Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Today's Scripture
Jeremiah 23:3–4

And I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all countries whither I have driven them, and will bring them again to their folds; and they shall be fruitful and increase.

And I will set up shepherds over them which shall feed them: and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall they be lacking, saith the Lord. (KJV)

Reflection

This is Advent season. The season of gratitude now yields to the season of waiting; isn’t waiting hard? “Patience is a virtue” (Prudentius, Latin poem, fifth century CE), and patience is among the Christian heavenly virtues, including prudence, justice, temperance, fortitude, faith, hope, and charity. In short, waiting is a challenge, but the wait of this season is different — it is the anticipation of Christmas, of Christ’s arrival.

Think of your past Christmas holidays. What do you remember more? What made the wait special? The gift or the gesture; the sensational or the solemnity; the lights or the love? The dream is that it’s all that — no either-or but both-and. The wish? It’s all good. The reality is complicated.

We are remnants of torn cloth. Our tapestries vary, and our journeys are disparate, but where we align is not obscured; we are scattered, searching, and sometimes scared. And then this imperfect time of the year shows up. Stop.

Let’s approach it differently.

Jeremiah, in his desperate efforts to amass the scattered and scared in Babylon, hearkened the hope of patience; extended gifts of abundance; and offered both the security and the comfort of love. Jeremiah offered the gift of vision. And don’t you get the sense of inclusion in Jeremiah’s words? “Gathering the remnants”; “of all countries”; “neither shall they be lacking.” The sole message: hold on, a new day is coming.

For the poor and the replete, there will be abundance and sufficiency.

For the ill and the well, there will be comfort and assurance.

For the depressed and the centered, there will be calm and security.

Shepherds are around; they have us in a secured line of sight.

And for the newly born and the recently departed, there is a Christ.

Folks, that’s Christmas.

As remnants, we patiently await the coming of the One who will bind our threadbare frayed edges, restore our tapestry, and bathe us in the abiding, unimpeded eternal light of Christ.

Definitely worth the wait.

Welcome to the Advent season.

Prayer
Instead of Christmas carols or traditional holiday music, spend a few moments listening to these glorious decades-old Spiritual reflections. A prayer will come to you, I promise.

“Sweet Little Jesus Boy”, R. MacGimsey, 1934, a Christmas Spiritual

“He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands”, an African American Spiritual, 1927 (beautifully performed by our Fourth Church Morning Choir, November 24, 2024)

“There’s a Sweet, Sweet Spirit in This Place,” Doris Mae Akers, 1923–1955, a Gospel Spiritual

Amen.

Written by Clyde Yancy, Member of Fourth Presbyterian Church

Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church

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