Advent Reflection #3: God who keeps faith for ever
Join The Reverend Helena Bickley-Percival as she explores the psalm for the day, reminding us of why we should 'rejoice in the Lord always'.
The Reverend Helena Bickley-Percival, Minor Canon and Sacrist
Sunday, 15th December 2024 at 12.00 PM
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A reading from Psalm 146, verses 4-10
"Happy are those who have the God of Jacob for their help,
whose hope is in the Lord their God;
Who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them;
who keeps his promise for ever;
Who gives justice to those that suffer wrong
and bread to those who hunger.
The Lord looses those that are bound;
the Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
the Lord loves the righteous;
The Lord watches over the stranger in the land;
he upholds the orphan and widow;
but the way of the wicked he turns upside down.
The Lord shall reign for ever,
your God, O Zion, throughout all generations.
Alleluia."
Here ends the reading.
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Who is this King of Glory? Already that question sets up some expectations about who God might be. We are used to seeing Kings with Crowns and Sceptres and Swords – all the apparatus of worldly authority and power, glorious with gold and jewels. If we were planning an event, that is the sort of person that you would wait around for, prepare for, excitedly (perhaps even nervously) expect.
On this Third Sunday of Advent, that joyous expectation is heightened. Known as Gaudete Sunday, or “Rejoice Sunday,” it takes its name from a text traditionally sung on that day: ‘Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice’ (Phil 4:4-7). It marks a shift from solemn preparation to the eager expectation that Christ will be here soon – as the Philippians reading says ‘The Lord is near.’
We expect him, but who will be arriving? Our portion of Psalm 146 gives us a clue. The psalmist describes God as Lord and creator, but they also make it clear what kind of Lord God is. He is a God that cares for the most vulnerable; giving food to the hungry, justice to the oppressed, and upholding the orphan and widow. Not only that, but he is a God ‘who keeps faith for ever.’ All our waiting and expectation is not in vain – in Advent we await not only the birth of Christ at Christmas, but his coming again, and Christ will come. We wait for a God who will not let us down, and who cares for all no matter whether they are strangers or the righteous. In this, we can surely rejoice.
