Advent – Monday, December 13

Author: Brittany Fiscus-van Rossum

Zephaniah 3:14-20

Reflection: v. 20, ‘I will bring you home’

Something that we remind ourselves of often in our community is that God wants for us the things that human bodies need to live and thrive. God wants for us to have access to good nutritious food. God wants for us to have access to the care we need to stay healthy and well. God wants for us to have outlets for creativity, joy, and fellowship. God wants for us to be and feel safe. God wants for us to have housing. Yes. Simply put, God wants for us to have a home–God wants us to have stable housing. Our basic human needs are not privileges only allotted for some. We do not earn the right to having our basic needs met. God wants God’s people to have access to the things they need to be healthy and well. After all, God created us and loves us dearly! Of course God wants us to have our needs met. In this passage the prophet Zephaniah imagines God restoring the well-being of God’s people: gathering the outcasts, healing the hurting, and welcoming God’s people home. With my own prophetic imagination, I envision a day when the people I love will have access to housing, when it will not be so difficult, and the hoops not so numerous. When it will not just be about numbers and grants, but about community and the well-being of complex and unique humans. I long for the day when people will be welcomed home to places where they can flourish and thrive. I dream of the day when the many apartment buildings popping up around our city will not only house the rich and privileged, but the people I love. God wants housing for God’s people. God wants to welcome each of us home. As God’s people, how can we make home for one another?

Prayer Bring us home, O Lord, that we may flourish and thrive as you intend.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *