While It Is Still Dark
A Poem for the Beginning of Advent by Kathy Staudt
As Advent begins, the days are getting shorter, and we are more aware of darkness and of longing for light — the spiritual light of growing discernment and openness to the gifts that God is always offering us. I love the Taize chant, “Wait for the Lord, whose day is near. Wait for the Lord: Keep watch, take heart, which invites us into a season of waiting. I have written a poem (shared below) that works in either Advent or Lent, times when we touch more deeply our perennial longing for the Holy One who is always inviting us to draw nearer. The title is from John 20:1, the beginning of the Easter story — reminding us of the whole story — as we begin a new church year.
While It Is Still Dark
(John 20:1)
I wait for light
Praying in darkness
for all I cannot know,
mend or understand,
held in this dark love.
While it is still dark
an elusive presence
calls my heart,
restless as the light
is long in coming.
Into the darkness, an old chant comes:
Wait for the Lord:
keep watch, take heart:
Waiting for light. While it is still dark
from Viriditas: New and Selected Poems, by Kathleen Henderson Staudt
Kathy Staudt will be leading a Friends Day of Prayer on December 4 in which we’ll explore ways that poetry, art, and music invite us into the holy waiting and holy listening at the heart of this season. We live in hope, waiting for the coming of Christ, while it is still dark.
Register for Friends Day of Prayer: Dr. Kathy Staudt