Messiah Jesus,
We wait, we long, we shake with anticipation for your return.
Come bring a permanent peace and an ultimate justice.
Meet us in our misanthropy, our lonely exile, our war-torn world.
Give us hope. Wash us clean.
Blood in the streets, blood boiling on Facebook.
Fear and hate and ignorance everywhere.
The refugee drowning, the terrorist bombing, everyone angry and afraid.
Come and cheer, our spirits by thine advent here.
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night and death's dark shadows put to flight.
Put to flight our fear of the other, our fear of failure, our fear of death.
Put to flight the shadows of sickness, abuse and addiction in our hearts.
Make safe the way that leads on high, and close the path to misery.
Close the path that leads us to hate, to shut our doors, to shoot our neighbors.
Holy Spirit, give us grace to give up our grievances, our obsession with rights, our insistence on sovereignty. Empower us to submit to authority beyond ourselves, to put ourselves in harm's way for others, to be filled with light in a very dark world.
Prince of Peace, quiet our hearts, calm our stress and silence the clamor of clicks, swipes, tweets and texts. Clear our souls of the clutter that crowds you out. We welcome you, we hunger for you, we wait.
O magnum mysterium, et admirabile sacramentum, Dominum Christum.
We wait.