Sowing in Tears, Reaping in Shouts of Joy

A Reflection on the Psalm for Sunday, December 8th, 2024:
Second Sunday of Advent

---

Psalm 126

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with shouts of joy. 

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us, and we rejoiced. 

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like the watercourses in the desert of the Negev. May those who sow in tears reap with shouts of joy. 

R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Those who go out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, carrying their sheaves. 

​R. The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

As I reflect on Psalm 126, I’ve had to do my own “sowing in tears.” Earlier this week (the week I write this reflection), my childhood friend and neighbour passed away after a year long battle with leukemia. Being far away from where this painful event occured, this grief has been difficult to come to terms with. My friend was a Hindu, so I’m left with doubts and questions. Does Christ only save Christians? 

I’m sure there is a theological answer to the above question. But, for now, I’m going to depend on this understanding that brings me comfort. I know for a fact that Jesus Christ is my Saviour. I also know that He died on the cross for each one of us, irrespective of race, religion, or region. He pursues us like the Hound of Heaven while we live. Then, how can He abandon us at the time of our death? 

Like I said, I’m not trying to raise a theological debate here, I’m only trying to process the grief of losing someone who had a faith that did not include Jesus Christ. Another fact that I would like to mention is that for Jesus, time is not linear like it is for you and me. Chronologically, on Earth, the Incarnation did occur before the Crucifixion, but God Who is outside of time and space experienced being born at the same time as dying on the cross. 

So keeping that in mind, I believe I can cry out and pray for the soul of my friend. I can pray that he accepts Jesus as his Lord and Saviour in the realm where his soul now exists, and I trust that my awesome God, Who is outside of time, is not restricted by the confines of a person’s earthly life to redeem them for eternity. 

So, I’m hoping that someday I do get to Heaven and there I will see my friend waiting for me, and we will let out “shouts of joy” to praise “the Lord” who “has done great things for us.”

Lord Jesus, in this season of Advent, as we wait for your earthly incarnation, help us trust that You are a God Who works beyond boundaries that confine our human minds, and You love each one of Your sheep, even the sheep who do not know you. I place all my trust in You, Jesus.




Rebecca D'Mello

---