Yearning for the Light
Advent notes for those of us who have been waiting all year
Some years I approach Advent with a sort of holy haughtiness. I can easily drone on about the merits of holding back the revelry and sitting in the tension of waiting. The building expectation, the delayed gratification, the insistence that welcoming the waiting is best. And I just want to bless that woman who can hold such a position. Truly, what a gift.
However this year there is no need to welcome what has never left. The reality is there are so many of us who have not stopped waiting.
I crashed into Advent this year with a weariness and a yearning for the light. Its not that I want to wait for it, I NEED IT NOW. And to those of us feeling that deep yearning, those who are well versed in the tension of waiting, I want to remind you, and me, that the light is here. And you don’t actually have to wait.
There is something beautiful about the slowing down and the deliberate nature of Advent. But if it causes you, the one already lost in the dark, to believe for a second that the light isn’t with you right now in your actual life than I implore you to do everything you can to grab onto every bit of light you can, now.
The other night as I lie awake I scrolled through my camera roll from this year. Was there light that I had forgotten? What joys could I recount? Sure enough I was met with moments of light that helped me see in the dark.
Our advent wreath is on our kitchen table. Most days the candles are lit all day long. Why save the light for once a week, or even for only the evening. Give me all the light.
This year our decorating is going slow. There is no intention of holding back it is more that we are doing what we can, when we can. Teenagers want to be involved yet have their own plans and schedules that must align. In the meantime, the lights are on the tree as it awaits the ornaments and that is enough. I putter about, placing a strand of lights on a shelf, a candle in the corner-continuing to chase the darkness away.
The light is coming. But praise be, the light is here now too.
The internet is awash with Advent resources. In an effort to keep the noise down and to be true to my own heart this year I have not created a new resource. However, the Advent resource I made last year is available HERE or at the top of this page under Advent. It is a low commitment kind of thing that you can dip into as you like. There you will find gentle liturgies to walk you through the weeks of Advent.
Peace to you. May you see the light around you.
Peace in the Dark is available wherever books are sold. And of course at Amazon (reviews welcome!)
You can pickup my other books Life Surrendered or Break Bread Together: Available wherever books are sold: Amazon | Leafwood