Hoever is de nacht = How Far Is The Night, 1973 - 1994

This is the first of three short oracles Isaiah delivered during the Exile in Babylon. The nation is suffering, desperate for God's word. Deprived of Temple and sacred ground, they have been resettled as the amusement of an alien people. The song is a dialogue, between a pilgrim and a prophet, a priestly function within the Temple, as is that of the night watchman. The night is a symbol of trial, of darkness, of oppression. Yet the dawn may be glimpsed even as darkness pervades, whether as a memory or a hope. Night is a creative experience in our lives, not only through the obvious benefits of sleep, but as the opportunity for dreams to be born which fulfil our desires. The door has been left open for the imminent dawn and relief from despondency and despair. Liturgically, the dialogue is part of the Temple night-watch liturgies during the autumnal Feast of Tabernacles. Psalm 130 describes how the assembly gathered to keep Vigil, in anticipation of the coming Age of the Messiah. We bond with that assembly, also a night-watch people awaiting the dawn and the second coming of the Messiah. Yet in our night we are aware that Day is not only imminent but immanent. The Risen Jesus is forever entangled within the human condition, continuously returning to all who keep watch in faithful hope. This may be a song of Advent hope, of Lenten purification and enlightenment. As a beacon of hope, it enjoys a special poignancy within a funeral vigil, or as a lamentation during a reconciliation vigil. A song for all seasons, it is a constant yearning for liberation, to be freed not only from socio-political and economic woe, but freed for the opportunity to escape from self and embrace others in equality, especially those who differ from us be it race, gender, belief, or economic status.