Thursday, December 22, 2011

Advent Solstice Reflection


solstice, the darkest day
     when despair seems, perhaps,
     to be most immanent
when hopelessness, maybe
     is most fully incarnate

yet, we gather ourselves into the
     warmth of home, the
     warmth of sanctuary, the
     warmth of community, the
     warmth of fire, the
     warmth of the Word of God

and when we gather,
     we tell surprising stories
         stories of who we are –
     but we don’t tell stories of
         despair, of hopelessness

Hope, and Light, and Love pervade
     times of darkness and despair

see, we have seen Christ born,
     God entering vulnerable into our life
we have heard words incarnate
     as the things we speak, good or ill
         become truth
we have tasted bread and wine
     sweeter and richer and subtler and deeper
         than any narthex cookies could be
and we know we will again

     in the face of despair
Gospel is light,
     breaking into our darkness
Light is Gospel
     pushing darkness to the edges,
     the outskirts,
     the margins

Then, we can’t help but to look into the darkness
         where, perhaps,
     far from the place we huddle around
         light and warmth and community
     we see Christ banishing darkness
         even where we cannot even see light

which, according to some, is hope –
     trusting what we believe to be true
         despite all the evidence

despite all the evidence,
     darkness in so many forms surrounding us
we proclaim light
     Word of God
         continually coming into the world

and, as we begin again, every day, to
         believe and hope,
     we might humbly echo Mary
         ‘Let it be with me according to your Word’
allowing our being to reflect,
         into darkness
Divine Light

No comments:

Post a Comment