Shadow Seasons

At Saint Andrew, we create space during Advent for those who might be dealing with grief, illness, family changes…or who otherwise struggle to be all  jolly-sparkly and merry. (Which something tells us that we are ‘supposed to be’ this time of year). This is my prayer for tonight’s Service of Remembrance. Feel free to share with those who might need a different kind of Christmas greeting this year.

God of the changing light

Be with us in shadow seasons; when love has changed its form, and is no longer someone we can see, or touch. Create a space within us for a new kind of love that comes to us in stillness, in silence, and in quiet joy.

Comfort us when one who was the center of everything seems lost to us.

When the person we thought that we were seems lost too.

When the certainty of all we knew has been shaken by change.

Guide us in a new way; set us on a new path; make a way in the wilderness, and carry us into the fullness of life that you promise to all who wait in darkness.

Restore our spirits, Lord—when our waiting is shaken by violence; by news of torture and terror; by the suffering and heartbreak of the world around us. Teach us to speak peace in impossible places. Assure us that we heard you right the first time… that you are sending one to lead us. A child who will make all things new.

Lord, hear our prayer… as we wait in the darkness of all that has been lost, and all that never was. Grant us glimpses of light in unexpected corners, and surprising warmth against the winter chill. Show us where to hold the light for others who come seeking… By your grace, and in your mercy, we all wait together: for hope, for peace, and for the life that always begins again. Amen.