God With Us
Psalm 31 • Psalm 35
Isa. 7:10-25 • 2 Thess. 2:13-3:5 • Luke 22:14-30
As the year comes to a close and we look forward to the arrival of Jesus to a waiting world, the Psalmist’s words could not be timelier, “Lord, how long will you look on?” While 2020 has been an extremely taxing year for many across the world, every year comes with its challenges. This season can often be a blue time for many who have been through hardship. It can be hard to celebrate when you are missing someone. It can be hard to sing or make merry when you feel alone or forgotten, when your needs and wants seem unreachable, or when you don’t have much hope the New Year will bring a significant change. The miracle of advent; however, gives us reason to hope.
While life will always have struggle and things that don’t change all that much, this season brings us something new. A new light. A star. A beacon. Something for everyone to see. Saying wait, wait, look here. Change is on the horizon. A promise. Something to look forward to. God with us.
Our Morning Psalm’s last verse says it all, “Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord” (Psalm 31:24 KJV). We have great reason to hope in the Lord. In Him are new beginnings, restarts, and re-tries. In Him, there is redemption. From pain or loss and even from despair.
The good news is that while we celebrate His advent in December, God is already with us. In writing to the Thessalonians, Paul reminded them, “God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation…” (2 Thes 2:13). God has not abandoned us to our trials. He has poured out himself, in fact, to bring us closer than we can understand. God has come Incarnate, to be with us. With you. With me. This season reminds us we are always on His mind. God’s love through His Son Jesus has come to stay. If He be for us, who can be against us?
May the Lord direct our hearts to the love of God and to the perseverance of Christ.
Written by Jonathan Wright
Jonathan is a native of Atlanta, GA and a relatively new member of St. Paul’s. He moved to the parish from the Cathedral Church of Saint Mark in Salt Lake City, UT where he became an Episcopalian.