DH Update 3
Wednesday Meditation (Isaiah 35:1,2)
The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the LORD, the majesty of our God.
The third week of Advent is set as a time for joy. Yes, we are to prepare the coming of our Lord with joy.
I sometimes wonder if joy is something we can really share in today’s world. People are busy. Their faces are often stoic expressions, revealing their hard lives. A cashier at one of our supermarkets, a late middle aged woman, had one of those tired and ready-to-go-home looks. It must have been a long day for her, even though I was there before 4 pm. She had no particular enthusiasm for doing what she was doing. People who were before me had similar facial expressions. They exchanged very formal matters of courtesy greetings with the cashier. They did not engage in any small talks. Everyone was going through motions.
A shoot shall come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots. The spirit of the LORD shall rest on him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. His delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked.
