A New Hymn!

One of my favorite Advent traditions is the lighting of the Advent wreath. Prayers, singing, imagining this light carrying with us. Rather than beginning each service in this way, we are shifting a bit and that candle lighting will take place at the end, after the sermon, as a way of building up to this light of Hope, Peace, Love, and Joy. We won’t just be lighting one candle, this light will spread as you will have the opportunity to take that light and in turn light a candle at a prayer station, taking a moment to spread that light as you have a moment of hope (peace, love or joy). While we share that light we will also be singing a new Taizé style piece written by our own Dr. Theresa Steward.

Here is a sneak preview. One difference is that rather than singing all 4 stanzas at one time as I sing here, each week we will sing one stanza repeatedly, “as the Spirit moves us,” allowing us to enter into prayer as we sing.

Through the darkness we see Your hope;

through the darkness, You draw us near.

You are light in this world starved for hope.

God, help us live in Your hope.