Psalm 126

These are troubling times.  At the time this is being written the economy looks less than healthy, gasoline prices are soaring, home mortgages failing, and food prices continue to rise.  The whole world seems to be in chaos; war, famine, fire, floods, cancer, and autism are in the news daily.  Even the church has divisive issues that seem to be tearing it apart.  And so we cry out:  Restore us, O Lord, bring back our fortunes, restore our homes, bring our troops home as quickly as possible, rid the world of selfish leaders, cure us of the diseases that plague us.

Those of us who are older can look back and remember troubling events in our history: dreadful wars, the depression, polio tuberculosis, segregation, a divided church.  In the midst of those tumultuous events we also cried out to God.  We can also remember when each terrible event ended.  "Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy..." (v.2)

During this Advent season, let us be filled with the hope and anticipation that we have is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who has never left us alone.  May we joyfully share this hope, reminding ourselves and others whom we meet that "The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced." (v. 3).

All powerful and loving God, we are so grateful that you have never left us alone.  Help us always remember and share with others the hope which is now rekindled in the Advent season through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Charlene and John Chesshir

Austin Seminary Partners from Corpus Christi