Rejoice and Do Not Fear

We continue our trip through the Bible with today’s reading from Zephaniah. In the lectionary, because of its words of hope in hard times, readings from Zephaniah come up on the third Sunday in Advent and also on the night of Easter Vigil, which is the Saturday of the tomb before the resurrection on Easter Sunday. As the Israelites found themselves in Babylon, all of us find ourselves in times of desolation, and these words are meant for such times. Notably, the subject of nearly every sentence in our text is “I” or “God,” as God makes promises to the people – it is God who brings restoration, hope, healing, power, belonging. At times we tend to rely on ourselves, but God is always with us, holding us, never forsaking us, and it is God who acts. Zephaniah calls on the people to rejoice and not fear. Some in our world use fear to conquer and control, but Zephaniah tells us to release that fear and trust that God holds us. Beyond that, Zephaniah calls us to sing with joy because God looks at us with joy and embraces us.