Zephaniah 3:17-20

“The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival.” vss. 17-18a

While this verse contains a description of God that seems foreign to our ears, it’s fascinating to see how Zephaniah, a 7th century B.C.E prophet, conveyed his sense of the Divine Presence to his readers. He’s pretty much right on in what he has to say. God wasn’t a far distant deity but lived right in the midst of the people, a constant Presence who continually rejoiced over them with gladness and who sustained them with constant love. Zephaniah even imagines God singing praises to the people. That’s a fun image of God, one that doesn’t come up very often. There are pictures floating around the internet of a laughing Jesus, but it’s hard to even imagine a singing God. What would that be like? Is such talk even appropriate? Well, maybe not, but wouldn’t it be nice if God took delight in those times when we behave decently and act justly? If on some random day our hours were so full of smiles, hugs, and loving words that God just burst into song? It’s good to imagine God thinking well of us–especially since we so often believe God is angry. Maybe this year God will show up on Christmas Eve with a “Ho, ho, ho,” instead of Santa. That would really be nice! 

Thought for the Day: What song is God singing to me?