Day 15 — Joy as Liberation
- Scripture: Luke 4:18 — “God has anointed me to bring good news to those who are poor… to set the oppressed free.”
- Reflection: Joy finds root through equitable conditions for all people. Yet that is not the world in which we live, so we are called to be advocates for justice for all of God’s children. Remember that justice is a process, rather than an outcome. It is always a journey we are undertaking, and ever-unfolding, and each of us has a role to play in creating a just world. Joy doesn’t come when it’s been achieved, but in the work to help create it. Of course, scripture promises that when the oppressed are liberated, joy erupts.
- Practice: Support a local group working as partners to support a population that you understand to be living in more marginalized circumstances: immigrants, LGBTQ+ youth, unhoused neighbors, or for example.
- Song: “Freedom! ’90” by George Michael: https://youtu.be/diYAc7gB-0A?si=nD3tlwsZfQVBG6Ga
- What is our goal in fighting for justice? The same as Jesus’s when he healed the sick: to glorify God, bring joy to the hurting, and point to the glorious kingdom where sickness and suffering will be no more. Imperfect justice now whispers of the coming kingdom where perfect justice, eternal righteousness, and no marginalization or oppression will exist. As Christ’s body, our mouths and our hands express this truth, and this forthcoming final reality fuels our zeal to fight for change now. —Rev. Rayshawn Grave
Dec 15 Advent Devotional