by Deacon Doug Brosky
“Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion;
shout, O Israel!
Rejoice and exult with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
The Lord has taken away the judgments against you;
he has cleared away your enemies.
The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst;
you shall never again fear evil” Zephaniah 3:14-15
Anticipation of something that we have long awaited is special. Perhaps it is the birth of a grandchild, a college graduation or even a mortgage burning party. These are events to celebrate. At times it perhaps seemed that the long-anticipated event would never arrive. Well for God’s people in the Old Testament that have heard their prophets promise time and time again that the long-awaited Messiah was coming, the wait is almost over. The Messiah will arrive and just like a birth, graduation or mortgage burning party, it is to be a time of joy. Zephaniah says now is the time to sing and shout. Our sins are removed, our enemies removed and “the Lord is in your midst” Emmanuel God with us is no longer to be a distant hope but rather a present reality. What a fantastic event to celebrate. God has sent his Son in the flesh to pay the price we could never pay for our sins and we in faith see the gap that would separate us from God removed and we can look forward with assurance to spending an eternity with him. The feast is prepared and in two days we can celebrate with that heavenly choir. Glory to God in the highest, our long-awaited Savior is with us; sing, shout and thank God.