December 6

100  My Soul Cries Out with a Joyful Shout: Canticle of the Turning

My soul cries out with a joyful shout that the God of my heart is great,
And my spirit sings of the wondrous things that you bring to the ones who wait.
You fixed your sight on your servant’s plight, and my weakness you did not spurn,
So from east to west shall my name be blest. Could the world be about to turn?

Refrain:
My heart shall sing of the day you bring. Let the fires of your justice burn.
Wipe away all tears for the dawn draws near, and the world is about to turn!


Though I am small, my God, my all, you work great things in me,
And your mercy will last from the depths of the past to the end of the age to be.
Your very name puts the proud to shame, and to those who would for you yearn,
You will show your might, put the strong to flight, for the world is about to turn.

Refrain

From the halls of power to the fortress tower, not a stone will be left on stone.
Let the king beware, for your justice tears every tyrant from his throne.
The hungry poor shall weep no more, for the food they can never earn;
There are tables spread; every mouth be fed, for the world is about to turn.

Refrain

Though the nations rage from age to age, we remember who holds us fast:
God’s mercy must deliver us from the conqueror’s crushing grasp,
This saving word that our forebears heard is the promise which holds us bound,
Till the spear and the rod can be crushed by God, who is turning the world around.

Refrain

Devotion

“Advent is the time we are given to welcome the Lord who comes to encounter us, and also to verify our longing for God, to look forward and prepare ourselves for Christ’s return.” – Pope Francis

Advent is not just a season of the remembrance of waiting for a promised baby, but a season of active waiting – celebratory, participatory waiting and working for the day God’s will is done on earth as well as it is in heaven. When that day comes, love will abound, and God’s justice will bring peace. Joy will cry out, and the hope of God’s promise will be fulfilled. The time of waiting will be over.

Until that day, we are reminded to yearn for God, and to feed the hungry poor. Though we are small, God will work great things in us. Take joy in the greatness of God, and remember the God who holds us fast is the one who is turning the world around.

Kecia Simmons

Prayer

Lord of the turning, we actively await the day you bring. Help us hold fast to the promise of the turning of the world. Amen.