“The sun will no more be your light by day,
nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you,
for the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your God will be your glory.
Your sun will never set again,
and your moon will wane no more;
the LORD will be your everlasting light,
and your days of sorrow will end.
Then all your people will be righteous
and they will possess the land forever.
They are the shoot I have planted,
the work of my hands,
for the display of my splendor.
The least of you will become a thousand,
the smallest a mighty nation.
I am the LORD;
in its time I will do this swiftly.” Isaiah 60:19-22
The weekly Chapel services often include a “charge” for the listeners just before the closing prayer. Maybe your church services include a similar call each week. I like the word and its many definitions and uses. We pay the charge (the cost) at a show or an event to gain entry. We face charges if we break the law. We entrust someone with a task or a duty, “the committee was charged with finding a solution.” We store up or fill a device or even the atmosphere; “she charged the battery before the camping trip;” “the room was charged with the excitement of roaring fans.”
I recently heard a poet read a line from her work (“Protest Poem” by Franny Choi);
“Joy, you have to charge to make work.”
Advent is that time of charging- the Joy of Christmas is only possible with the season of waiting, this season of preparation where, in hope, we place our thoughts upon the wonder to come and we endeavor to ready ourselves.
by Trish Dowd Kelne
Prayer
God of all charges, we offer our lives, filled with prayer and service in this Advent season, hoping for admittance into the wonder of the Christmas Miracle. Facing the truth of our worthiness only through your grace and your trust in us, we fill ourselves with such spirit and grace. We share this journey with our brothers and sisters and we pray we are ready for your gift of your Son.
In your name, may it be so; we are so charged; we pray, Amen.