Welcome
to Chilmark Community Church of
Martha’s Vineyard, MA. We are happy to have
you worshipping with us in this season of Hope
and Peace when we remember with Joy that Jesus
Christ is the ETERNAL LIGHT who is coming into
the world to restore God’s LOVE to the world.
Today is the third Sunday in Advent, or the second
Sunday before Christmas Day – the Day of our
Lord’s Nativity. Today is Joy Sunday. The psalm for
the day is psalm 126. It is a psalm that tells of the JOY that comes from the harvest. It reads in part:
“
1
When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion,
we were like those who dream.
2
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with shouts of joy;
5
May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy.
6
Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall
come home with shouts of joy,”
A plentiful harvest was a time of celebration and great joy because there was enough food to keep the family and the nation from starving and even dying through the long dark winter until the next spring and harvest. The
celebration was known as, “THE HARVEST JOY.”
On the other hand the text from St John 1:19-28 points to spiritual JOY.
It calls us to remember the origin and purpose of Jesus’ coming with a kind of anticipation and devotion that both challenges and encourages us to look steadfastly for eternal peace and joy that come from God John the Baptist demonstrates a powerful example of what it means to have an inner assurance and peace of soul and so witness with JOY to the ETERNAL LIGHT that is coming into the world.
As people of faith, let us remember the event of the WORD BECOMING FLESH to dwell among us. Let us remember THE COMING of Christ – the GREATEST WITNESS and JOY of God to humanity. Like John, we are witnesses to the GREATEST WITNESS (Christ Jesus) of the existence of God!
May we experience the TRUE LIGHT and JOY from on high as we
worship together on this third Sunday in Advent!
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