The First Week of Advent

"O, Come! O, Come!" 

though I know You are here now

in this aching world and deep within my wounded self. 

What I feel and know are at odds. 

I feel the dark descending...

     empty, lonely, void, silent.

Yet what I know is pregnant darkness:

     In the darkness of the earth, hidden, a seed germinates.

     In the darkness of the womb, hidden, a baby grows.

I long for that which I already possess, 

that which is already infused in every cell of my body

and every atom of the Universe. 

Yet, when the dark times on Earth and within me come, 

I forget...I forget.

Remind me...

Re - mind me...

change my thoughts, my assumptions, 

my habits, my heart. 

Let me turn my face to You

and let Your Light shine in my darkness. 

Let us become the Light shining.

In this time of increasing darkness, we hold in memory and hope the glimmer of Light returning, yet always here. Light your candles in anticipation and longing, be it for Advent, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or a celebration all your own.

"We are the Light of the World."