Zephaniah 3:14-20 (Rejoice! God will Care for God’s People)

After the promises of taking away sin, follow promises of taking away trouble. When the cause is removed, the effect will cease. What makes a person holy, will make them happy. The precious promises made to the purified people, were to have full accomplishment in the gospel. They show the abundant peace, comfort, and prosperity of the church, in the happy times yet to come. He will save; he will be Jesus; he will answer the name, for he will save his people from their sins. 

Philippians 4:4-7 (Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!)

Joy has been the primary theme of this letter and it’s fitting that Paul is writing so much about it in these verses.  We can be joyful because the Lord is near. 

Joy is an attitude. But this passage is not just about rejoicing. Paul goes on to say: “Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.” We can rejoice in the Lord, and we can be gentle with those around us. Because we know and believe that the Lord is near.

Luke 3:7-18 (What Then Should We Do?)

John the Baptist’s message, “Get ready!” the people ask, “What then should we do?” As we wait, how will we get ready? Yes, the packages have to get wrapped. Yet John invites us to “bear fruits worthy of repentance.” Perhaps we are being called to notice what we have received and choose what we will share with others. How will we choose to respond to the abundance we have received?

Prayer: God of small beginnings, you bring strength out of weakness and hope out of fear. By the power of your Spirit make us, your children, followers and partners in the grand design of your kingdom of love, rooted and revealed in Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.