My Paraphrase of Sunday’s Scripture - Advent C2 with an Alternate Gospel Reading

As I mentioned in my “Paraphrase Post” from last week, my plan for preaching and worship during Advent and Christmas this year is to go chronologically through Luke 1-3.  Therefore, the gospel lessons I will be using in Advent are as follows:

Advent 1 - December 3rd - Zechariah and Elizabeth 1 (Theme will be “Silence”): Luke 1:5-25
Advent 2 - December 10th - Jesus Birth Foretold: Luke 1:26-38
Advent 3 - December 17th - Mary Visits Elizabeth - The Magnificat: Luke 39-56
Advent 4 - December 24th - Christmas Eve Morning (Service will focus primarily on music): Zechariah and Elizabeth 2: Luke 1:57-80

I have, however provided my paraphrase of Luke 3:1-6 below (though not the Canticle of Zechariah, instead below you will find Psalm 126).

Malachi 3:1-4
Behold I will send my messenger to prepare the way before me, and the Lord for whom you search will suddenly come to his temple. The messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight – behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.

But who can bear the day of his coming, and who can stand his appearing, for he is like a refiner’s fire and like fullers’ soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the descendants of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, so that they may bring unto the Lord offerings of righteousness. Then will the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasing unto the LORD as in the days of old and as in ancient years.

Psalm 126
When the Lord returned the captives to Zion,
we were like those who dream.
Then our mouths were filled with laughter,
and our tongues with singing.
And at that time the other nations declared,
`The Lord has done great things for them.’
The Lord has done great things for us,
and we are glad.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord,
as streams in a dry land.
May those who sow in tears
reap with songs of joy.
May those who go out bearing precious seed for sowing,
return with rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.

Philippians 1:3-11
I give thanks to my God upon my every remembrance of you, always praying every prayer of mine for with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. I am convinced of this: that he who began a good work in you will accomplish it by the day of Jesus Christ. It is right for me to think this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for both in my bonds and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel, you are companions in my grace.

For indeed God is my witness, how intensely I long for you all with the affection of Jesus Christ. So this I pray, that your love may increase yet more and more with full knowledge and all discernment that you may determine what is excellent, so that you may be pure and faultless at the day of Christ, being filled with the fruit righteousness for the sake of Jesus Christ and for the glory and praise of God.

Luke 3:1-6
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John,the son of Zechariah, in the desert.

He went throughout the whole country around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:

“A voice of one crying out in the desert:
‘Prepare you the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.
Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low.
The crooked shall be made straight; the rough made smooth,
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God’”.

Luke 1:26-38
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name . . . Mary. And the angel came near to her and said, `Greetings, highly favored one! The Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women’

But when she perceived him, she was deeply troubled by his words and pondered what kind of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, `Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have been graced by God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’

Mary said to the angel, `How can this be, since I have not been with a man?’ The angel said to her, `The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will envelope you; therefore the sacred one born who will be born to you will be called Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth, she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her who called barren. For with God nothing will be impossible..’ And Mary said, `Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.’ Then the angel departed from her.

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