December 14 - Exult

December 14 - #AdventWord #Exult
The Hebrew Bible reading for Advent 3 is from the prophet Zephaniah, and it includes this line: "God will rejoice over you with gladness; God will renew you in God's love; God will exult over you with loud singing, as on a day of festival." The prophet is envisioning a moment when God comes to dwell among humanity, when the fullness of God's presence is with us at last. And that moment is described poetically as pure divine exultation—so much so, that God bursts into song for the sheer joy of being among the people. 

In our tradition, we respond to God in song as part of our worship. But have we ever imagined that God would sing over us? Have we ever imagined that the joy we feel as we come close to God in worship is reciprocated by the God we adore? As we look toward Christmas, we will hear the stories and sing about Mary and Joseph as they welcomed their baby, and the joy they surely felt. And we will remember the joy of the shepherds, and the angel choir, and yes even the animals, as they gazed upon the face of Christ. But let us also remember God's joy, the song of exultation that thrummed through every moment, as the divine presence became incarnate among God's beloved humanity.

—The Reverend Laura Rezac, associate rector for Children & Youth Formation at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Charleston

#AdventWord encourages participation in a global, online advent calendar. Find them all on our website at: http://www.episcopalchurchsc.org/adventword-2021