December 1, 2024
Revised Common Lectionary
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalm 25:1-10
1 Thessalonians 3:9-13
Luke 21:25-36
Lectionary for Mass (RC)
Jeremiah 33:14-16
Psalm 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14 (1b)
1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2
Luke 21:25-28, 34-36
Sometimes, encouraging words can be the hardest to hear. When you’ve just received a cancer diagnosis, your spouse has asked for a divorce, or your child has been seriously injured, assurances that “everything will be all right” can feel not only hollow but even cruel. In moments of crisis, hope can sound like a foreign language.
And yet, Scripture often dares to speak hope into the darkest of times. The Advent season begins with three short verses from the prophet Jeremiah, offering a word of encouragement to a nation in turmoil. Jeremiah’s world was one of upheaval: kings were overthrown, leaders and intellectuals were dragged into exile, and even the Temple—center of Israel’s identity—was reduced to rubble. Much of Jeremiah’s prophetic message was one of judgment, condemning a society that had strayed from its covenant with God and was now reaping the bitter consequences.
Even so, amid the wreckage of national and spiritual identity, Jeremiah delivers a stunning promise. On God’s behalf, he proclaims that days are coming when the divine promise will be fulfilled: “A righteous Branch will spring up for David” (Jer 33:15). This is not merely a return to the old order but the creation of something entirely new. God’s people will be transformed, bearing a new identity, summed up in a new name: “The LORD is our righteousness” (Jer33:16).
This Advent, as we stand at the threshold of a new liturgical year, Jeremiah’s promise still echoes with power. It speaks not only to an ancient people but to us—here, now—in the midst of our own upheavals. We live in a world where unsettling news abounds: warnings of climate catastrophe, the daily grind of inflation, the plight of refugees, the cries of war-torn nations, and the suffering of the most vulnerable among us. Into this reality, God speaks a word of encouragement: the promise of a new creation, a reign of righteousness and justice. Both Jeremiah and today’s Gospel from Luke assure us that the old, broken order will not have the final word. God’s kingdom is coming. And while the exact timing remains unknown, the call is clear: stay alert, stay ready.
Yet, Advent challenges us in another way. In our eagerness to leap into Christmas—decorating, shopping, sending cards—it’s tempting to skip over the harder work of Advent: watching, waiting, and preparing for Christ’s future coming. Today’s Gospel from Luke reminds us of what is truly urgent. It is not the holiday to-do lists but the call to open our eyes and reorient our lives to the promise of God’s reign. Only by doing so can we fully embrace the mystery we celebrate at Christmas: the God who has come among us, who is with us now, and who will come again.
A Hymn for Today: “Lord, I Gladly Trust”
The Psalms appointed in the Lectionary for each Sunday of Advent provide a scriptural key for believers to respond in song to the call of this season. On this First Sunday of Advent in Year C, Psalm 25 expresses expectancy and trust in divine promises and seeks guidance in shaping one’s life in God’s ways. This metrical paraphrase was created by British hymn writer Martin Leckebusch (b. 1962). Among his hundreds of texts are contemporary paraphrases of all 150 Psalms. Listen here.
LORD, I gladly trust in you:
let me not be put to shame.
As I look up toward your throne
make your gracious promise known:
God my refuge and my hope,
your protective care I claim.
In your hands I place my past:
all my sins you know so well.
Your forgiveness, LORD, I need,
for my guilt is great indeed;
even greater is your love—
mercy more than I can tell.
Teach me what is true and good;
let me hear and understand!
In the choices that I make
show my heart the way to take,
so that I may always tread
on the path which you have planned.
When my troubles multiply
you alone can bring me through;
so with all your saints I say,
“Be my strength and shield today.”
Since I know you hear my prayer,
LORD, I gladly trust in you.
Text: Martin Leckebusch, © 2006, Kevin Mayhew Ltd. Used by permission under OneLicense #A-729857
Tune: REDHEAD 76
Image Credit: Slow but Sure, Trey Everett, 2018
“Word and Song: A Lectionary Reflection” is written by the Executive Director of The Hymn Society, Rev. Dr. Mike McMahon. For his full bio, click here and scroll down to the “staff” section.
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