Isaiah 40: 1-11
Psalm 96
Matthew 18:12- 14
To anticipate is to realize beforehand, to foretaste or foresee. Anticipation is about intuition or prescience as well as expectation and hope. It is about trusting the signs that reinforce belief and provide guidance along the way.
Across these three readings, I hear a common perspective of anticipation. That thought is something like this:”And if it be so that He finds the lost soul, He rejoices more than for those who are not lost.”The reading from Isaiah assures us of comfort despite past separation from God, and the psalmist describes the fields and trees in singing and the sea roaring in concert to God. I have faith that, despite my history, I can sing a new song, and that when I do, the heavens, earth and all within will join me and rejoice. Indeed, it seems to me that singing in the wilderness is what prepares the Way.
This is the time of watching for signs, of embracing our gifts, of opening to the Divine and following the Light. All the more reason to sing, cry, speak and proclaim the Good News, and to anticipate the coming of the Prince of Peace.
Maggie Grace Moore