Sunday, December 15, 2024
Zephaniah 3: 14-20
Canticle 3: The Song of Thanksgiving
Philippians 4: 4-9
Luke 3: 7–18
“Surely it is God who saves me; I will trust in God and not be afraid. For God is my stronghold and my sure defense…” (The Song of Thanksgiving).
John the Baptist’s message, as severe and challenging as it might sound to contemporary ears, is being spoken to a people who eagerly await their Savior. John’s words are heard as a sharp tug, or shock, back to breathing life into the land of promise. He reminds them of thanksgiving, joy, and bearing “fruits worthy of repentance.”
Now is not so different from John’s time in history. In our pride and the evolved manner of modern thought, we can risk the loss of compassion and love of neighbor. Many are experiencing the world as if it were without light, wondering where God is in the depth of their fear, frustration, and suffering. John’s threat of separation is not just a threat of the past; it is an experience for our lives too.
We can take John’s words in scripture to contemplative silence and prayer. Silence opens us to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Silence turns us around to God and the call to live well and share our life. We may not share with the fervor of John the Baptist, but we will come to know the strength and trust to draw the living water of Jesus with rejoicing, “from the springs of salvation.”
– Joanne Davies
