Zephaniah 3:14-20: Song of Joy
Sunday, August 18, 2024
We are always ready to receive joy, always prepared to celebrate. Today we hear from the prophet Zephaniah that there is a reason to rejoice, despite our recalcitrance and resistance to a life of goodness and peace.
The opening verses of this chapter describe a “sewer city” in live a people who refuse to hear the good news that God wants to celebrate goodness with us. We refuse to take correction. Our leaders are rapacious killers. The people have become opportunistic; yet despite this horrible news we hear that God is in the center of the action and knows all we say and do. Despite the damage we visit on one another, God remains. God abides. God persists. God is present, and speaks to us.
You’ve carried those burdens long enough.
I’ll heal the maimed;
I’ll bring home the homeless.
In the very countries where they were hated
they will be venerated.
As we hear this good news, we sing our song of joy.
God is Israel’s king,
in charge at the center.
There’s nothing to fear from evil
ever again!
Let us join our voices in this great song.
To compare different versions of these verses, use the scripture link and the drop-down menus.
To see a flash mob presentation of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy in Plaça de Sant Roc in Sabadell, Spain, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbJcQYVtZMo
Image from: https://x.com/spreadjoynow
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