Beyond Words Advent Prayer

Our prayer this Advent is beyond words.
You find it in the silence of the sleeping forest,
down under the ice.
It’s resting on the set table,
and twinkling in the Christmas lights.
Our prayer floats on the fragrance of food in the oven.
This prayer is lodged in our hearts
as we share resources for the homeless,
and it is felt in the sighs
of all who long for peace.
You find our prayer in Bethlehem
at the foot of the separation wall,
in the craters of the broken buildings in Gaza.
We cast it back through time
to the birth of a promised Messiah.
Our prayer is knit together with the song of angels
over the bed of a sleeping baby, hours old;
a tiny little blanket of hope.