Psalm
126 is set in the Lectionary for this Third Sunday in Advent, a day
when the themes of joy and rejoicing run through the prayers and
scripture readings. Psalm 126 is itself a song of joy, and is one of
the psalms referred to collectively as the Song of
Ascents. It is thought by many scholars that these songs were sung by
worshippers as they ascended the road to Jerusalem for three annual
Jewish festivals. I experienced what an ascent that truly is when I
visited Jerusalem in 2015.
Nan
Merrill’s re-visioning of the Hebrew Scripture’s Psalms in
“Psalms for Praying: An Invitation to Wholeness” has a lovely
fresh version of this psalm. It speaks of Divine Love, a love that is
in"nite, unconditional, nonjudgmental, intimate, and felt at the
depth of one’s being. The initial verses convey the sense of this
love and its impact: “When the Divine Lover enters the human heart,
all yearnings are fulfilled! Then will our mouths ring forth with
laughter, and our tongues with shouts of joy”
This
Divine Love brings joy to the human heart, a joy to be felt not only
at this time in Advent, but throughout the year. This love never
leaves us. It is an integral part of us. God is in each of us; we are
in God. As the beloved, we are God’s presence in the world. God
invites us to be instruments of joy in this world. And from this
union with the Divine, everything belongs.
– Sandi Austin
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