{"id":10534,"date":"2020-12-13T23:17:01","date_gmt":"2020-12-13T22:17:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/?p=10534"},"modified":"2020-12-13T23:17:01","modified_gmt":"2020-12-13T22:17:01","slug":"in-the-darkness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2020\/12\/13\/in-the-darkness\/","title":{"rendered":"In the darkness"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nThe view from my kitchen balcony  (Photo: Irene Bom)<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A reflection on blessed darkness, including the darkness of the womb where “the Christ-child was made ready for the journey into light”.<\/p>\n\n

Advent in the dark<\/h3>\n

We wait in the darkness,
\nexpectantly, longingly, anxiously, thoughtfully.<\/p>\n

The darkness is our friend.<\/p>\n

In the darkness of the womb,
\nwe have all been nurtured and protected.<\/p>\n

In the darkness of the womb
\nthe Christ-child was made ready for the journey into light.<\/p>\n

It is only in the darkness
\nthat we can see the splendour of the universe \u2013
\nblankets of stars, the solitary glowings of the planets.<\/p>\n

It was the darkness that allowed the Magi to find the star
\nthat guided them to where the Christ-child lay.<\/p>\n

In the darkness of the night,
\ndesert people find relief from the cruel relentless heat of the sun.<\/p>\n

In the blessed desert darkness
\nMary and Joseph were able to flee with the infant Jesus
\nto safety in Egypt.<\/p>\n

In the darkness of sleep,
\nwe are soothed and restored, healed and renewed.<\/p>\n

In the darkness of sleep, dreams rise up.
\nGod spoke to Joseph and the wise men through dreams.
\nGod is speaking still.<\/p>\n

Sometimes in the solitude of the darkness
\nour fears and concerns, our hopes and visions
\nrise to the surface.
\nWe come face to face with ourselves
\nand with the road that lies ahead of us.
\nAnd in that same darkness
\nwe find companionship for the journey.<\/p>\n

In that same darkness
\nwe sometimes allow ourselves to wonder and worry
\nwhether the human race is going to survive.<\/p>\n

And then, in the darkness
\nwe know that you are with us, O God,
\nyet still we await your coming.<\/p>\n

In the darkness that contains both our hopelessness and our hope,
\nwe watch for a sign of God\u2019s hope.<\/p>\n

For you are with us, O God,
\nin darkness and in light.<\/p>\n

 
\n~ from the Presbyterian Church of Aotearoa, New Zealand (abridged). Posted by James Hawes, on Sunday Papers<\/a>.
\n <\/p>\n\n

From the blog<\/strong>
\nIn a new light<\/a>
\nSister moon<\/a>
\n3 Prayers while waiting<\/a>
\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The view from my kitchen balcony  (Photo: Irene Bom)   A reflection on blessed darkness, including the darkness of the womb where “the Christ-child was made ready for the journey into light”. Advent in the dark We wait in the darkness, expectantly, longingly, anxiously, thoughtfully. The darkness is our friend. In the darkness of the … Continue reading “In the darkness”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[148],"tags":[194,193],"class_list":["post-10534","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reflection","tag-advent","tag-child"],"yoast_head":"\nIn the darkness - Prayer matters<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A reflection on blessed darkness - including the darkness of the womb where "the Christ-child was made ready for the journey into light".\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2020\/12\/13\/in-the-darkness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"In the darkness - 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Laurence Twaddle, minister in Geneva, will kick\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "bible"","block_context":{"text":"bible","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/medina_malta.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/medina_malta.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/medina_malta.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/medina_malta.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5827,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2018\/08\/31\/light-on-my-path\/","url_meta":{"origin":10534,"position":3},"title":"Light on my path","author":"Irene Bom","date":"August 31, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 The psalmist says, \"Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.\" (Psalm 119:105) Here are some light-bearing Scripture verses and a prayer. Hopefully there is something in this selection to encourage you and help light your way. And God said, \u2018Let there be light,\u2019\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "bible"","block_context":{"text":"bible","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/bible\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/kroller_muller_lamps.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/kroller_muller_lamps.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/kroller_muller_lamps.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/kroller_muller_lamps.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":13598,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2022\/12\/17\/in-the-school-of-prayer-with-the-seven-great-os-of-advent\/","url_meta":{"origin":10534,"position":4},"title":"In the school of prayer with the Seven Great ‘O’s of Advent","author":"Irene Bom","date":"December 17, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 My local church - Scots International Church Rotterdam - organised a series of evening services during the season of Advent this year to further explore our theme of \"Light in the Darkness\" through music, prayer and candle light. On 11 December I incorporated a special focus on a liturgical\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "prayer"","block_context":{"text":"prayer","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/prayer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/I-am-coming-soon.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/I-am-coming-soon.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/I-am-coming-soon.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6552,"url":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/2018\/12\/17\/prepare-action\/","url_meta":{"origin":10534,"position":5},"title":"Prepare = action","author":"Irene Bom","date":"December 17, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"(Photo: Irene Bom) \u00a0 A prayer that reminds us that prepare is a verb. Make us count Lord, we have pulled out the Advent wreath, the Christmas tree, the poinsettias. We dusted off the hymns, unsung for a year, and unearthed the words of your prophets. Yet, in your eyes,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "prayer"","block_context":{"text":"prayer","link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/prayer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/building_site.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/building_site.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/building_site.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/building_site.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Irene Bom","author_link":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/author\/irenebom-com\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/category\/reflection\/\" rel=\"category tag\">reflection<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"The view from my kitchen balcony  (Photo: Irene Bom)   A reflection on blessed darkness, including the darkness of the womb where “the Christ-child was made ready for the journey into light”. Advent in the dark We wait in the darkness, expectantly, longingly, anxiously, thoughtfully. The darkness is our friend. In the darkness of the…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10534","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10534"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10534\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10534"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10534"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irenebom.com\/prayer_matters\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10534"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}