Hope shines brightest amidst the darkness of pain.
The season of Advent is the season of longing, of waiting.
We long for the hope of Christ,
Immanuel amidst the pain of our world.
This Christmas that seems much more clear.
Our world is in tension and strife.
Brothers stand at odds.
Hearts are rent with sorrow.
Our hearts aching.
Like an echo in an empty well,
Our sorrow reverberates into our soul.
Our spirits are weak,
They are heavy with the burdens of this age.
We long for Immanuel,
God with us.
We long for the Prince of Peace.
We long for a Counselor.
In our Advent readings we see the words of longing.
We read the prophet Isaiah
“The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
on them has light shone.” – Isaiah 9:2
We pray for this light to shine in our darkness.
We pray for Immanuel to be with us.
We pray for the Counselor to guide us through,
To teach us how to live,
How to love,
And how to have hope.
Help us to wait for you O Lord.
Meet us in our longing.
May the light of your hope shine
In the darkness of our pain.
