Thoughts on a Rose Sunday

Every single Advent, at just about the third week, time seems to speed up, and Christmas suddenly feels minutes away. This is when it really hits me that the calendar year is almost over. In the time warp that is working in a church and constantly planning a season or two in advance, just as I’m getting out the Christmas decorations at home, I’m at work putting together Epiphanytide and Ash Wednesday bulletins, booking speakers for a Sunday Lenten series, and if I’m really ambitious, planning the Holy Week schedule. Throw in the onslaught of special “dress up like an elf” or crazy hair days in the week or two leading up to the winter break at my children’s elementary school, and it can feel downright impossible to do it all while also trying to be present in Advent and mark what is left of this holy season. 

All of this, I think, is why Gaudete Sunday has become such a cherished observation for me and for my family. The “Gaudete” of this Sunday comes from the Latin Introit to the Mass on the Third Sunday of Advent. It starts “Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete…” which translates to “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say: rejoice!” In earlier church practices, Advent was kept as a sort of “little Lent,” a time of fasting to prepare for the anniversary of Jesus’ birth. The third Sunday was kept as a refreshment Sunday, a time to relax the fast for a moment and build strength to finish the season. The purple or black priestly vestments of Advent were put aside for rose on this day, in parishes that owned a set, and the community took a break from penitence and reminded themselves of the joy that was coming with Christ. This is also the inspiration for the rose candle that many churches place in the Advent wreath to light on this Sunday. Each year my husband and I give the altar flowers in our parish on this Sunday, in thanksgiving for our daughters, an offering in recognition of the joy they bring to our lives. 

One of my favorite Episcopal Church traditions is the annual Advent poster Forward Movement puts out, titled “Slow Down. Quiet. It’s Advent!” It is a calendar hand-drawn by Jay Sidebotham with twenty-four days of scripture passages and suggested devotional practices. It’s for families and individuals alike, and every church I’ve ever spent time in as a worshipper or as clergy seems to have it posted prominently during the season. The title usually pops into my mind at about this time of December, a reminder to myself as the momentum picks up for the big services at Christmas Eve and Day of what exactly it is we are doing—being intentionally counter-cultural, slowing down, finding calm, and remembering that every twinkling light, every over the top 20 foot tall inflatable reindeer or Santa in a yard, every Hallmark movie playing on repeat- all these parts of our secular holiday juggernaut exist because of a tiny cry that rang out in a lowly cattle shed in Bethlehem 2000 years ago—God become man, Jesus Christ.

Whether it is rose candles and vestments in worship, or the absurd joy of coming to terms with an 8:00 PM email reminding you to dress your 7 year old like the Ghost of Christmas Future the next day, I hope that you encounter something this week that reminds you to give yourself a moment to slow down, find some quiet, and give thanks to God for all of the blessings of your life.

Prayer Practice: Gaudete Sunday is when we usually sing or say the Magnificat, Mary’s song of praise and thanksgiving from the Annunciation, so if you need some words to help you rejoice and give thanks, I encourage you to add it to your daily prayers!