Saturday December 11 Advent 2
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Psalm 30
Because of its references to being in the grave, followed by joy, this psalm is often used on Saturdays, the weekly mini-anniversary of Jesus’ being in the grave.
“God’s wrath endures but the twinkling of an eye”—it’s not that God is losing God’s temper, but that God made the world so that actions have consequences—anything else would produce chaos. It’s inevitable that evil selfish actions on our part have consequences but the psalm proclaims that God’s goodness acts to overcome the evils that we have caused. Christians interpret Jesus’ dying and rising as the process by which God accomplishes fulfilment and joy for us despite our evil.
Psalm 32
When I acknowledged my sin, I received immense joy. When we acknowledge our participation in oppressive policies, we know God will overcome those, and we can also be in joy instead of living in denial or guilt. Then we will have the energy to act against those oppressions.
Haggai 2: 1-9 What’s Haggai about?
In spite of their pursuit of injustice, which caused their destruction and that of the temple, God will act to make the temple, the location of God’s justice, a magnificent place again.
Even though our world is suffering the threat of destruction due to global injustice, we are to become aware that God’s justice is far stronger and the glory of a world of justice is available at every moment.
As the birth of Christ approaches we also rejoice that God’s generosity will again fill the world.
Matthew 24: 1-14 What’s Matthew about?
Matthew, who has lived through the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome and the persecution of Jesus’ followers, remembers Jesus as having anticipated all those challenges and how some of the early Christians have fallen away in discouragement. But he remembers Jesus saying that God’s society will prevail through our persistence in proclaiming the Good News. The style of speech is the popular form called “Apocalyptic” and is about how, despite all disasters, God’s goodness will triumph. It gives us hope in our time.
This week’s collect:
Almighty God,
who sent your servant John the Baptist
to prepare your people to welcome the Messiah,
inspire us, the ministers and stewards of your truth,
to turn our disobedient hearts to you,
that when the Christ shall come again to be our judge,
we may stand with confidence before his glory;
who is alive and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.
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