In Shadow as Well as Light
An Advent Prayer
Loving and gracious God,
When the days grow longer,
Casting long, cold shadows
Allowing fear and despair into our lives,
Let my light shine brighter.
When the task grows more wearisome
Filling valleys and flattening mountains
Building highways in the desert
Be the strength in my bones.
When I wait on you
And they shake their heads
Saying, “Have you not heard the news?”
Keep in my heart the great good news that makes
even the child in the womb leap with joy:
That you are coming into the world.
May I praise you in shadow as well as light.
May I praise you in winter as well as spring.
May I praise you in silence as well as song.
May I praise you in solitude as well as companionship.
May I praise you in illness as well as health.
And when the last, glowing beam disappears over the horizon
And darkness shrouds the land,
Give me the grace to say to all,
Despair not.
Morning is coming.
Come, Lord Jesus, come.
University of the Incarnate Word® 