Psalm 80:1-3
"Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel,
you who lead Joseph like a flock!
You who are enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
before Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh.
Stir up your might,
and come to save us!
Restore us, O God;
let your face shine, that we may be saved."
The word, Advent, means coming. Thus, the Advent season is designed to be a time of waiting and hoping for the coming of God into our lives, not only long ago in the stable of Bethlehem, but also the coming of God into our lives in new and exciting ways even now to restore us, to refresh us, and to grant us new life. That is the prayer we find in Psalm 80. It is a prayer that expresses well the sentiment of one of my favorite hymns of Advent: "O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.!" As we move in to the latter part of our journey through this Advent season, let us join in this prayer, confident that God in Jesus Christ will indeed come to us in new and dramatic ways.
Prayer:
Come to us, Incarnate God, as we continue our Advent journey. Through the power of your Spirit, remind us yet again of your constant presence and abiding love. Amen.
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