Hark, the Glad Sound! (ELW 239, verse 1)
Devotion
1Hark, the glad sound! The Savior comes,
the Savior promised long;
let ev’ry heart prepare a throne
and ev’ry voice a song.
2He comes the pris’ners to release,
in Satan’s bondage held.
The gates of brass before him burst,
the iron fetters yield.
3He comes the broken heart to bind,
the bleeding soul to cure,
and with the treasures of his grace
to enrich the humble poor.
4Our glad hosannas, Prince of peace,
your welcome shall proclaim,
and heav’n’s eternal arches ring
with your beloved name.
This week, we have been reflecting on how Advent creates a time warp for us. God's promises from the past become a future that redefines our present. But something takes place as these three temporal modes are compressed. This time warp — living by faith in a promised future that has not yet come — also has a spatial dimension. It shifts our vision of things.
As we look at our lives differently, we find that we inhabit a different space. Indeed, we might say, we find that we are inhabited by a different reality. Our lives become a habitation for God's indwelling — even amid our mundane, everyday affairs. Our hearts, our deepest yearnings and desires, become a sanctuary — a throne — for the Messiah. And from that place, we find our voice, a voice that now can sing with an authenticity and a sincerity that speak the truths needed to reshape the world around us.
Prayer
Dear Jesus, our Savior, we long for the justice and mercy only you, the Messiah, can usher in. So inhabit our hearts that our voices can sing the truths you would have us sing. Amen.