Praise the LORD!Praise the LORD, O my soul!2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live;    I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.3 Put not your trust in princes,    in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.4 When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;    on that very day his plans perish.5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,    whose hope is in the LORD his God,6 who made heaven and earth,    the sea, and all that is in them,

who keeps faith forever;7     who executes justice for the oppressed,    who gives food to the hungry.The LORD sets the prisoners free;8     the LORD opens the eyes of the blind.The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down;    the LORD loves the righteous.9 The LORD watches over the sojourners;    he upholds the widow and the fatherless,    but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.10 The LORD will reign forever,    your God, O Zion, to all generations.Praise the LORD!

Fourth S. in Advent (Rorate Coeli)

God’s Word Is Fulfilled for Us in the Flesh and Blood of Christ Jesus, the Son of Mary

Isaiah 7:10–17 The Sign of Immanuel

Romans 1:1–7 GreetingMatthew 1:18–25 The Birth

of Jesus ChristPsalm 24 The King of Glory

Next Week…

Isaiah 7:10-17

The Sign of Immanuel10 Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz, 11 “Aska sign of the LORD your[a] God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.” 12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the LORD to the test.” 13 And he[b]said, “Hear then, O house of David! Is it too little for you to weary men, that youweary my God also? 14 Therefore theLord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.[c]15 He shall eat curds and honey when he knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 For before the boy knows how to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land whose two kings you dread will be deserted. 17 The LORD will bring upon you and upon your people and upon your father's house such days as have not come since the day thatEphraim departed from Judah—the king of Assyria.”

Romans 1:1-7

Greeting

1 Paul, a servant[a] of Christ Jesus,called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son,who was descended from David[b]according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, 5 through whom we

have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations,6 including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,7 To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 1:18-25

The Birth of Jesus Christ18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ[a] took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed[b] to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,    and they shall call his nameImmanuel”

(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but

knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Psalm 24

The King of Glory

A Psalm of David.

24 The earth is the LORD's and the fullness thereof,[a]

    the world and those who dwell therein,2 for he has founded it upon the seas    and established it upon the rivers.3 Who shall ascend the hill of theLORD?    And who shall stand in his holy place?4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,    who does not lift up his soul towhat is false    and does not swear deceitfully.5 He will receive blessing from theLORD    and righteousness from the God of his salvation.6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,    who seek the face of the God of Jacob.[b

] Selah7 Lift up your heads, O gates!    And be lifted up, O ancient doors,    that the King of glory may come in.8 Who is this King of glory?    The LORD, strong and mighty,    the LORD, mighty in battle!9 Lift up your heads, O gates!    And lift them up, O ancient doors,    that the King of glory may come in.10 Who is this King of glory?    The LORD of hosts,    he is the King of glory!Selah