Scripture – Jeremiah 31:10–14
My family calls today “Christmas Eve Eve.” We’re tantalizingly close to the celebration. We sense the imminent arrival. We’re bursting to go find a mountain on which to tell it!
But it’s not here yet. It’s still Advent. We’re in a different place from where we’ll be shortly. We’re still inviting Emmanuel to come.
This place—edge, cusp, border—is familiar to peacemakers.
We see clearly the possibility of a world teeming with justice, where God’s people “never languish again” (v. 12), where God will turn “mourning into joy” (v. 13). We smell redemption.
But it’s not here yet. The world is still filled with people who are languishing, mourning, and experiencing injustice. We’re in a different place from where we hope to be. We’re struggling with stumbling blocks and complexities and finding fear in the shadows.
It’s not Christmas yet. But if in the midst of preparing you find yourself humming a tune from that next section of the hymnal, I won’t tell anyone. If the anticipation of the joy to come catches you and puts a tear in your eye or a smile on your face, forgive yourself.
After all, you know how the story ends.
The gathering Jeremiah describes isn’t realized yet. But if in the midst of peacemaking work a psalm of praise crosses your lips, I won’t tell. If the anticipation catches you, forgive yourself.
After all, you know how the story ends.
Prayer
God of Redemption, we thank you for your bounty in providence, in strength, and in the grace of the coming Prince of Peace. Amen.
Joe Genau, M.Div., chaplain resident,
Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, Illinois
Order Proclaiming the Good News of God's Peace.