Advent 3 - Joy in a Fragile World

Luke 1:57-80 -  Joy in a Fragile World

Advent is a season of waiting, and anticipation. In this fragile world, where uncertainty and fear often cloud our vision, the Advent theme of Joy invites us to pause and contemplate a deeper truth. 

In Luke 1:57-80, after the story of the annunciation and Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, we read of he story of  the birth John the Baptist and Zechariah’s prophetic song. Again, the narrative is more than a single moment in time. It is a universal metaphor for how the divine speaks into the fragile, human places of our lives bringing joy into the world.  

The narrative begins with Elizabeth’s miraculous pregnancy in her old age reaching its culmination as she gives birth to her son John the Baptist. Her neighbours and relatives rejoice with her, not just because a child is born, but because they perceive in this event the hand of something greater.  Every birth, every new beginning, reminds us of life’s sacredness, even in a world that often feels broken. A few weeks ago in church I mentioned a quote that every new baby born into the world is a reminder that God has not given up on humanity.  But sometimes there is born into the world those who will profoundly shape and change the world… those who will make a huge impact on the world for the better.  The birth of John the Baptist in Luke’s narrative is one of those moments. 

Zechariah’s story echoes and amplifies this joy of Elizabeth and her companions. His silence, imposed earlier in the narrative because of his disbelief, ends when he names his son John, in obedience to the angel’s message. In that moment, his tongue is freed, and he bursts into song—what is often called the Benedictus. Zechariah’s song is a hymn of liberation, a proclamation of joy rooted in the fulfilment of ancient promises. He sees his son not just as a child but as one who will prepare the way for transformation, for a world redeemed by love and light.

This is a joy that transcends his own personal happiness. It is the joy of hope breaking through a collective despair. As Zechariah finds his voice again, he sings of healing, wholeness, forgiveness, and peace, breaking through into a fragile world. His words remind us that joy is not an escape from the world’s fragility but a courageous and defiant embrace of its potential to be renewed and transformed.

This Advent, it feels like our world is more fragile than ever. Yet Advent reminds us to seek joy not as an avoidance of these realities but as a response to them. Joy, like the light of the Advent candles, begins small and tentative but grows as we nurture it. It is found in the small, courageous acts of love and kindness, in the willingness to believe in a better world even when evidence is hard to find.

Zechariah’s prophecy closes with a promise: the dawn from on high will break upon us, guiding our feet into the way of peace. 

On this third Sunday of Advent may we light the candle of Joy in our hearts so that in the midst of a fragile world joy rise like the dawn, guiding our feet into the way of God’s Peace. Amen.