1st Friday in Advent (December 3): A song of praise is fitting

Helpful Background
Thus far we’ve reflected on God’s purpose for all creation, Jesus’ warnings and Paul’s prayer for the Colossians.  It seemed fitting to end the 1st week with a Psalm of praise, (147), focusing over 2 days on 2 of its 3 parts.
 
Prepare to Listen.  As you light the 1st purple candle hear the Lord saying to you: See, I am making all things new.
 
Prayerfully Read Psalm 147:1-6
1Praise the LORD!
How good it is to sing praises to our God;
   for he is gracious, and a song of praise is fitting.
2 The LORD builds up Jerusalem;
   he gathers the outcasts of Israel.
3He heals the broken-hearted,
   and binds up their wounds.
4He determines the number of the stars;
   he gives to all of them their names.
5Great is our Lord, and abundant in power;
   his understanding is beyond measure.
6The LORD lifts up the downtrodden;
   he casts the wicked to the ground.
 
Prayerfully Wonder
The community who sang and prayed this psalm were returnees from Babylonian exile.  They’d experienced loss, suffering, social distancing, destruction, violence, a complete disruption of normalcy.  Not unlike what we experienced thanks to Covid-19 and what many experience because of violence, murders, riots, destruction of their cities.  We know loss, despair, disruption of normalcy.  We hope for God’s gracious provision to build up ruined cities, heal the broken-hearted, bind up wounds, lift up the downtrodden and cast to the ground the evil oppressors.
 
The emphasis on the weak and the suffering in this psalm is striking.  I fear that perhaps the Church in privileged communities has neglected the poor and oppressed for the sake of agendas that benefit us.  We fail to notice the effects our programs have on the downtrodden and brokenhearted.
 
This psalm reiterates what we’ve already seen thus far in these Advent devotions: the Lord is on the side of the weak, the vulnerable, the silenced, the oppressed.  A song of praise will be fitting when they experience justice, that is, the righting of all wrongs.  We’re called to be like our Lord and stand on their side with him.  When we side with the disenfranchised and seek justice for them, they’ll realize that a song of praise to our God is the most fitting response.
 
Prayerfully Reflect
How can you live today so that the broken-hearted, downtrodden, oppressed will offer fitting praise to our Lord?
 
Respond to Jesus
It truly is fitting, O Lord, to give you praise at all times.  May I live today in ways that causes the vulnerable to see your gracious provision and so offer fitting and grateful praise to you.  Amen.
 
Live obediently.  Be the reason others offer fitting praise to the Lord.