The Texts for Sunday, December 14th, 2014 Advent 3

First Reading: Isaiah 61:1–4, 8–11

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

because the LORD has anointed me;

he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,

to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim liberty to the captives,

and release to the prisoners;

  ²to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor,

and the day of vengeance of our God;

to comfort all who mourn;

  ³to provide for those who mourn in Zion — 

to give them a garland instead of ashes,

the oil of gladness instead of mourning,

the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit.

They will be called oaks of righteousness,

the planting of the LORD, to display his glory.

  ⁴They shall build up the ancient ruins,

they shall raise up the former devastations;

they shall repair the ruined cities,

the devastations of many generations.

  ⁸For I the LORD love justice,

I hate robbery and wrongdoing; 

I will faithfully give them their recompense,

and I will make an everlasting covenant with them.

  ⁹Their descendants shall be known among the nations,

and their offspring among the peoples;

all who see them shall acknowledge

that they are a people whom the LORD has blessed.

  ¹⁰I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,

my whole being shall exult in my God;

for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,

he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

  ¹¹For as the earth brings forth its shoots,

and as a garden causes what is sown in it to spring up,

so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise

to spring up before all the nations.

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5:16–24

¹⁶Rejoice always,  ¹⁷pray without ceasing,  ¹⁸give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.  ¹⁹Do not quench the Spirit.  ²⁰Do not despise the words of prophets,  ²¹but test everything; hold fast to what is good;  ²²abstain from every form of evil.

²³May the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  ²⁴The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do this.

Gospel: John 1:6–8, 19–28

⁶There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.  ⁷He came as a witness to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.  ⁸He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light.  ¹⁹This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  ²⁰He confessed and did not deny it, but confessed, "I am not the Messiah."  ²¹And they asked him, "What then? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the prophet?" He answered, "No."  ²²Then they said to him, "Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?"  ²³He said,

"I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,

'Make straight the way of the Lord,'"

as the prophet Isaiah said.

  ²⁴Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.  ²⁵They asked him, "Why then are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?"  ²⁶John answered them, "I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know,  ²⁷the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandal."  ²⁸This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.