Daily Church Epistle for December 11, 2020
Hello Church!
Darci here.
It is hard to feel like Christmas is coming. No shopping trips. No social gatherings. No snow.
I am grateful for our podcast that reminds me we are halfway through
Advent. Christmas is coming!
The scripture for Friday December 11 in our Disciplines
book of devotions is Psalm 126.
Psalm 126
A pilgrimage song.
1 When the Lord changed Zion’s circumstances for the better,
it was like we had been dreaming.
2 Our mouths were suddenly filled with laughter;
our tongues were filled with joyful shouts.
It was even said, at that time, among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them!”
3 Yes, the Lord has done great things for us,
and we are overjoyed.
4 Lord, change our circumstances for the better,
like dry streams in the desert waste!
5 Let those who plant with tears
reap the harvest with joyful shouts.
6 Let those who go out,
crying and carrying their seed,
come home with joyful shouts,
carrying bales of grain!
I have the Amplified Bible on my cell phone. The second half of verse one in that version
is:
“we were like those who dream, it seemed so unreal.”
There are days our current lives feel like we are living
in captivity and we can identify with the people in this psalm that it seems
unreal. It feels like a nightmare some days. I am a gardener that starts many
of my plants from seed and see that final verse as one of patience. You must wait awhile before a seed becomes
grain you can harvest.
The psalm spoke to me enough today that I decided to give
rewriting it a try. That is one of the
ways to study. Take a scripture and make
it your own.
Here’s Psalm 126 the Darci-version.
God was with his people in the past when life felt
unreal.
They had their joy returned.
Back then people could see God was at work in their lives.
God is at work in ours!
Help us feel full of life once more.
Turn our tears into songs of joy.
Help us be patient and trust this joy is in our future.
Christmas will be different this year, yet we can still
sing our songs of joy. Christ came to
earth as a tiny baby to help us understand the great gift of God’s love. God’s love is not stopped by a virus. Christmas is not cancelled because there are
no shopping trips, or social gatherings, or snow. Sing out with joy to honor Christ’s birth.
John 10:10b says: “I came so that they could have
life—indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest.”
Be patient. Trust
this God of love. Live life to the
fullest. God is faithful.
Pray with me the prayer from Disciplines for today.
Lord, change our circumstances for the better, like
dry streams in the desert waste.
Continue your work within us and lead us to give thanks for your
glorious deeds. Amen.
Beams and blessings!
A pilgrimage song.
1 When the Lord changed Zion’s circumstances for the better,
it was like we had been dreaming.
2 Our mouths were suddenly filled with laughter;
our tongues were filled with joyful shouts.
It was even said, at that time, among the nations,
“The Lord has done great things for them!”
3 Yes, the Lord has done great things for us,
and we are overjoyed.
like dry streams in the desert waste!
5 Let those who plant with tears
reap the harvest with joyful shouts.
6 Let those who go out,
crying and carrying their seed,
come home with joyful shouts,
carrying bales of grain!
They had their joy returned.
Back then people could see God was at work in their lives.
God is at work in ours!
Help us feel full of life once more.
Turn our tears into songs of joy.
Help us be patient and trust this joy is in our future.
