December 14

Isaiah 12:2-6

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the Lord God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation. With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

And you will say in that day: Give thanks to the Lord, call on his name; make known his deeds among the nations; proclaim that his name is exalted. Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. Shout aloud and sing for joy, O royal Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.

THANK YOU, GOD. 

The other day when I happily tried to rescue my still blooming flowers on the porch from the first frosty night, a neighbor walked by and briefly waived. I had not seen him recently, so I shouted, “Hi, Good Morning, Good Morning! Isn’t this a beautiful fall day to take a walk or work on the porch.” He came a few steps closer. With ice-cold eyes, he said. “What is good about this morning? Or what is beautiful about any of our days? In case you have forgotten, let me remind you that millions of people have died from a certain virus and continue to do so. In every continent, people are starving. There are wars and terrorism in every corner of the world. Injustice and brutality exist everywhere, and climate change endangers us all. Where, Reverend Barb, is your God in all of this?” He turned and walked away but over his shoulder he said, “Please spare me quotations from the Bible or lines from your favorite prophets. Isaiah did not live in our decade.”

I was stunned by his words and also heartbroken: what he said revealed arrogance and anger but also deeply hidden despair, lostness and pain. I honored his wish to not say anything but inside me, I talked with him all day long. Yes, the pandemic has been horrible, but by Grace we have vaccines for all age groups, children included, and helpful medications are on their way. Thank You, God! Yes, there is world-wide hunger, but churches and community agencies have opened soup kitchens and feeding stations. And international efforts to stop starvation are, by Grace, growing stronger! With shame and pain, I have to admit that racism, injustice and inequality are still enormously widespread, but at least these issues are being discussed in earnest and so is climate change. Thank You, God!

Here is another comment I would have liked to have shared on that day. If anyone on earth knows about misery, it is the Jewish people. From the beginning of their earthly walk, they were homeless, landless, powerless, despised and rejected by all. The Egyptians forced them into slavery and the Babylonians took them into exile. Generations lived in the wilderness, not knowing what the next day would bring. Nowhere did they find welcome signs, only border walls and patrols. During the reign of David, they got a brief time of quiet. But then came the Greeks and the Romans, and only a hundred years after the birth of Jesus, the little nation of Judah disappeared. The Temple in Jerusalem had been destroyed and, once again, they became Migrants, homeless, landless, powerless and despised by all. And yet, my friends, in spite of their horrible history, the people of Israel continued to sing praises to God and proclaim the Lord as the only Savior of all. They have left us beautiful visions of comfort, of hope and of faith in everlasting goodness and mercy. 

I have a friend who every evening makes a list of what could have gone wrong but went right. Then she says, Thank You, God! She tells me that she learned it from the Jewish People. So then, my brothers and sisters, let us be good learners as well. Despite the pandemic, let us proclaim God as our Savior. When the earth under our feet crumbles, let God’s hand steady us. When we feel attacked from all quarters, let us proclaim God as our Healer and Protector. In the darkness of the night, let us look for tiny glimpses of light. And when one tiny, little flower manages to bloom in the wilderness, let us celebrate. Let us hold on to believing in goodness and mercy. Above all else, let us call God our Creator, Redeemer, Healer, Sustainer and, forevermore, the world’s Savior. Hallelujah and Amen!

The Rev. Barbara C. Muntzel