I really like the darker, colder days of winter. That may seem strange, but there is something special about this time of year, when the darkness is longer than the light and the air is cold. This time of year builds a sense of anticipation. A time of waiting for the light, waiting for the warmth, waiting for the new life of spring. We know that the darkness and cold won’t last forever, that the light will begin to overtake the darkness, and the warmth will return.
Apart from Christmas, many people don’t appreciate this time of year, but the waiting and anticipating is good for us. If we are never without the light and the warmth, we don’t appreciate them as much as we should. There are loads of Bible passages about light and dark, especially right at the beginning of the Bible, where we see God create light from the darkness. We also have many hymns that speak of light and darkness, and about waiting and anticipation.
A modern hymn that springs to mind is Longing for light, we wait in darkness, by Bernadette Farrell. It speaks of longing for light, longing for truth, for peace and hope, amongst other things. The chorus asks Christ to be our light in the darkness. It is no wonder that some churches use this for their advent hymn, as it builds up that sense of longing for God.
God our light and our salvation,
We thank you for the light you bring to our lives,
The joy we get from praising you.
During this time of darkness,
help us to wait with patience,
to keep hold of peace and hope,
and to anticipate your actions in our lives.
God of light, we praise you.
Amen
You can download this Prayer for the Week here
Prayers for November by Revd Claire Rawlinson
Image by Ales Krivec on Unsplash
