ADVENT MEDITATIONS – WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 21
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English - December 21, 2016 07:00 - 3.61 MB - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingChristianity Religion & Spirituality seminary episcopal prayer the southwest reflection meditation Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Psalm 72; Isaiah 28:9-22; Luke 1:26-38 Listen to the author read their meditation and prayer: The Rt. Rev. Dena A. Harrison, Advent Meditation “Give the king your justice, […]
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Psalm 72; Isaiah 28:9-22; Luke 1:26-38
Listen to the author read their meditation and prayer:
The Rt. Rev. Dena A. Harrison, Advent Meditation
“Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son.”
–Psalm 72:1
As God’s gift of the Savior draws near, all our yearnings are poignantly full. Our hope is overflowing at the prospect of receiving this Gift who heals and saves us. The psalmist reminds us of a critical dimension of our ancient hope for justice and righteousness. From the earliest experience of the people of God, these two hopes are linked together. The desire for them is voiced as the care of the poor and needy and the conquering of the oppressor.
Jesus will bring to us the power to seek these realities in our own time, by his grace. The needs of the poor, the trafficked, the enslaved, the displaced, and the oppressed – only justice and righteousness can rearrange the circumstances of our world into something more like the kingdom of God.
Scripture reminds us that Jesus brings a sword to divide the righteous and the unrighteous, the oppressor and the oppressed. There will be healing and freedom for those who now suffer, and there will be judgment for those who oppress. The challenge of Advent is always self-examination. How are we working for justice? How do our actions spread righteousness in the world? In the frenzy of Christmas preparation, it is easy to forget that Jesus will have a primary interest in the least and the lost. Advent invites us to remember and to act.
O God, we rejoice that Jesus brings justice and righteousness. Empower us in this work that your kingdom may grow. Amen.
The Rt. Rev. Dena A. Harrison, ’87, ‘08
Bishop Suffragan, Diocese of Texas
Board Chair, Seminary of the Southwest
AUSTIN, TEXAS
Bishop Harrison is Bishop Suffragan of Texas with oversight of the West Region of the diocese. She also serves as Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Seminary of the Southwest.
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