Third Monday of Advent (Year B)
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1 Kings 18:1-18 | Psalm 125 | Ephesians 6:10-17
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Advent Meditation by Jennifer SanCartier
These days when I leave my apartment I don’t go out without my armor – a face mask. Masks, hand sanitizer and gloves provide protection from COVID 19, protections that we may not have thought too much about last year. But even with these protections my safety is not completely secure.
Psalm 125 and the passage from Ephesians remind us of the security of God’s people and that we can put on the whole armor of God. Psalm 125 states “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the Lord surrounds his people, from this time on and forevermore.” Among the suffering and anxiety we presently face we can find God surrounding us through the dedicated healthcare workers, emergency responders, essential workers and volunteers providing care to the sick and needy.
Ephesians reminds us to put on the whole armor of God and that our struggle is “…against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” We can combat this present darkness by looking after each other, helping a friend or neighbor in need, checking in on the isolated elderly, contributing to Advent drives. I have felt surrounded by love when family and friends, some of whom I haven’t heard from in years, have made the effort to check in on me during this darkness. This is how we find God surrounding us if we have forgotten he is here.