First Coming
He did not wait till the world was ready,
till men and nations were at peace.
He came when the Heavens were unsteady,
and prisoners cried out for release.
He did not wait for the perfect time.
He came when the need was deep and great.
He dined with sinners in all their grime,
turned water into wine. He did not wait
Till hearts were pure. In joy he came
To a tarnished world of sin and doubt.
To a world like ours, of anguished shame
he came, and his Light would not go out.
He came to a world which did not mesh,
to heal its tangles, shield its scorn.
In the mystery of the Word made Flesh
the Maker of the stars was born.
We cannot wait till the world is sane
to raise our songs with joyful voice,
for to share our grief, to touch our pain,
He came with Love: Rejoice! Rejoice!
-- Madeleine L’Engle
The season of Advent has been unusually powerful for me this year: the interwoven themes of desperate need and quiet waiting are so redolent.
My husband works with social justice entrepreneurs and quotes one as saying that his work requires a “burning patience”—which is, on reflection, an almost impossible state to maintain.
It is as difficult as “raising our songs with joyful voice” in a world that seems to be neck-deep in callousness and loss. But the spiritual life always calls us to tend and nurture a flame, even—especially—when doing so seems absurd. For “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). The first century in Palestine was anything but heartening or joyful; that was, of course, the point.
--The Rev. Barbara Talcott
Spread the word!
Do you know someone in the St. Mark’s community who would enjoy these reflections?
