IS 11:1-10
PS 72:1-2, 7-8, 12-13, 17
LK 10:21-24
He shall strike the ruthless with the rod of his mouth,
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Justice shall be the band around his waist,
and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.
and faithfulness a belt upon his hips.
During this first week of Advent, we prepare for the coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ. We come together waiting to celebrate the wonderful moment that is the birth of Jesus, and we hope for the second coming our Savior. Today’s readings serve to exemplify this feeling of hope that we all during this season by challenging us that we must always stand for truth and justice. This passage calls all of us to be like the lineage of Jesse by giving hope and a voice to those who are hopeless and voiceless. With tensions running high in our city, I do not believe this passage could have come at a better time because it encourages to find the strength to do what is right. This passage seeks to reiterate that even though it may be easier for us to overlook the injustices we see every day, we must push continually push ourselves to “slay the wicked” and to be a champion for justice. It demands us to remember the privilege we have as SLU students, and the importance of using entitlement as a positive method for righteousness.
Truly, I know how easy it is to fall into a place of deflation. With so many things happening in our country today, you could effortlessly fall into a place of despair; however, we must know that we can accomplish all things if we keep our faith in our God. The spirit of the Lord is within all of us, so we must know that we are not powerless because we have Him. It is through Him that we can restore hope to those that may feel hopeless, to help those that are helpless, and to bring justice to those who suffer from the evils of injustice. This season, we are being called to do the work of our Savior. We are being encouraged to put the “service to humanity” of our university’s mission into action. And we must realize that while serving humanity may seem like a large task, it all begins with a little bit of hope and faith in He who live in us.
Jay Hardin is a senior from Dyersburg, TN studying Health Management with a minor in Health Information Management. He has served students at SLU in multiple roles including: Vice President of Internal Affairs for SGA, the SLU 101 Leader program, and as an intern in the Office of Admission.
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