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Read: Psalm 69:13-18
Answer me, O Lord, for your steadfast love is good;
according to your abundant mercy, turn to me.
Psalm 69:16
Here we are, the week of Christmas, with decorations and presents and once-a-year delicacies all around us. It is a week of rejoicing, so why are we reading a psalm of lament? Of course, Advent and Christmas have always been closely connected to lament. Our Advent journey reminds us that we seek light while we struggle through the darkness; we hope and we also fear – it wasn’t that long ago that we sang of “the hopes and fears of all the years”.
The psalmist understands. Our psalmist is desperate, overwhelmed, drowning in troubles, when she calls out to God. If you listen closely, you can hear the anguish in her voice: “Rescue me from sinking in the mire; let me be delivered from my enemies and from the deep waters. Do not let the flood sweep over me, or the deep swallow me up, or the Pit close its mouth over me.” She can’t find a path out of the darkness, so she calls out to God. She reminds herself that God abounds in love and mercy. She remembers the goodness of God’s steadfast love. She believes that God’s love will rescue her from despair. She trusts that God will draw near to her, redeem her, and set her free.
Many of our friends and neighbors – many of us – approach this Christmas season with both lament and joy. We feel overwhelmed by news of rising infection rates and reminders of the suffering caused by global health inequalities. We grieve the loss of loved ones. And we rejoice over the thought of gathering with friends and family in the days ahead. And so, we pray. We offer our laments, and then we join the psalmist as we pray that God’s steadfast love will rescue us. We remember God’s love revealed in the birth of Jesus. We trust that the love of God will draw near to us, redeem us, and set us free.
~Kris Pratt
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