ADVENT WEEK THREE: JOY
December 19 Rev. Jenny Wynn
Joy Breaks Through
Isaiah 52:7-9
Break forth; shout together for joy, you ruins of Jerusalem, for the Lord has
comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem… Isaiah 52:9
Advent draws us into a liminal space, a threshold between what is and what is
yet to come. Advent invites us to voice our longings along with our bold decla-
rations that our broken and fragmented world can be made whole.
Advent draws our attention to those who have existed and continue to exist in
difficult and painful liminal spaces. It is into such places that the prophet Isa-
iah spoke. The prophet knew the deep pain that the Judeans in exile voiced
when they cried, “The Lord has forsaken me, my Lord has forgotten me” (Isa-
iah 49:14).
Yet into this despair, God speaks words of hope, words brimming with joy. Isa-
iah responds to their fears with profound assurance that God was still moving,
still working toward renewal. “Break forth; shout together for joy, you ruins of
Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusa-
lem (v. 9).”
This is Advent’s promise: our whispered prayers in uncertainty are not the end
of the story. We are not alone, God still has need of us, not as passive waiters,
but as joyful, active participants working for the peace we long to see through
acts of compassion, justice, and love.
Where might God be calling you to participate in bringing wholeness to bro-
ken places this Advent?
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