Advent: the waiting nearby under the reef

Today I received an RSS feed for Choralgirl's Music Under the Reef, a fine blog I have mentioned before. By her blog name, music is a huge part of her life. She is a fine writer and today what she wrote as we enter into Advent inspired me to write a few stanzas. Here is part of what she said:

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Dark is the night

During my first semester of seminary a painting hung in the chapel, behind the altar. The painting was entitled "Incarnation," and it took a pretty good swipe at my theology on that topic. I wish I could post an image here, but I'll try to describe it.

First, it was about eight feet tall by three wide. The bottom third was mostly black, with some gravel embedded in the paint. The top section was varying shades of deep blue. From the top center down to the horizon, there was an straight-but-uneven, energetic swath of yellow and white varying from 4-8 inches wide, streaming directly and forcefully downward into the black earth, where it became an orange glow.

In other words, a field of deep darkness, through which came a stroke of glory so powerful that it turned the very earth to embers where it struck.

Sweet-smelling straw, gentle animals and smiling humans...not present. Just radiance and power.

It got me thinking. About the meeting of heaven and earth. About the story that I knew by heart, with the sentiment removed. About the starkness of the contrast between light and dark, despair and hope.

I couldn't form words around it for quite a while--not until I'd experienced some despair firsthand. A couple of years later, my personal ground was laid; I was at the lowest point of my life, and trying to re-energize myself at the St Olaf Conference on Worship, Theology and the Arts....

Please read the rest of her inspiring post here.

Needless to say the remainder of what she says in her post is the nucleus of what she inspired me to write. All you need for an engine to run is a source of ignition. Well I was ignited, and here is the result. Thank you Choralgirl.

Transcendent, my awe, turning

Turning toward the lightening east

From whence shall the True Light come

Brightening the dark of the soul.

There, in the corner of the sky

Where twilight seeks dawn

A glowing corona will emerge

Arising from the edge of the earth.

Brilliance awakes the sleeping

Those wakened, await the One

Who comes in glory

As He begins His journey here.

Turn me, turn me to the light immortal

Hurdling to life eternal,

Forge me anew in the fire

In the eyes of He who comes,

...Emmanuel.