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Day 1 - Forgive and Forget?
Psalm 137
Alongside Babylon’s streams,
there we sat down,
crying because we remembered Zion.
We hung our lyres up
in the trees there
because that’s where our captors asked us to sing;
our tormentors requested songs of joy:
“Sing us a song about Zion!” they said.
But how could we possibly sing
the Lord’s song on foreign soil?
Jerusalem! If I forget you,
let my strong hand wither!
Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth
if I don’t remember you,
if I don’t make Jerusalem my greatest joy.
Lord, remember what the Edomites did
on Jerusalem’s dark day:
“Rip it down, rip it down!
All the way to its foundations!” they yelled.
Daughter Babylon, you destroyer,
a blessing on the one who pays you back
the very deed you did to us!
A blessing on the one who seizes your children
and smashes them against the rock!
Read
“For you, Advent may be a time of pushing the difficult memories of your life to periphery by longing for the arrival of new hope and promise. It involves daring to believe that God’s light will come to you in real and unexpected ways, despite all the evidence of the contrary. And in those situations in which you find it difficult to believe in a God who comes near you as Emmanuel, then it is incumbent on you to surround yourself with people who can support you in your journey. People who can say to you, “Even though you have hard time believing in God’s faithfulness, I will believe it on your behalf until you are able to believe it for yourself.”
Think
In what ways are you experiencing captivity and exile in your life right now?
Pray
Gracious God, thank you for your constant readiness to forgive and for the steadfastness of your grace. Teach me to forgive others, and myself, and to move into the abundant life you desire for all your people. Amen.
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