Announce to the nations, “The LORD is King!
The world stands firm, never to be shaken,
And he will judge its people with fairness.”
Tell the heavens and the earth to be glad and celebrate!
Command the ocean to roar with all of their creatures
And the fields to rejoice with all of its crops.
Then every tree in the forest
Will sing joyful songs to the LORD.
He is coming to judge all people on earth
With fairness and truth.
Psalm 96: 10-13
Reflect on the word ANTICIPATION for a few moments.
There always seems to be something special in the air the days before Christmas.
Children are too excited to go to bed. Parents are rushing to complete unfinished tasks.
People are frantic with last-minute shopping. The sounds and songs of Christmas fill the air on busy streets and secluded homes.
Anticipating Christmas day is anticipating celebration! What signs of anticipation color this time for you? What memories from the past surface as you anticipate the next few days?
- LISTEN to the song of the birds calling
- SENSE the winds blowing through bush and tall grasses
- FEEL the movement of the rivers and the seas as planet earth moves to the rhythms of creation.
- IMAGINE yourself waiting with anticipation when you read the words of the Psalmist.
The Psalmist celebrates God. It is not a private, personal celebration. It overflows and spills into all of Creation! A human celebration caught in the exuberance of Creation’s celebration! Our God is indeed here!
God of all our celebrations, let me also overflow with gladness and rejoicing that surrounded the birth of Jesus.
© Ranjini Wickramaratne-Rebera
For a number of years, our dear friend Ranjini Rebera wrote Biblical reflections for the use of Gungahlin Uniting Church and others, usually for Advent and Lent. We were privileged to receive these, as Ranjini had a working history of writing and teaching on a global stage. Each time she completed the considerable work on one of these studies for us she would announce firmly, ‘That’s it. That is the last one I’m writing. No more. End of story!’ But as Advent or Lent came around again she would start hinting that she’d had an idea for a reflection – and she would write another one.
When she completed a Reflection for Lent 2021, we were not to know that this really was the last one. Ranjini died on 13 October 2021. We miss her intellect, her leadership, her vivid personality, her artistic gifts, her deep faith and her pastoral heart. We have lost some colour from our world.
The Gungahlin Uniting Church Worship Team, where Ranjini served for several years, offers Ranjini’s study material, first produced in 2015, as we give thanks for her life shared among us.