THEOLOGICAL CLUE

It should be remembered by the preacher that the church year is not simply a framework which surrounds the liturgy of the church, but it is also a skeleton which needs to be fleshed out with readings from the Old and New Testaments. This becomes manifestly clear by the Third Sunday in Advent, because the world is pulling in one direction while the Christian year orients and points us to the past, the present, and the future. When filled out by the various sets of propers, including the psalms and prayers for the days, the faithful are reminded of how their salvation in Christ came to be, not only in the birth of Jesus but also in the birth and ministry of John the Baptist. By devoting two Sundays in Advent to the work of John and by making the "early connection" between t…