Joy
Third Week of Advent
Wednesday December 18, 2013
Read: Zechariah 8:1-17
Thus says the Lord: I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; Jerusalem shall be called the faithful city, and the mountain of the Lord of hosts shall be called the holy mountain. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Old men and old women shall again sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with staff in hand because of their great age. And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets. Thus says the Lord of hosts: Even though it seems impossible to the remnant of this people in these days, should it also seem impossible to me, says the Lord of hosts? Thus says the Lord of hosts: I will save my people from the east country and from the west country; and I will bring them to live in Jerusalem. They shall be my people and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness. —Zechariah 8:3-8
When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be. When we all see Jesus we will sing and shout the victory! Go the words to the old song with its name drawn from the first phrase. The song based on John 14:2 suggests what Zechariah envisioned in our scripture today when all God’s people are made one, returned to Jerusalem. It is a theme that runs through end-time literature. Revelation 21 talks about the day when God will pitch a tent and live with all of us. Advent focuses not only on the past and the present, but also the future.
It makes me wonder if we take these scriptures seriously. Many people hunt through these second coming readings looking for hints of when it will happen. I think we might want to let the message about gathering us together help us look at ourselves to see if we are ready for being one with all of God’s children. Our actions as citizens of the United States seem to indicate that we are not even desirous of being “one” with some.
It appears that our federal government is once again going to take up the revision of our immigration laws as we enter the season of Advent. This is a great time to pray for guidance in the development of those rules so that they are just and fair. I cannot think of anything that would bring God greater joy than seeing all those stamped with God’s image living together in peace with mutual respect. Indeed, what a day of rejoicing that would be.
Prayer: God of all, write on our hearts the joy of your wonderful oneness. Help us to be a blessing to people from all nations and particularly to those who chose to live among us. Show us the path to welcoming these strangers. Amen.
All scripture passages are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version.