Here’s
a prayer from the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand.
Advent Prayer: We Wait in the Darkness
We
wait in the darkness,
expectantly,
longingly, anxiously, thoughtfully.
The
darkness is our friend.
In
the darkness of the womb,
we
have all been nurtured and protected.
In
the darkness of the womb
the
Christ-child was made ready for the journey into light.
It
is only in the darkness
that
we can see the splendour of the universe –
blankets
of stars, the solitary glowings of the planets.
It
was the darkness that allowed the Magi to find the star
that
guided them to where the Christ-child lay.
In
the darkness of the night,
desert
people find relief from the cruel relentless heat of the sun.
In
the blessed desert darkness
Mary
and Joseph were able to flee with the infant Jesus to safety in Egypt.
In
the darkness of sleep,
we
are soothed and restored, healed and renewed.
In
the darkness of sleep, dreams rise up.
God
spoke to Joseph and the wise men through dreams.
God
is speaking still.
Sometimes
in the solitude of the darkness our fears and concerns,
our
hopes and visions rise to the surface.
We
come face to face with ourselves
and
with the road that lies ahead of us.
And
in that same darkness
we
find companionship for the journey.
In
that same darkness
we
sometimes allow ourselves to wonder and worry
whether
the human race is going to survive.
And
then, in the darkness we know that you are with us, O God,
yet
still we await your coming.
In
the darkness that contains both our hopelessness and our hope,
we
watch for a sign of God’s hope.
For
you are with us, O God, in darkness and in light.
~
from the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand (abridged) and posted by Richard
Passmore on Sunday Papers. http://www.sundaypapers.org.uk/?p=3139
