Threads of Pink: An Advent Prayer

God you give us a thread of Pink,

In the midst of Advents blues and purples…

In the midst of our shadow times, to remind us that

our waiting will be worthwhile in the end.

I am old enough now to know.

That Joy Sunday, will inevitably follow a tragedy:

a tornado, a shooting, a terrorist attack*

Because this is human life–we all have our Charlie Brown Days

where we feel down, and depressed and we don’t know what to do.

And you know what? God doesn’t shame those who are sad.

Sometimes God lets them sit in silence like Zechariah

or sends them companionship like Naomi

or lets them yell like Job,

or sends them food like Elijah.

God is pretty ok with the fact that a lot of the human condition is to wait.

So here we are in the purple, blue, shadow time of waiting.

Waiting for God more than those who are anxious worry for the morning.

And can I tell you God, I’ve had those stressed out nights,

where I wait, and wait, and the thoughts of the next day won’t leave me alone.

I have had those nights where I finally turn on the light,

because pretending I’m actually going to get back to sleep is more painful

then turning on the light, and facing the shadows.

And the Psalm 130 says, that we wait for God more than that.

Whew.

No wonder, we light the pink candle in the middle of Lent.

It’s like turning on the light in the middle of the night,

to remind us the sun will come up tomorrow, not like Annie.

But like Ruth, and Elizabeth, and Mary.

Morning will come, God will come, Christmas will come.

And that’s why we light the candle,

and have faith in that thread of pink.

I give thanks for that thread of pink in the shadows.

Amen.

Feel free use use/adapt/share with credit to Pastor Katy Stenta

More Advent Resources for NL Year 4

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*With thanks for the inspiration from Rev. Denise Anderson who said that she often had to preach Gaudete Sunday after a disaster.