REJOICE

Advent Poem 2024 by Rachel Hall

Some days we sit

beneath the boughs of trees

we did not plant

bask in their shade

notice the remarkable way

wind through leaves

sings peace upon our soul

some days

we receive hope and peace and joy

easily

when we stretch our hands

and like a child

with arms raised high

trust something good

will meet us

that we will be held

that someone, somewhere

will make everything alright

Some days,

it was easy to trust

that we have indeed felt

the presence of God

underneath the oaks

that the peace  

we once grasped onto so easily

is still there

that the hands  

that held us as children

offer us shelter, still

because some days

we remember…

the last time we reached

our hands out, trusting

we were left waiting

we know enough now to know

the endings are not always happy

and neither are the middles

and sometimes

neither are the beginnings

its hard for me to listen

to the news

when i do

i try to catch all the stories  

in my too small hands

put them in pockets

to pray for later

but I forget to pray

and they stay with me

and they take up a lot of space

so much space that it becomes hard

to sit with my actual friends

on their hard days

the ones whose names i know  

they are easier to find the words to pray for

but even still

many a day

i find myself

wary of the promise of peace

much less the promise of real joy

life comes fast, so fast

it is daunting to  

even hold onto  

enough of it  

to savor

there are days in which  

we long for community  

richer than we have time for

days in which loneliness cradles us

and anxiety assails us

days in which we begin to fear

we cannot reasonably face  

whatever lies ahead

the fool cries  

peace, peace

when there is no peace

but there is

peace

for ours is a peace  

that comes to us i

n the sunless days  

of advent

meets us

like a midnight kiss

speaks to the empty womb

gentle as a breeze

through the st francis tree

and what’s more-

offers joy to accompany it

the day is coming

when into the great ache of your world

a light will come

ready to be kindled

so may you bask  

in the shade of the oaks

taste the communion bread

from our baptist bakers

hear the church bells ring  

(and ring and ring)

at the sticky hands

of a pre-schooler

who is just excited she can  

finally reach the string

may all of this  

life of the body

remind you

of the life of the body

coming to you

in the waiting

and may you rejoice

the days are coming when

we will see

what we sense

our God is a God

who is not far off

He is as close as breath

and because our Christ

is coming to be with us

we find hope  

where there is none  

peace that surpasses  

all earthly understanding

and then

holding tightly to each

ring the bell like a child

and rejoice