I move swiftly through the slick and winter-frozen Cambridge streets. It’s dark, but I know these sidewalks well: their red bricks uneven and askew, swelled from ice and tree roots. I walk this way — and that way — every day: there and back, here and there, class and home, work and stores. Massachusetts Avenue. Avon Hill. Garden Street. Harvard Yard. And as I move from place to place, I am accompanied by prayer: Wait for the Lord; be strong, take heart.
When I reflect on the three Advent seasons I experienced at Harvard Divinity School, I see a tired and inspired graduate student at the edge of each fall semester: waiting for exams to end and winter break to begin; waiting to be united with my long-distance beloved; waiting for the warmth of spring.
I also hear the steady chanting of Taizé prayers. It was during my first semester at divinity school that I discovered the rich musical tradition of Taizé, an ecumenical monastic community founded in 1940 in France. From the candlelit evenings in the Swedenborg Chapel to the living room Masses at the Jesuit House, Taizé chants filled the voids of my waiting. Repeated over and over again in concert, these prayers open a portal into a deeper meditative experience, both communal and solitary.
Wait for the Lord, goes one of the most famous Taizé songs, be strong, take heart. Wait for the Lord; be strong, take heart. Wait for the Lord; be strong, take heart. These lyrics offer hope: within our darkest and most mysterious seasons, there are seeds of inspiration, renewal and joy. This, for me, is one of the most beautiful messages of Christmas. Waiting in devotion and prayer cannot only counter the fear and anxiety that come with uncertainty but also help us welcome the Christ Child born anew within and around us — help us embrace all the unexpected gifts this season yields.
In these pregnant periods of life, whether tedious or teeming with excitement, music can serve as an anchor, a lighthouse, a friend. These chants accompanied me through the slippery streets of Cambridge — through the arduous assignments, the rhythmic repetitions and the monastic monotony of divinity school. They accompany many around the world and they accompany me still: Wait for the Lord; be strong, take heart.
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