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| Image by Phil Plait |
A GREETING
O my strength, I will sing praises to you,
for you, O God, are my fortress, the God who shows me steadfast love.
(Psalm 59:17)
A READING
Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young, at your altars, O God of hosts.
Happy are those who live in your house, ever singing your praise. Selah
(Psalm 84:3-4)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
I know all the birds of the air, and all that moves in the field is mine.
(Psalm 50:11)
A POEM
I know why the caged bird sings, ah me,
When his wing is bruised and his bosom sore,
When he beats his bars and would be free;
It is not a carol of joy or glee,
But a prayer that he sends from his heart's deep core,
But a plea, that upward to Heaven he flings –
I know why the caged bird sings.
- from "Sympathy" by Paul Laurence Dunbar
VERSE OF THE DAY
Comfort, O comfort my people, says your God.
(Isaiah 40:1)
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MUSIC
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Today’s poem by African American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar expresses a yearning for freedom. Dunbar’s parents had been enslaved in Kentucky and moved north when they were freed. But their lives were still hard. Dunbar worked as a clerk in the medical records of the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, where his job required him to be locked into book stacks behind iron grating that grew hot during the day. The job deeply impacted his health. The poem is about himself, yearning for the outdoors, nature and the opportunity to really ‘sing’ with his life.
Today’s music features two versions of the Beatles’ song “Blackbird”: one by Jon Batiste, and the other by Mi’kmaq singer Emma Stevens, who sings the song in her own language. Paul McCartney has said that he wrote the song in part as a tribute to those involved in the civil rights movement in the United States. The lyrics were intended to speak to those who were lifting their voices in protest and working for change. He was particularly inspired by the “Little Rock 9”, a group of nine students who volunteered to be the first to attend a desegregated high school after the legal end of segregation in education.
The poetic images of birds yearning for restoration and renewal have cadence for the birds of antiquity. Many larger birds were considered unclean in the ancient world, and were banished from urban areas. Others were used sacrificially within the temple. However, if a bird was able to build a nest in the high altar of the Temple in Jerusalem, its life was spared, on the principal of its bravery. In Psalm 84, the psalmist celebrates that defiant occupation.
Jesus comes to occupy the places of banishment and bravery. He comes to remind us of the profound connection between God’s love and human justice. In Advent, we look ahead to the work that still needs to be done and recommit ourselves. How does God’s love for you inspire courage? How can we become those justice seekers?
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The next devotional day is Monday, December 19th.
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| Image by Steve Wall |
LC† A Joyful Noise is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help to support extended offerings throughout the year. Thank you and peace be with you!
