Advent - Week 3, Day 2: Joy In The World!

What2Say2Day? Yesterday we talked about the historical setting behind our two passages; Psalm 126 and Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11. We learned it was a tumultuous time for the Hebrew people after coming back to a home devastated by war, political infighting, assassinations, and general mayhem for 60 years. If we needed to put a more current face on it think about what the people from Sendai, Japan came back to after the earthquake earlier this year. Sure, the dangers were over, but the devastation was overwhelming. But, as it was with the people of Sendai, the Hebrew people had a strong yearning to rebuild; so rebuild they did. Today I want to focus on The first half of our Psalm. If you take a look at the language used in verses 1-3 of Psalm 126 you'll notice it's written in the past tense. Words like "were", "has", "was" and references such as "then it was said" help us to recognize the language of past times. Not just past times, but better times. The psalmist is reminding the Hebrew people that God was with them in good times and is with them now. This is a good reminder from our psalmist; God is with us no matter what we're going through. In this Advent season we need to know that God has never left us and that God is and will always be our source of strength and courage as we "rebuild" our own lives. Better yet, as this Advent I'm looking for ways to let Christ live through me to help others find him, I'm reminded that God gives me what I need to help people get through their difficult times and be with them as they rebuild their lives. God has been with us all, in better times and in difficult times, we just sometimes need a reminder that God has never left our side. Thank you, writer of Psalm 126, for helping us to remember.