Awaiting peace and acceptance

O Holy night! The stars are brightly shining

What if my stars seem so dim and far away Lord? When others seem to rest constantly in Your light and love? 

It is the night of our dear Savior's birth

Birth. The dreaded word. On a holiday that can wound more than heal for me and for so many others. The little stockings never hung on the wall. The excited pitter patter never reaching my ears. 

Long lay the world in sin and error pining

What was my sin? Our sin? What do I have to do to feel whole and blessed? 

'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth

The gentle wrap of a pinky around my own when the first tear fell. The silence of a stone church taking all my grief as I sit alone, never to repeat it to anyone else. 

A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices

Getting the warmest hug as you walk in the room. Finding a cup of tea by your side of the bed as you wake up. A scoop of ice cream after a long appointment or bad news. 

For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn

You are enough. When were you last told that? When did you allow yourself to feel that security in Love? 

Fall on your knees; O hear the Angel voices!

Love cannot be there without trust. Do you trust in Love?  

O night divine, O night when Christ was born

Love became human for me. For you. 

O night, O Holy night, O night divine!

Love came in the dark. In the cold. So too will it find you. The Divinity born in the darkness. 

Led by the light of Faith serenely beaming

Sit in the gentle light of faith and Love. Tears will not dim it. 

With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand

Give your pain to the Holy Infant Jesus. Be as vulnerable and open to Him as He is, a small child in the cold. He asks for nothing but that our love be given to Him and those around us. 

So led by light of a star sweetly gleaming

What will be your star this season? The love of a significant other? Family or friends? How can their love, and the love you give them, lead you to Love Itself laying in a manger?

Here come the Wise Men from Orient land

Lord, give me more than the wisdom of the three wise men. Give me their hope and boldness to find and trust in You. 

The King of kings lay thus in lowly manger

Our King is humbly waiting for us to sit with Him, out with the outcasts. For those who feel like there is no space in any inn. 

In all our trials born to be our friend

He knows cold and uncertainty, unsure of what is to come. He knows the pains of betrayal, of nails in his hands. Of mental and physical agony that goes beyond words. That no one else can understand. Yet he reaches out to us. He knows us. 

He knows our need, to our weakness is no stranger

Love is fully human as It is divine. Love wipes our tears, holds us close. Knows the wounds and scars of infertility and still never lets us go. 

Behold your King; before Him lowly bend

Love, I can give you nothing more this Advent than my own brokenness. 

Behold your King; before Him lowly bend

But I will still make the journey to sit with you and your Mother and St. Joseph at the manger. 

Truly He taught us to love one another;

This also means loving the wounds in ourselves. How can we love those when we are unable to see the Love that God has for us. As you pour out for others, rest in Love’s embrace.

His law is love and His Gospel is Peace

Love and Peace. What must that feel like on a day, in a season that often finds us deeply hurting? Sit with Love. Even if it is sitting in silence. Sit with Peace. Even if that means knowing this holiday season still is not what you expected or wanted. Love is being seen by your partner, even when you feel hidden from the rest of the world, when you want to hide from the rest of the world. Peace is knowing when you’ve been seen, you are still all they want in the world, and nothing will change that. 

Chains shall He break, for the slave is our brother

Do not be a slave to your brokenness. This Advent, see where you are uniquely able to reach out and help someone else who is chained. 

And in His name, all oppression shall cease

Our infertility may never change, but neither does Love. Where do we allow Love in, to see where Love is using this thing we desperately want to hide to actually help others? To trust there is freedom at the end of this journey? 

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we

Maybe this Advent, we allow ourselves to be hugged a little tighter. We acknowledge the small ways that Love shows itself in those around us. Light the candles so the darkness becomes less overwhelming. So the path to the manger is clearer. 

Let all within us Praise His Holy name

Maybe it starts as a silent prayer. Then a single word out loud. Love is not picky about how you approach it. All Love asks is that you know it is waiting for you, waiting for you to be warmed from the freezing, isolating journey. 

Christ is the Lord; O praise His name forever!

Love, this Advent I trust that You see me. 

His power and glory evermore proclaim

Love, this Advent I trust that You hear me. 

His power and glory evermore proclaim

Love, this Advent I trust that You love me.

May Love be a constant for you this Advent. Know you are always in our prayers.