An Advent Prayer

O God, we hear, again, the echo of those ancient words:
“The people who walk in darkness have seen a great light.
And following on the heal of those words, we add these:
May it be so, O God, may it be so.
For in a hundred different ways we know something about the darkness;
From deep darkness which threatens to swallow us up;
To shadows which push in upon us from the edges of our lives;
From heart-ache and heart break;
To a nagging sense of emptiness that leaves us longing for something more.
And what we need, O God…
And what we hope for and long for;
Is some glimpse of that great light:
That not only pushes back the darkness, but also begins to show us the way;
From where ever it is we are right now;
Towards that place we long to be.
Amen