Rejoice, the reconciliation of creation is on its way
Joel 2:21-27
21 Do not fear, O soil;
be glad and rejoice, for the Lord has done great things!
22 Do not fear, you animals of the field,
for the pastures of the wilderness are green;
the tree bears its fruit, the fig tree and vine give their full yield.
23 O children of Zion, be glad and rejoice in the Lord your God;
for he has given the early rain for your vindication,
he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the later rain, as before.
24 The threshing-floors shall be full of grain, the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.
25 I will repay you for the years that the swarming locust has eaten,
the hopper, the destroyer, and the cutter, my great army, which I sent against you.
26 You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, and praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has dealt wondrously with you.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
27 You shall know that I am in the midst of Israel,
and that I, the Lord, am your God and there is no other.
And my people shall never again be put to shame.
Advent’s promise of hope is not just hope for human beings, it is hope for all of creation.
This text only makes sense if we pay attention to vs. 25. Locusts had devoured all the crops, all the grass, all the leaves, everything green had been destroyed by “the hopper, the destroyer, the cutter.” That destruction meant not only was there no food for people, there was no food for the animals, which could be why they were fearful (vs. 22). The soil, having been stripped of its vegetation, was at risk of erosion, again a source of fear (vs. 21).
Jesus the Saviour comes as the reconciliation to all things, including the creation – the soil, the animals, the vegetation. The hope of Advent is that Jesus’ coming breaks the powers of destruction. Jesus is coming again to set all things new.
God is bringing an end to the locusts, bringing an end to the destruction, bringing an end to the chagrin, the shame, the people of God experienced in being without food, having no means to support themselves. In response to this shame, this chagrin, God is sending rain and abundant crops. There will be plenty, the people will be satisfied.
While we may not know the shame of not having enough food, we do know shame and chagrin in other ways. We have experienced times when our needs (material, emotional, psychological, spiritual) were beyond our ability to handle, beyond our ability to supply ourselves. We were put to shame for not being able to provide for ourselves. Advent’s promise is that Jesus comes so that our shame is gone. Our chagrin will be no more. There may still be times when it feels like we are in want, but we can trust that God will provide what we need in that moment.
We together with the creation will be reconciled, and all will have enough when God’s reign is fully revealed.
PRAYER:
Reconciling God, we rejoice that you will end the destruction and the fear, bringing hope and reconciliation to the whole of the created order. We thank you for this promise of Advent. In Jesus’ name. Amen.