Devotion for the Monday of the Third Week in Advent

Theme for the week: joy

Devotion for the monday of the third Week in Advent (Day 16)

Reading: Psalm 30:1–5 (NRSV)

¹I will extol you, O Lord, for you have drawn me up, and did not let my foes rejoice over me.

²O Lord my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.

³O Lord, you brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.

⁴Sing praises to the Lord, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.

⁵For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

REFLECTION:

“Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”

Have you ever had the experience of worrying and stressing about something at night? Worries and dreaded things seem to take on superhuman proportions at night. Bad stuff seems to weigh more heavily at night and there often seem to be no solutions. Tears that start in the evening often seem to continue long into the night. Loneliness and grief seem to be more powerful at night.

Likewise on a sunny morning, worries seem much more manageable. Some of the stresses seem to evaporate in the daylight and sunshine. It is so much easier to be joyful on a sunny morning than on a rainy night. A summer sunrise gives the whole world a new start, a fresh slate on which God can write new design.

God gives each us a new day and a new start each morning. God’s anger does not last, and neither should our anger, stress, or tears. Let God’s favor help you to start each day anew. Martin Luther wrote how each morning, a new you rises from the waters of baptism--renewed and forgiven. When you wake up and wash your face, remember with joy that you have been baptized and forgiven.

PRAYER:

Gracious God, help me to have joyous mornings and fresh starts. Help me to remember that I have been washed clean in the waters of baptism. Help my relationships with others to have fresh starts each new day. Amen