The Rev’d Ivica Gregurec

A, Advent 3 (2025)

Dear friends in Christ,
Today we celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent, also called Gaudete
Sunday, the Sunday of Rejoicing. We light the rose candle, the colour of
joy. Even when life feels heavy, the Church invites us to rejoice because
God is coming close to us here and now.

Advent is a season of waiting, but also a season of hope. We wait for
Christ, who is already working quietly and lovingly in our world.
In our first reading Isaiah gives a beautiful picture:
‘The desert shall rejoice and blossom…the weak shall be made strong.’
This is a picture that we already reflected upon last Sunday – Isaiah now
continues deeper into it. He spoke to people who were tired and
discouraged. They felt like they were living in a dry desert in their
hearts.

But Isaiah says: God will bring new life. God will make the dry land
bloom again.

Here in New Zealand, we know what it is like to see dry land after
summer drought, and we also know the joy when rain finally comes and
the land becomes green again. Isaiah says God does this in our lives as
well.

The psalm today, Psalm 146, tells us that God lifts up those who are
bowed down, cares for the stranger, and protects the vulnerable.
This is why we can rejoice: because God is faithful.

James writes: ‘Be patient, beloved, until the coming of the Lord.’
This patience is active.
It is like the patience of a farmer in rural New Zealand:
preparing the soil,
planting the seeds,
trusting that the rain will come in its own time.

We cannot make everything happen quickly, but we can prepare our
hearts and our communities for God’s work. Isn’t this a wonderful
picture and image of our church communities too?

In the Gospel we find John the Baptist in prison. He sends Jesus a
painful question: ‘Are you the one, or should we wait for another?’
Even someone as brave and holy as John can feel doubt, fear, and
confusion.

Jesus answers with gentleness:
‘Tell John what you see: the blind see, the lame walk, the poor hear
good news.’ In other words, Jesus is saying: Yes, John. God’s promises
are already happening. Look around. The Book of Isaiah is true.
An early Christian teacher, Cyril of Jerusalem, known for his catechesis
for those who were just baptised, once said:
‘Do not look for God only in great signs.
Often God works quietly,
changing the heart little by little.’
This is very true in our lives.

Sometimes we want big miracles or fast answers.
But often God works slowly and quietly – in prayer, in kindness, in
community, in healing that takes time.

Our readings also speak to the world we live in today.
There are still ‘desert places’ in our society – places where life is hard
and unfair.

Unfortunately, in Aotearoa New Zealand we know that many people live
with inequality:

some families have warm homes, others live in cold or
overcrowded houses, – some can afford healthcare easily, others struggle to see a doctor, – some communities have many opportunities, others feel left
behind, – Māori and Pasifika communities often carry heavier burdens
because of our history and systems.

The Bible is very clear:
God cares for the poor, the stranger, the vulnerable, and the
overlooked. Nobody holds us responsible for the systems of the past.
But we are called to recognise them and work for a just society.
Psalm 146 says God ‘upholds the orphan and the widow,’ and Isaiah
describes a Holy Way where all can walk safely.

If we follow Jesus, we cannot ignore inequality in our country.
We are called to help make the ‘Holy Way’ real here: – supporting fair housing, – caring for the homeless and hungry, – standing with those who face discrimination, – building respectful relationships between Māori and Pākehā, – welcoming newcomers, migrants, and refugees, – creating communities where no one is forgotten.

James tells us to be patient, but not passive.

Patience means working with hope, like the farmer.

Cyril reminds us that great change often begins in small acts.
A fairer society grows when ordinary people show compassion, speak
up, and share what they have.

To follow Jesus is to help the desert bloom – one action at a time.
Today we are called to rejoice.

But Christian joy is not pretending everything is fine.

Christian joy looks honestly at our world – at the cost of living pressures,

at inequality, at loneliness, at injustice – and still says:
‘God is coming. God is healing. God is at work.’

This is hope with open eyes.
This is joy that refuses to give up.

Isaiah tells us that God is making a Holy Way, a safe road that leads us
home.

Jesus walks this road with us:
healing our wounds,
strengthening our spirits,
guiding us in love,
teaching us how to care for one another.
So, dear friends:
Let us rejoice.
Let us rejoice with honesty.
Let us rejoice while working for justice.
Let us rejoice because Christ is near,
and because God is making a new way in our land.
The desert will bloom.
The poor will hear good news.
Amen.