4th Sunday of Advent, December 22, 2019 - A Voice Crying Out in Prayer

Sometimes the cry is that of a lone voice;

            sometimes, the voices of many swelling together as one.

The cry is a cry of pain and suffering,

            expressing powerless desperation,

            calling out for escape, for relief.

The cry is one a deep longing –

a longing rooted deep in the core of one’s being -

            a longing for peace and wholeness, 

a longing  for God.

The cry is a mournful cry,

laced with a sadness that shrouds the soul

as one grieves what was, but is no more,

            what never was, but should have been.

But the cry is more than a cry.  It is a prayer -

            a calling out to one whose nature is self-giving Love.

And as a prayer, the cry is an expression of confidence

            in a love that will not let us go,

            in a love that never turns its back on us,

            in a love that always works to transform and bless

even at great cost to Self.

Self-giving love is the heart of God – and such love is a mark of the people of God.

During this Advent season, we remember that we are a people of love.