Tuesday - Advent 2 - Righteousness

Prayer:  Come Lord Jesus,  come this day to defend the afflicted and save the children of the needy.    Dayspring of light,  come this day to bring Your love and Your hope to all people.  Amen.

 

Read  Psalm 72: 1 – 7

 

Read through this Psalm and write down here all the verbs in verses 1 to 7:

 

 

What do all these verbs have in common?     They are all positive actions. 

The Psalmist did not have a specific king in mind when he wrote this prayer.   The Psalmist was describing the best attributes and attitudes of a king.   Behind the rule of the king,  is God.  The reign of a king is a mirror image of the reign of God. While this psalm describes the positive attributes of a great king as gifted by God,   these positive actions are important for our Church today to remember and to put into practice

 

The word “righteousness”  is used in this Psalm as coming from God to the king. Righteousness is a word used as a standard or as a legal process or as good conduct.   But the Psalmist here is saying that righteousness comes from God.  This kind of righteousness speaks of justice but also of charity.   An interesting combination!   Justice and charity.  The bringing of compassion into a community through justice and charity.  Yet it is much more.   It is also being right with God.  Being within the love of God so much that we want to bring this same love into our Church and community.  

How is the word “righteousness” used today?     This word is not really part of our every day vocabulary.   Is this a word that we have forgotten?  Is this a word that is a part of God that we have forgotten?   And if so,  how can we bring this word back into our Church and into our Church leadership this Advent season?

 

What one thing will you do this week to bring righteousness – justice and charity—to your community?

 

Prayer:  O come, Day-Spring, come and lift our tiredness and lack of energy by Your coming again and instilling love within our hearts during this season of Advent. Disperse the gloomy clouds of night  and death's dark shadows put to flight. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come for all peoples.  Amen.