THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT A Lectionary #7
At first glance, today's readings seem to echo the previous Sunday's in theme and its “players” (e.g., John the Baptizer). But there is a subtle and important shift that moves us closer to the mystery of the incarnation celebrated at Christmas.

Isaiah 35:1-6, 10.  The messianic age is a transformative time. The land that once was home to one of Israel's bitterest enemies, the Kingdom of Edom, will be transformed after Edom's destruction into a garden. God is acting on behalf of the people, even to the point of healing people who are blind, deaf, and otherwise afflicted. This passage is directly quoted in the Gospel today.

Psalm of the Day: Ps (145) 146
This is an “acrostic” poem, each line beginning with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which celebrates God as king. The divine rule is marked by the same signs that herald the coming messianic age: justice, freedom, healing, and mercy.

Alaba, Alma Mía, al Señor: Respuesta II (Reza)  FYC 277
Lord, Come and Save Us (Ancell)   JS 113
Lord, Come and Save Us (Batastini/Murray)  CBW 23
Lord, Come and Save Us (Guimont)   GC 1010/LPMG 7
Lord, Come and Save Us (Janco) PRM A3/PMB 560/WS 51
Lord, Come and Save Us (Joncas)  GP 283/SP2 74
Lord, Come and Save Us (LeBlanc/Gelineau)  WOR 772/RS 194/LPGG 772
Lord, Come and Save Us (Schiavone)   LP 14/JS 884
Ven, Señor/Lord, Come and Save Us (Schiavone)   SS
Ven, Señor, a Salvarnos: Respuesta II (Taulé)  FYC 278

James 5:7-10. James weighs in with a call for patience (see the second reading for last Sunday), but this time the call is not for patience with each other in the Christian community but for patience with God.

Matthew 11:2-11. On the two previous Sundays, the images of the end time found in the first reading and in the Gospel were in strong contrast. Now they are united in a focus on the messianic age as a time of healing, justice, and mercy. Jesus holds up the example of John as the expected messenger who would herald the coming of the new age. But he also points out that those who participate in God's new age can be considered greater even than John.

Songs for the Liturgy

Advent Gathering (1,G)  GC 338/RS 492/SS
*Are You the Coming One? (G)   HG 71
Arise, Your Light Is Come! (1,G)  CBW 302
Awake! Awake, and Greet the New Morn (1,G)  GC 351/WOR 360/CBW 303/RS 494/WC 445/WS 343/SS
Awake, Awake: Fling Off the Night (1)  CBW 304
Be Light for Our Eyes (1,G)  GC 511/CBW 305
*Be Patient, God=s People (2)   SS
Be Strong! (1)  LMGM 237
Clear the Voice (G)   JS 317
Come, Emmanuel (1)   PMB 192/WC 459/WS 340
Come, Light of the World (1) WC 443/WS 338
Come, Lord Jesus (1,Ps) BB
Come, O Long Expected Jesus (1,G)  WOR 364/CBW 300,306/BB/LMGM 5/GC 345/WC 440/JS 328/RS 496/GP 309/PMB 189/WS 341/SS
Creator Alme Siderum‑‑Latin/English (1,G)   WOR 368/CBW 307/BB/LMGM 7/GC 334/WC 456/JS 325/RS 483/GP 305/PMB 187/WS 350/SS
Each Winter as the Year Grows Older (G)  GC 350
Flow River Flow (1)  MI‑BB/JS 541/GP 455
For the Coming of the Savior (1,G)   SS
God Has Chosen Me (1,Ps,G)  MI‑BB/GC 669/JS 831/GP 546
God of All People (G)  GC 349/CBW 314/SS
Hail to the Lord's Anointed (1,G)   PMB 225/WC 495/SS
*Hold Me in Life (G)  MI‑BB/JS 702/GP 596
*Let Desert Wasteland Now Rejoice (1)   SS
Listen, My People (1,G)  CBW 309
Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming (1)  WOR 374/BB/LMGM 24/GC 373/WC 476/JS 338/GP 320/PMB 210/WS 352/SS
Maranatha (1)  BB/GP 295/SS/GC 324, 335
O Come, Divine Messiah (1,G)  WOR 367/CBW 310/BB/GC 333/WC 447/JS 316/RS 479/PMB 195/WS 342/SS
On Jordan's Bank (G)  WOR 356/CBW 351/LMGM 8/BB/GC 344/WC 451/JS 315/RS 490/GP 296/PMB 190/WS 349/SS
Patience, People (2)  GP 303/BB/JS 314
People, Look East (1)  WOR 359/BB/GC 337/WC 462/JS 329/RS 482/GP 300/PMB 188/WS 351/SS
People of the Night (2)  GC 346
Proclaim the Joyful Message (1,G)  PMB 197/WC 460/WS 353
Ps 85: Lord, Let Us See Your Kindness (1)
Ready the Way (1)  BB/JS 323
The Spirit of God (G)   WC 761/PMB 399/WS 555
The Voice of God Goes Out through All the World (G)  WOR 358/CBW 433   
Walk in the Reign (1)  GC 325
Warm the Time of Winter (1)   GC 339
When the King Shall Come Again (1,G)  WOR 355/GC 327/RS 487/JS 318
You Have Anointed Me (1,Ps,G)  GC 662/RS 795/GP 555