Third Sunday in Advent (Gaudete Sunday)

Why is it so dark in here?

Last night, as we gathered in the University Church (in unusually dim light) to celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent—Gaudete Sunday—many asked this question.

Why is it so dark in here?

And isn’t that the same question Advent asks of us? As the sun sets earlier and earlier, leaving us literally “in the dark,” this season leaves us waiting for the light, longing for the light—for the coming of Christ, the true light, into our world.

And truth be told, sometimes our world is dark. Really dark. Wars rage. People are shot and killed on our streets. Friendships, relationships, and marriages fall apart. Most often, we persist in the little sins, the drama and little hurts that tear us apart.

Take a moment, right now, and call to mind those things. Call to mind those darknesses that you’re dealing with right now.

Name them. Face them. Hold them in your heart.

Why is it so dark in here?

But this Third Sunday of Advent—this Gaudete! Sunday—calls us to REJOICE!

Because even in darkness, we invoke the light that has come into our lives! We symbolize that ever-growing light with candles—one, then two, then three, then four—that symbolize our growing hope, our anticipation of the coming of Christ.

That for which we long has come and will come again! 

But don’t get me wrong—that doesn’t mean everything is okay. Quite the opposite.

Why is it so dark in here?

Christ, the true light, dwells within and among us. And although those are words we say a lot, we need to consider the full depth of their meaning. These words are a command! Because Christ is present in us and through us, we are called through prayer and action to make our joy known to the world, that all “may have life, and have it more abundantly!” (Jn. 10:10). 

The First Reading gives us pretty specific ideas of what it means to bring this light to the world:

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
to announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God.

To ask, “Why is it so dark in here?”  is to ask “How do I make it light?”

Rejoice, People of God, and work to make it light!

Paul J. Schutz

PhD Candidate in Systematic Theology, Assistant Director of Music for Campus Ministry