“River-Bank-Sunset” by Chris Sorge is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
Over time wind and water will sand down the edges of a stone. For humans, our wind and water is the grief of the world. Stay here long enough and pieces of you will be pressed upon by life’s never-ending stream. It’s enough to make you weary. It’s enough to make you question. It’s enough to make you quiet. And yet, the stream continues. So do not be afraid to stand in that water. Wade in. Soak the hem of your jeans. Drip wet footprints through every room in your house. Let the water stains tell your story. And when your body grows weary of swimming, name the stream. Acknowledge your weariness. For eventually, you will pick flowers from the opposite bank. And over and over again, we’ll tell this story. And over and over again, A weary world will rejoice.
Wade In By: Rev. Sarah Speed
This beautiful poem offers our spirit a way to move into the season of Advent. Advent is a time of waiting. It is living and praying on the edge, just before we are healed, just before we overcome a major life hurdle, just before justice becomes a reality in the world. It is the moment where we are just hanging on and we question whether we are strong enough. We may even question whether God is strong enough. “For humans, our wind and water is the grief of the world.” What healing are you waiting for? What closure do you need? What in this world has to change?
Advent is a daunting season, because it does not rush to hope, peace, love, or joy right away. Instead we anticipate it. We hold on to the promises of God and our faith in a God that is faithful to us. We believe it even when we can’t fully see it or understand it. This means even in the deepest and blackest thoughts or trials, there is a candle burning. A flame giving warmth. A flicker offering light. “So do not be afraid to stand in the water.”
Each candle in your window, each light on your Christmas tree, each advent candle lit anticipates the birth of God in your life and in the world. “You will pick flowers from the opposite bank.” Christ will be born. God’s promise will be realized. So hold on. Believe it as if it’s already come true because it has.
