Joy through Repentance, Luke 3:7-20, Zephaniah 3:14-20

In our Gospel lesson from Luke 3, we hear of John the Baptist’s preaching to the crowds and his calling them to repentance in preparation for the coming of the Messiah. How does this preaching of repentance bring to the joy of the Lord? Is joy something we create in ourselves or is it something that God brings to us?

Image: Christ with the Winnowing Fan, photo taken by Lawrence OP, license: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0, no changes made. Image location: https://www.flickr.com/photos/paullew/52541480597

Advent Confrontation: Joy Received, Zephaniah 3:14-20, Luke 3:7-20

The prophet Zephaniah has foretold of the coming judgment of God throughout his book, but at the end of it, he speaks of a picture of rejoicing that flows out of the work of Yahweh to bring the Gentiles and Israelites together into a single company that praises him. John the Baptist tells the people how they are to live in light of their repentance in the Gospel of Luke. How do these come together in light of the work of Jesus in us? Father Jeremiah helps us to understand that God’s joy in bringing out salvation becomes a foundation for our repentance and rejoicing through today’s text.

Image: Ghent AltarPiece-Music making Angels (right), Jan van Eych, public domain. Image location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ghent_Altarpiece_-_Music-making_Angels_(right).jpg

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