1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, you who lead Joseph like a flock! You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth 2 before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh. Stir up your might, and come to save us!
3 Restore us, O God; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
4 O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angry with your people's prayers? 5 You have fed them with the bread of tears, and given them tears to drink in full measure. 6 You make us the scorn of our neighbors; our enemies laugh among themselves.
7 Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved.
Psalm 80:1-7
Today happens to be the Winter Solstice - the shortest day and longest night of the year. Here in the Dayton area, sunrise occurs at 7:53 a.m. with sunset at 5:15 p.m., giving us only nine hours 22 minutes of daylight and 14 hours 38 minutes of darkness. In places like the northern reaches of Alaska, there may only be a couple of hours of "dusk," never quite being daylight. The darkness can seem overwhelming!
The Psalmist laments the "darkness" of God's people as they wander in the desert. He asks how long God will be angry with his people and pleads with God to restore his people; let God's face shine that they may be saved. This week's Advent theme is "JOY," however, the Psalmist sounds anything but joyful because of the "darkness" that God's people were experiencing. Regardless of where we live, we may struggle with "dark times" in our lives and feel anything but joyful.
During Advent, we prepare for the Christ's birth which the angels heralded with "Fear not, for I bring you good news of great JOY for all peoples ..." As much as this news was given directly to the shepherds, it is for us also. When Jesus begins his ministry, he tells us "I am the Light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life." (John 8:12). What JOYOUS news!
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son into the world to be our Light in our darkest hours. Amen.
Advent Week Three: JOY
Advent Kindness Calendar on Friday, December 21, 2018
Bake Christmas cookies today and share with your neighbor or drop off at the police or fire station.
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