In this series we’ll reflect on the Advent Scriptures in the Revised Common Lectionary as a way of enabling us to celebrate the birth of Christ.
Many of us put on our best clothes, set out our best decorations, and put on our best smiles at Christmas. We want things to look clean and crisp. From the table setting to the Christmas sweater to the adorned tree we strive for perfection. Our hearts rarely seem happier and our homes rarely seem cozier than at Christmastime.
But David in Psalm 25 reminds us that even at Christmas life is a bit like alphabet soup. It’s a mashup of things we love and things we loathe. Written as an acrostic (each verse beginning with successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet) the psalm covers diverse territory. At times David writes of God’s mercy, steadfast love and goodness. At other times he writes of his enemies and his transgressions. He begins with words of trust. But he ends with words about his, and Israel’s, “troubles.” He calls himself “lonely and afflicted.” Psalm 25 is not the ABC’s of praise for a perfect life. And it’s not the ABC’s of crying over a challenging life. It’s the ABC’s of both.
This Christmas David urges you to bring your best and your worst to God. Speak to God about what fills your heart with delight and what fills your heart with discomfort. David urges you to genuinely give thanks and praise for what is right, and to authentically cry out over what isn’t.
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