G. Archer Frierson
Austin Seminary Board of Trustees
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Advent Devotional for December 19
• Zephaniah 3:14-20
A song that always seems to raise my spirits in a time of serious waiting is “A Change is Gonna Come” by Sam Cooke. These words in particular at the end of each stanza still bring me chills: “It’s been a long, a long time coming. But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will.” In the biblical text, a change is prophesied to come to Daughter Zion, which is the name for personified Jerusalem. Like the song, these prophetic words of faith cast an image of a better tomorrow for Jerusalem and her devastated people. Rather than succumb to emotions of despair and thoughts of future doom, the prophet commands Daughter Zion, to sing aloud (v 14), rejoice (v 14) and not to fear (v 16). This is the power of prophet speech, for its source is faith.
Disappointments and setbacks are often a major cause of our feelings of despair. As in Sam Cooke’s song, we linger longer than we would like in the first half of the line, “It’s been a long, a long time coming…” For some of us, our spiritual energies are so wasted that we hardly have any hope left for imaging the prophetic “but” further on in this line. If there is anything that the current season should inspire in us is the prophetic “but.” Like Cooke, Zephaniah knew a change was going to come, because as he states in verse 17, “the Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory.” Life has us waiting a long time for change—a long, long time. But we have to believe that a change is going to come to our world, society, communities, churches, and yes even ourselves. This is the prophetic “but” of our advent season, a time when we know God is in our midst.
Reverend Dr. Gregory L. Cuéllar
Associate Professor of Old Testament
For the glory of God and to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary is a seminary in the Presbyterian-Reformed tradition whose mission is to educate and equip individuals for the ordained Christian ministry and other forms of Christian service and leadership; to employ its resources in the service of the church; to promote and engage in critical theological thought and research; and to be a winsome and exemplary community of God's people.We hope that you are preparing the way for the Lord in your life as you read these meditations and prayers. And, we hope this Advent season is a meaningful one for you. Please know that Austin Seminary’s dedicated, diverse, and loving community of faith is not complete without you. Did you know?
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