One Candle
An advent liturgy for 2020 by Rev.
Karen Ware Jackson
Light one candle for Hope.
Because the world is broken, and the wait is long but hope
just won’t let go.
Hope holds space for all our longings and lingers on the
edge of harsh reality like the dawn gently awakening the sky.
“Keep awake,” she whispers, “for the world is being made
new.”
So, we light one candle, because it only takes one: Christ with us.
Light one candle for Peace.
Because the world is broken and the wait is long, but we
refuse to be frozen by fear.
Peace comes in fits and starts ‒ a deep breath, a courageous truth, a
humble heart.
“Prepare the way,” she whispers, “for the Lord comes to make
the broken whole.”
So, we light one candle, because it only takes one: Christ with us.
Light one candle for Joy.
Because the world is broken and the wait is long, but our
joy cannot be contained!
Like a toddler toppling the thrones of power with a gleeful
swipe,
Joy pierces our silence with song, interrupts our sighing
with laughter, and unshackles our fumbling feet to dance.
“My soul magnifies the Lord,” she whispers, “and my Spirit
rejoices in God my savior.”
So, we light one candle, because it only takes one: Christ with us.
Light one candle for Love.
Because the world is broken, and the wait is long but love
never ends.
Love faithfully goes about the work of casting out fear,
speaking truth, healing the deepest wounds, and crossing the divide from this
world to the next and back again.
“Here I am,” she whispers, “the servant of the Lord.”
So, we light one candle, because it only takes one: Christ with us.
Light one candle for Christ. (Christmas Eve,
Christmas Day)
Because the world is broken and the wait is long, but Christ
is with us through it all.
In a humble manger in a back-water town ‒ a baby. On a convict’s cross ‒ a king. In every heart and every home where hope,
peace, joy, and love endure ‒ Christ with us.
“Glory to God in the Highest heaven,” she whispers, “and
peace to all on earth.”
So, we light one candle, because it only takes one: Christ with us.
(Karen Ware Jackson, 2020 – Permission is granted for home
and congregational use.)
