Sherah-Leigh Gerber enjoys coffee, books and creating with her two young children. A believer, wife, mother and pastor, she lives with her family in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, where she serves as associate pastor for worship, discipleship and care at Harrisonburg (Virginia) Mennonite Church.

Reflections on Psalm 85. 

“How was your day at school?” I ask as I stab peas onto my fork.

“Do you want the good news or the bad news first, mom?” Titus will ask me. His big blue eyes sparkle and dance with mischief. At four-and-a-half, he is equal parts delight and line-tester.

I always pick the bad news. Get it over with; tell me the worst of it. Then let’s move to savor something joyful; enjoy that good news like the sweetness of dessert at the end of a meal.

So what do you want? Do you choose the good news or the bad news first?

Our congregation is living into Advent through the sacred poetry of the Psalms this season. We are remembering that more than a silent night or pastoral scene, Advent is a season of revolution. Because we know that advent leads us to the incarnation, a time when the world was forever changed by God coming to us in flesh.

We honor this seismic change that began with an angel visit. We reflect on this upheaval that began mustard seed small and quiet as Mary nurtured life within her womb. We are reminded that subversion, restoration and the fulfillment of proclamation, prophecy and poetry first had to grow up from baby to boy to man. And while this man taught and loved, he also scattered and gathered; he told stories. And he ultimately wrote the next chapter of God’ story through suffering, death and resurrection.

And the world changed. And the world continues to change.

The sacred poem for this day, Psalm 85, is a community lament. In the very reading of Scripture we are reminded that God’s people, the community and the world have always faced challenges, struggle and pain. When we read headlines or hear sound bites, does it feel merry and bright? When we get texts from our friends, emails from our extended families with updates and diagnoses, does it feel like all is well?

The Psalmist begins by remembering God’s saving acts. And remembrance is the practice that leads us to gratitude and hope. After remembering God’s great mercy for God’s people, the Psalmist names the needs and the hopes of the people.

Psalms, just as other forms of poetry, cover the spectrum of human emotion.

And Psalm 85 is no exception. It beautiful and pain-filled. It holds triumph and agony. It rejoices and weeps. It recounts bad news and proclaims good news. It lives within and heralds the tensions of the already and the not yet that we live in.

So do you want the good news or the bad news?

We are people of promise, which means that all we long for is yet to be realized. We are not unique; the people of God have always had lament and longing.

This is the story of the people of God; this is our story. Advent invites us to be awake—to be watchful because God is not finished. God has come and God will come again.

As Advent people we know that it will get darker before it gets lighter. We know that a light has come and the darkness cannot overcome it. Thanks be to God.