Psalm 80:1-7, 16-18

1 Hear, O Shepherd of Israel, leading Joseph like a flock; shine forth, you that are enthroned upon the cherubim.

2 In the presence of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, stir up your strength and come to help us.

3 Restore us, O God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

4 O Lord God of hosts, how long will you be angered despite the prayers of your people?

5 You have fed them with the bread of tears; you have given them bowls of tears to drink.

6 You have made us the derision of our neighbors, and our enemies laugh us to scorn.

7 Restore us, O God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

16 Let your hand be upon the man of your right hand, the son of man you have made so strong for yourself.

17 And so will we never turn away from you; give us life, that we may call upon your Name.

18 Restore us, O Lord God of hosts; show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.

(This year, Monday Matters will focus on wisdom conveyed in the treasures of the book of Psalms. We'll look at the psalms read in church before Monday Matters comes to your screen. Please note that these days in the church, there are two tracks of readings in the lectionary, offering a choice of psalms. Your church may or may not have read the psalm included in this email.)

During the eucharist, as the celebrant begins the prayer of thanksgiving over the bread and wine, that person will find a variety of prefaces to offer. The prefaces are prayers changing with the liturgical season. For the season of Christmas, here is a preface for the incarnation:

O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

That prayer not only celebrates the gift of creation. It also speaks of how God is in the business of wonderfully restoring the dignity of human nature, made possible because Jesus humbled himself to share our humanity. I started thinking about the meaning of restoration as I prepared to reflect on the psalm you may have heard in church yesterday, reprinted in this email.

Did you catch how three times in that psalm, there is a prayer that God will restore us by the light of God’s countenance. There is the goodness of creation all around us. At the same time, it is tempered by the fact that in each of our lives, in our life together in our households, in our common life as a nation and a global village, there’s plenty of need for restoration.

In the wisdom of the Prayer Book, apparently Christmas is a time for that restoration to begin to take place. I’m wondering where you see that need. The psalm suggests that the restoration will come as the countenance of the Holy One is shown. Christmas tells us that we find that encounter in Jesus, who by his teaching and miracles and self-offering made restoration a possibility.

Restoration comes in the teaching of Jesus, who taught us that there are no limits to the call to forgiveness, who told parables about restored relationships like the prodigal son (Luke 15), stories of neighborliness overcoming societal divisions as in the good Samaritan (Luke 10), or visions of care for those in the margins, as the parable of the king (Matthew 25) who says as you have served the least of these, you have been serving me.

Restoration comes in the miracles of Jesus, who showed us that his ministry was all about healing, in fulfillment of the prophecies of the Hebrew scripture. As a result, this kind of restoration could take place: the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will walk, prisoners will be released.

Restoration comes in the self offering that took him all the way to the cross, where he stretched out arms of love to draw us into his saving embrace, the restoration of our relationship to God.

As you begin this week which includes all kinds of celebrations, spend some time, maybe a little time each day, thinking about where you see a need in your life for restoration. Then consider the ways in which Jesus does the work of restoration, and how that restoration is the good news of our Christmas celebrations. And offer this prayer from the preface of the incarnation: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ.

 -Jay Sidebotham