Psalm Meditation 705
Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 22, 2013

Psalm 147
1 Praise the LORD! How good it is to sing praises to our God; for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3 He heals the brokenhearted, and binds up their wounds.
4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names.
5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.
6 The LORD lifts up the downtrodden; he casts the wicked to the ground.
7 Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre.
8 He covers the heavens with clouds, prepares rain for the earth, makes grass grow on the hills.
9 He gives to the animals their food, and to the young ravens when they cry.
10 His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the speed of a runner;
11 but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.
12 Praise the LORD, O Jerusalem! Praise your God, O Zion!
13 For he strengthens the bars of your gates; he blesses your children within you.
14 He grants peace within your borders; he fills you with the finest of wheat.
15 He sends out his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly.
16 He gives snow like wool; he scatters frost like ashes.
17 He hurls down hail like crumbs— who can stand before his cold?
18 He sends out his word, and melts them; he makes his wind blow, and the waters flow.
19 He declares his word to Jacob, his statutes and ordinances to Israel.
20 He has not dealt thus with any other nation; they do not know his ordinances. Praise the LORD!
(NRSV)

December is supposed to be this great, joyous time of preparation whether you go by the church calendar and call it Advent or by the secular designation of Christmas/holiday season. What if it isn’t a season of joy? What if, instead of great joy, this season fills us with sadness for any number of reasons? For many it is a time of remembering those who are no longer with us. For others it is a reminder that we do not have the resources to make this season as bright and full of stuff as advertisers tell us we should. For still others it is a season of darkness from the lack of long periods of sunlight. No matter the reason we are filled with darkness, the psalmist reminds us that even in the darkest times God is with us.

Though we talk about darkness as if it were a presence, it is an absence. Darkness is the absence of light. It can feel as if we are carrying darkness with us in this and any season of the year. It is good to know that even in the darkest times God is with us. God is not quick to fix things for us, however God is quick to be with us in every situation in which we put or find ourselves. In those moments we are able to sense God’s presence we notice that God brings light into our lives. “The LORD lifts up the downtrodden; he casts the wicked to the ground.” It won’t happen all at once for most of us and God may work through people and a variety of other means to lift us up, however, God is with us, offering light in our darkness.

Whether you are one who loves this season of the year, one for whom it brings little but sadness and dread, or you are somewhere in between, God is present with us, offering to lift us up and hold us up. God takes great pleasure in us, and that is something wonderful. When someone is happy to be with us even at our worst, it can lift us up a bit. When that person also brings a sense of peace with them we find ourselves a bit more at peace as well. God is happy to be with us and brings a peace beyond our ability to fathom. That is good news.

December 16, 2013
LCM