Advent Devotional December 11, 2023

Scripture

Psalm 122

1 I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the LORD!”
2 Our feet are standing
within your gates, O Jerusalem.

3 Jerusalem — built as a city
that is bound firmly together.
4 To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD,
as was decreed for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
5 For there the thrones for judgment were set up,
the thrones of the house of David.

6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.
7 Peace be within your walls,
and security within your towers.”
8 For the sake of my relatives and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God,
I will seek your good.

Devotion

The Rev. Chris Taylor ’19, Admissions Counselor

This summer, my wife and I had the opportunity to tour the Milan Duomo in Italy. Along with other tourists we marveled at the size and decoration of the interior; we stood atop the rooftop terrace gazing up at the Gothic spires, arches, and gargoyles adorning its exterior; we descended beneath the front piazza to see a baptismal pool dating to Ambrose’s time as bishop in the fourth century.

The Duomo is surely both a place of worship for residents and tourists alike. Just that same morning, a new bishop had been ordained. During our tour, my wife stopped to light a candle in memory of her late Catholic grandparents, knowing they would have loved being there. Other visitors sat and prayed.

Our journey there had been long—Milan was the last stop of our multi-country vacation. We were tired and ready for home, yet the holy met us there all the same. This house of the Lord in Milan is akin to Jerusalem, akin to wherever you find a sense of home in godly community. As the psalmist muses on reaching the destination of Jerusalem, planting one’s feet within the house of the Lord, I cannot help but imagine our Advent journey.

No matter how we get there, regardless of the craziness and chaos the season entails, we arrive at Christmas and are met by the holy one, “God with us” in the newborn baby Christ. And when we do may you be filled with the gladness, peace, and security the psalmist prays upon those entering Jerusalem.

Prayer

Hey God, we are so grateful for this Advent journey we are all on this year. Through the ups and downs, the energy and the tiredness, bring us to Christmas with a renewed sense of gladness, peace, and security knowing we are in your presence. Amen.

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