Adult Object Lesson: Advent 3, December 16, 2012
He’s going to find out who’s naughty or nice!
Zephaniah 3:14-20 • Isaiah 12:2-6 • Philippians 4:4-7 • Luke 3:7-18
The third Sunday in Advent is a good time to relate biblical tradition to secular tradition.
We are tempted to think that awaiting Christmas is all warm and cozy. If we don’t feel that way there must be something wrong with us!
Today’s lectionary tosses that wishful thinking out the window. There is definitely something wrong with the people listening to Zephaniah and John the Baptist.
Today’s Old Testament reading and Gospel read a lot like Santa’s list of Naughty and Nice…only today’s writers are definitely concentrating on the naughty.
Your object today can be a scroll on which you can write some of the naughty notions talked about in Zephaniah and Luke. Zephaniah brings harsh words of warning to God’s people who are falling to temptation. John the Baptist addresses specific segments of his following with direct and practical advice on how to make their sorry lots better. You might have a second scroll for the Nice things John suggests.
And then there are the two other scriptures: Isaiah and Philippians connecting the Old and New Testament readings.
What is their message? Be joyful.
That’s the funny thing about Christmas.
Naughty or nice, it all comes down to doing something about our sin and rejoicing. Joy to the World.