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Christmas Too Much This Year? Give Advent A Try.
Despite what the movies, and commercials, and stories tell us, Christmastime can actually be really difficult. Some of us have lost loved ones, and the season only serves to further remind us of their absence. Some of us are struggling in some way that makes getting into the “Christmas Spirit” really difficult. Some of us have been ill at Christmastime, and the calls for joy and merriness seem out of place with the deep pain we’re experiencing. I didn’t really start celebrating Advent until coming to seminary. I grew up watching the candles on a wreath being lit each week in church leading up to Christmas Day, but it…
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The Incarnation: Advent Poem #5
I am covered in dust, muck, grime, and scars. Meanwhile You are clothed in a blanket of stars. And yet You threw off those covers while retaining their shine, and put on a covering that’s similar to mine. Hands that hold the universe As a baby can’t hold a thing Now familiar with deep weakness Both a pauper and a King Not random or an accident But part of an eternal plan In order to redeem us Our Holy God became a man We who’ve dwelt in darkness Live in that place no longer There is no need to fear the night We’ve an advocate who’s stronger Redemption’s…
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Mary’s Poem: Advent Poem #4
I have borne many things As I have borne this son I have borne the stigma of being An unwed mother, Heartache of separation from my parents, Weight upon my body as we traveled, The deep joy of carrying this baby in my womb, And pain upon bringing him into the world. What will he bear, I wonder As I look at him now. So perfect, so precious. I never knew how I could love someone so much. I’ve felt him move and kick and grow inside of me, And I’ve wondered, What kind of mother Will I be? And who will teach me How all this works, Since my…
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An Angel Visits Mary: Advent Poem #3
(Based on Luke 1:26-38) God sent an angel to Nazareth, to the village of Galilee He was there to see a peasant girl, a virgin named Mary “Hello! You are truly blessed. The Lord is with you, favored one!” This saying troubled Mary, she was honestly quite stunned. “Do not be afraid, do not fear, for you’ve found favor with God!” “You will conceive and give birth to a son!” But Mary found this news quite odd. She was engaged to Joseph, but still a virgin, you see She told the angel Gabriel this, and asked, “how can this be?” “The Holy Spirit will come upon you And you’ll be…
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Waiting for the Light That Has Already Come: Advent Poem #2
Lord have mercy We live in a world Full of both sunsets And sunken ships Of indescribable beauty and light And darkness so thick we can’t breathe Even though the light has come We still taste the sting of death Knowing that we belong to life Yet not experiencing its fullness yet Lord have mercy It hurts to watch the people we love Struggle with difficult things Or watch them experience pain We long for the darkness to completely flee And only light remain The world seems seeped in trouble Illness, prejudice, hunger, violence We’re desperate for things to change But sometimes it feels as though Your answer is silence…
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The Darkest of Nights: Advent Poem #1
It is the darkest of nights It has been this way For a very long time You are silent But the earth is not It groans Like the creaking of An abandoned house Whose rooms Were once filled with life And now seems to weep Because it knows emptiness Is not what it was created for Its darkened windows Staring blankly Crying out for light To fill them once again. Or like an old ship In an ancient harbor Rocking and swaying and creaking Not really seaworthy Still floating But just barely Or like my bones, groaning Carrying too much weight Aching But still working, Though in pain, Not the…