Dear Christian friends:

Please look at the Advent wreath you can see that one of the candles is pink, the candle for this Sunday. As I have told you before the purple color on the other three candles means repentance. The Sundays of advent are for repenting. What does the pink color mean? It means joy and rejoicing Sunday. The lessons tell us about the comfort and joy for God's people because their Savior comes to them.

Advent is a time to confess our sins and be sorry. It is also a time of rejoicing, because the Savior comes to save us from our sins. In our text, which is the Old Testament lesson for this Sunday, Jesus speaks through the Prophet Isaiah and Prophesies about His coming from heaven to earth and He tells about the great joy His coming brings to humble people. (Read Luke 4:16-21 for the fulfillment of this Prophecy.)


In our text Jesus says that He comes and brings good news and joy to humble people: "The Lord's Spirit is upon Me, because the lord God has chosen Me to tell the Good News to the poor and to comfort those people with sad hearts. He sent Me to announce freedom to slaves and those people in prison". (verse 1) Jesus talks about humble people, people in trouble, poor people, people with sad hearts, slaves and prisoners.

Are you humble? Sad hearted? A slave? A prisoner? Poor? Yes, you are! By nature we are poor sinners, slaves of sin and prisoners of Satan. We are born sinners and daily sin much. Sin separates us from God and one another. Sin makes us enemies of God and enemies of one another no love or peace! And at last we would all get punished in hell if not saved. This is bad news!

But the Lord sent Jesus "to preach Good News to the poor, to comfort those with sad hearts and to announce freedom to slaves and those in prison." God sent Jesus from heaven to earth to preach the Good News of sins forgiven.

Jesus did more than preach the Good News from God; He is the Good News! He came to die on the cross, to suffer God's anger and punishment against sinners, so that God can forgive us all and free us from the power and rule of sin in our lives, and at last take us to heaven.

Therefore let us today confess our sins and believe in Jesus! Let us us accept Him for our Savior and rejoice in Him. Our rejoicing in Jesus, our Savior, and our praise to God can be great. The pink colored candle in our Advent wreath reminds us of that rejoicing.

In our text we read how the Prophet Isaiah rejoiced in this Good News about the future, coming Savior. He says, "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord. My soul rejoices in God, because He gives me the clothes of Salvation. He covers me with the robe of righteousness." (verse 10A) When God forgives our sins because of Jesus, it is like putting on and wearing a beautiful suit or dress. It means we are now holy and without sin or bad before God.

Jesus by His holy life won that righteousness for us. Isaiah says more about his joy in Jesus, "I am like a bridegroom with flowers. I am the same as a bride with jewels." (verse 10b) Can you think of a more happy day in your life than wedding day? As you rejoiced on your wedding day, so you should and can rejoice in Jesus your Savior who comes again this Christmas.

Even if you are old or dying, you can rejoice in Jesus who was born on the first Christmas to be our Savior. Some people think that Christmas is only for children. Many years ago I was riding on a bus in Spokane, Washington. It was about one week before Christmas. Two ladies who had been shopping sat opposite from me and they were talking about Christmas. One lady said to the other, "I don't get excited about Christmas anymore. Christmas is for children." That lady had the wrong idea about Christmas. True, Christmas is for children, but it is also for middle-aged people and also for old people.

The joy of Christmas is for all people; all ages because it is the joy of salvation in Christ who was born to be our Savior. The angel said to Joseph, "You shall call the Baby's name Jesus, because He shall save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21) The old, the sick, the dying need Jesus the Savior as much as the young and the children. If you are old and have faith in Jesus, you will be excited about Christmas and you will have great joy in the Savior who comes to live in your heart again this Christmas.

When John Quincy Adams was 80 years old, a friend met him on the street in Boston, and asked him, "How is John Quincy Adams today?" The former president replied, "John Quincy Adams, himself, is well, very well, I thank you. But the house (body) in which he lives now is becoming very dilapidated. (weak) It is teetering upon its foundation. Time and seasons have almost destroyed it. Its roof is almost gone, its walls are much shattered and tremble with every wind. The old house (body) is becoming almost too bad to live in, and I think John Quincy Adams must move out soon. (die) But he (His soul) is well, very well!" Although his body had become weak and dying, John Quincy Adam's soul was well and happy. He believed in Jesus who was born the first Christmas to be our Savior.

We all can and should rejoice in the Savior who comes to our hearts again this Christmas. One Christmas ad in the newspaper said, For a beautiful Christmas shop at Sears!" Buying things at Sears may give you some pleasure, but true joy and beauty we receive by looking into the manger and believing in the Baby Jesus, God's Son, our Savior!

Amen.