Advent Devotional by Kristin Wooldridge

Zephaniah 3:14-20

“At that time I will gather you; all that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes,” says the Lord. (Zephaniah 3:20)

Zephaniah is a fascinating book to research and I highly recommend studying the three chapters to learn more about God’s character. Zephaniah shared about God being engaged with hope, love, and joy. Zephaniah illustrates a different side of what many believe God of the Old Testament to be.

Zephaniah is a book that is a prophet-centered text. Zephaniah is the 4th grandson of Amon, the King of Judah, which means even though generations have passed, he is still part of a royal lineage. He is a prophet, because in the first line of the book he claims that, “the word of Yahweh . . . came to Zephaniah.” He was in touch with God’s work, vision and provision.

Verse 20 stirred an emotional connection for me to personally reflect on for this piece. Here is what jumped out at me: “At that time I will bring you home, at that time when I gather you.”

This verse shows that even though the people were scattered and distant, God would bring them all back together. It is a glimpse of restoration of community and joy. I think the emotional response I felt was from our shared experience of distance and separation during the Covid 19 Global Pandemic. So many of our faith community have mentioned or expressed a feeling of gratefulness in our gathering again to learn, worship and praise with one another.

If this feeling of returning here as a community feels this good, then our return to God will truly be a homecoming of peace and joy. We will all leave the desert rejoicing and we will gather in God’s love.

Kristin Wooldridge