Be glad and rejoice with all you heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away your punishment
He has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the king of Israel, is with you;
never again will you fear any harm.
On that day they will say to Jerusalem,
‘Do not fear, O Zion;
Do not let your hands hang limp.
The Lord your God is with you,
he is mighty to save.
He will take great delight in you,
He will quiet you with his love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.’
‘The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you;
they are a burden and a reproach to you.
At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you;
I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered,
I will give them praise and honor in every land
where they were put to shame.
I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth
when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,’
says the Lord.” (Zephaniah 3:14-20)
Grief is difficult – paralyzing – isolating – raw – numbing. Grief is not what I expected to be writing about when, in late August, I requested this specific passage for the foundation of my Advent devotion. Advent, the time of anticipation and expectation – waiting for something new and wonderful. The prophet Zephaniah tells us of a new relationship we can have with God; a new relationship God wants to have with us! As His children, we bring Him joy and delight when we come to Him in love. We’re told God is now with us, we no longer should fear any harm.
We too were waiting, eagerly anticipating the birth of our daughter Kelly’s first child, a little girl who would be named Piper Lynn. We too were looking forward to a new relationship, one filled with joy and delight as we welcomed our second granddaughter into our family and into the world. We were already in love.
This Scripture was offering the perfect image! New beginnings, new life, new relationships! Think about it “[The Lord] will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.”
Then on a bright Monday morning in early September, Kelly called her dad with the heart-breaking news she and her husband Brian had just received. She asked her dad to come be with her, with them, as they grieved the loss of their much loved daughter, too exquisitely fragile for life with us.
Kenny left for Florida immediately – to be there with them, to love them, to offer comfort, to cry with them, to share their sorrow. I stayed home, trying to understand, wanting to be with my family, not knowing how to grieve alone. I opened my Bible, hoping to find an answer, but the bookmark took me to my Advent passage. Suddenly it didn’t seem to be so perfect, and an Advent devotion was no longer something I felt I could write. I didn’t want to write about God, I wanted to feel His presence, hear His voice. How could I write about the joy and wonder of this vision from Zephaniah, when our own vision had been shattered and our hearts echoed with emptiness?
Wednesday evening I spoke with Kelly, letting her know of the love and prayers being offered by our church family here, asking how she and Brian were dealing with such loss. She told me of sadness, but also of a sense of peace that she knew could only have come from God. She said she and Brian would come through this because their faith was holding them up, and they were experiencing such an outpouring of love and support from their church family. As our conversation came to an end, I realized how much I needed to be with church family, too.
Friday evening of that week was the September Emmaus Gathering. Our Emmaus Community models living, loving relationships – with God and with each other. Joys and sorrows are equally shared. Praise and prayers are offered. I knew if I could only be in the midst of these wonderful friends, God’s healing presence would be there, too.
Our Emmaus Community also shares the celebration of Holy Communion – commemorating the loving sacrifice made by our Lord Jesus Christ, so we all may be forgiven and restored to the “with God life.” As I knelt at the altar rail, I felt the arm of a friend around my shoulder, offering me God’s peaceful presence and letting me know of her willingness to share my sadness.
What a gift I had just received….God’s blessing offered in the touch and presence of a friend. God knows all about sorrow, yet He offers us grace beyond measure. God knows all about heartache, yet He offers us infinite love and comfort. God knows all about loneliness, yet He offers us Himself without reservation. Read again His words to the prophet: “The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with his love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
St. Teresa of Avila reminds us: "Christ has no body on earth but ours, no hands but ours, no feet but ours. Ours are the eyes through which the compassion of Christ looks out upon the world, ours are the feet with which he goes about doing good, ours are the hands with which he blesses his people."
During this Advent Season, may we approach our Father with a longing to belong to Him, offering Him our brokenness, knowing He will embrace us as we are, lift us to His lap and restore us with His peace. With grateful hearts and humble spirits, may we offer the gift of ourselves this Holy Season.
Now, close you eyes for a moment and listen with your heart for His lullaby:
All through the night.
I my loved ones’ watch am keeping,
All through the night.”
Linda Summers
No comments:
Post a Comment