LOVE AND PRAISE!!

Advent Four, in which the Love Candle is lit, has passed, and so has the official celebration of the Birth itself (which, of course, didn’t happen anywhere near this time of year, but it's meaningful, certainly--light in the darkness!) I was out of commission, sick with a particularly virulent flu, so I couldn't say much about it, but I can't begin to express my appreciation of it!

Love is born on earth!

This week's lectionary texts are overflowing with praise. 

Isaiah 61 starts off fairly quivering with excitement:

            I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,

my whole being shall exult in my God;

            for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,

he has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

            as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland,

and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Then Psalm 147 chimes in:

Hallelujah!
How good it is to sing praises to our God! *
how pleasant it is to honor him with praise!

The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem; *
he gathers the exiles of Israel.

He heals the brokenhearted *
and binds up their wounds.

The Epistle (Gal. 3) proclaims:

When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.

Finally, the Gospel (John 1) rounds out the joy with a passage that is featured in most people’s Favorites List:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

And these are just snippets. If you want to fill out your own praises (especially if you are also finding some darkness and difficulties in your holidays) I encourage you to read the entire recommended passages for this week. One place to find them is lectionarypage.net.

Christ is born!