Preparing for Advent

November 27, 2019

Scripture Reading: Psalm 122

I was glad when they said to me,
   ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
   ‘May they prosper who love you.
Peace be within your walls,
   and security within your towers.’
For the sake of my relatives and friends
   I will say, ‘Peace be within you.’
For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
   I will seek your good. –Psalm 122:1, 6-9

I included the first verse of this psalm because it is probably my favorite song from childhood. I do indeed love to go into houses of the Lord and share in worship of God. I love music both vocal and instrumental, like to hear the scriptures read, enjoy watching children share in the service, learn from words shared by worship leaders and pastors, and celebrate the whole Body of Christ as I share in the Lord’s Supper each Sunday.

The closing verses of this poem carries key wisdom that we all need to hear. Everything God does for us is intended for our good and everything we do in God’s name is for our good and the good of all of God’s creation. That understanding requires us to carefully discern what is good for us and what is good for another. We must discern what is just and what is righteous in all our actions.

When I supervised social work at the local level, I was asked by local churches to identify families that the church members could help for Christmas. One year a few days after Christmas, a very irate women from one of those churches arrived with sparks flying from her eyes at my office door to complain that she had donated a very nice dress for a little girl in the family we had referred. The woman had just driven by the family’s house and had seen the little girl playing in the mud in that dress. The woman wanted me to know she was never going to work with any family we referred again. I tried to explain to her that that may have been the only warm clothing the little girl had. I do not think it made a difference. From that time forward, when I coordinated such gift exchanges, I arranged for the churches to provide the gifts to our office and did not share the identities of the families receiving the gifts to the churches. God’s love is given freely to all with no strings attached that is a good role for us to model.

Prayer: Lord, help me to share the joy of your birth with others as God shared you with us with no strings attached. Amen.

*https://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn/h/396

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.