Dear Friends,
Gaudete! Or as we say in English, Rejoice!
Lunchtime last Monday, when we heard on the news that the vaccine was on its way to us, pending approval by Health Canada, which was expected to come next week, all I could think of was “Thanks be to God.” Lunchtime last Wednesday, when we heard on the news that Health Canada had approved the first vaccine, it happened again. “Thanks be to God.”
Which reminds me – Why is the advent candle for the third Sunday in Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday, pink?
The change in colour signifies a change in mood. Up until this point in Advent the emphasis is on repentance, on preparation. But the time for the celebration of the birth of Christ is coming closer. And the mood starts to change to one of joy.
Gaudete Sunday announces this change with these traditional words: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Let your forbearance be known to all, for the Lord is near at hand; have no anxiety about anything, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God’ (Philippians 4: 4-6) and ‘Lord, you have blessed your land; you have turned away the captivity of Jacob’ (Psalm 85:1).
Blessings for Advent,
Revs. Bob and Helen Smith
A version of this message first appeared in the Friday, December 11, 2020, edition of Tidbits.