Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord;
and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night;
for the love of thy only Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
(Book of Common Prayer)
The first time I heard this prayer was from a woman who was a member of the congregation I served in Pasadena. Mary Rogers was the matriarch of one of the families in the church. Mary and her husband John along with their two sons and their son’s wives had all immigrated to the US from Northern Ireland. At the time I heard her recite this prayer from memory she was simply sharing with me how the prayers from the prayerbook of the Church of Ireland had shaped her faith. She said this particular prayer (actually the slightly different Irish Protestant version of it) had been especially important to her.
Hearing her recite this prayer from the liturgy of the Evening Prayer Service and seeing the look on her face as she recited it made an impression on me. The words stuck with me, and the utility and versatility of this prayer became immediately obvious to me: As this day ends and as the darkness falls, Lord, we are aware of how much we need your light. For your light is a merciful kindness to us. One that helps us to navigate the path of faith and avoid the pitfalls and traps that might cause us to stumble. Give us the gift of the light of your Son Jesus, who is the Light of the World.
This everyday prayer is also a good prayer to pray at the beginning of Advent: Lord, as the light goes away, as we move closer and closer to the longest night and the shortest day of winter solstice, we pray for your light. Let the decreasing light call us to look for your inextinguishable light. Let it break into our various sources of darkness, our depression, our despair and bring with it the healing warmth and illuminating brightness that we see in the loving countenance of your Son, Jesus who is the Light of the World.
The Advent Wreath is a visual version of this prayer. As the light decreases in the move toward winter solstice we light a candle each week to remind us that God’s light cannot be extinguished. We participate in a discipline of hope. Those five dimly burning wicks all point to the glory of Emmanuel, God with us. With us irrespective of our circumstances. With us irrespective of our level of awareness. With us even in our fatigue when we have no energy to look for the signs of his presence. Just as the Psalmist in Psalm 139 prays: “If we say, ‘Surely the darkness shall cover us, and the light around us become night,’ even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you.”
O come, thou Dayspring,
come and cheer our spirits by thine advent here;
and drive away the shades of night, and pierce the clouds and bring us light!
David Rohrer
11/26/2022