"Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy.
The Lord, the King of Israel, is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem, "Do not fear, O Zion; do not let your hands hang limp. The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."
"The sorrows for the appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a reproach to you. At that time I will deal with all who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put to shame. At that time I will gather you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes," says the Lord." Zephaniah 3:14-20
Daily the print and electronic media bring us face to face with the carnage taking place both locally and internationally. This information is overwhelming. No one seems to have an answer or a solution to this dilemma.
Consequently, we seek hope. It is unfortunate that we seek hope in the wrong places. We look to government and public officials for solutions. Regrettably, they are probably more confused than we are. They don't have an answer and don't know where to search for solutions.
The above text, which is the assigned text for the third Sunday in Advent is a text of hope. It gave hope to a people who were soon to be carried away from their homeland into slavery. God sent the prophet Zephaniah to prophesy to the people in order to dispel their fears and encourage them to trust in God, the God of Israel. "The Lord, the King of Israel is with you. The Lord our God is with us."
Even though things would be difficult for them in that strange and foreign land of Babylon, God would not forget them. He promised to rescue and return them to their homeland.
Advent is a season of hope. We hope for God's return in the person of his son, Jesus the Christ. We wait like the Children of Israel waited in Babylon. Yes, many Advent seasons have come and gone, and our Lord still has not returned. Yet we wait for our Lord's second Advent. As we wait, the condition of the world and the evil going on around us cause many people's faith to wane. We often see the church with her back against the wall.
Even though the future seems bleak, we are reminded that God is with us. Like the children of Israel, we too find comfort in the prophet's words. We embrace these words. While we wait, let's not sit idle. Let us share the hope of the cross with the world.
Notwithstanding all the negative things going on around us, we have no need to be disposed to fear. We need not throw our hands up in hopelessness, or become dismayed because things are bad, and we fear them being worse. We in the church are a community built upon hope.
Our God is a God of wonders. He said, "I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Hope is found in the Lord. Therefore, let us lift our hands and voices in praise to our God. Yes, this is the season of hope.
We have every reason to rejoice. Christ Jesus, in his birth, suffering, death, and resurrection brought hope to you, to me, and to the world at large. We do not have to give way to doubts and fears. The church is the world's means of hope. Amen.
o Reverend Samuel M. Boodle, pastor at The Lutheran Church of Nassau, can be reached at P.O. Box N 4794, Nassau, Bahamas, or telephone 426-9084; E-mail: lutheranchurch@coralwave.com.
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