LOOK: Grant Wright Christian (American, 1911–1989), Waiting for the Mail (mural study, Post Office in Nappanee, Indiana), 1937. Oil on canvas, 7 7/8 × 20 7/8 in. (20 × 53 cm). Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC.
LISTEN: “Every Valley (It’s Hard to Wait)” by Flo Paris Oakes, on Waiting Songs by Rain for Roots (2015)
When you write a letter to a friend
And you don’t when
You’ll hear back again
Well, it’s hard to wait
It’s hard to wait
So hard to waitWhen the one you love
Leaves on a plane
And you know that she’ll
Come back someday
It’s hard to wait
It’s hard to wait
So hard to waitThere is gonna be a day
Every low valley He will raise
There is gonna be a day
Hills and mountains gonna be made plain
There is gonna be a day
Winding roads gonna be made straight
Comfort, comfort, comfort, comfort
It’s hard to wait
So hard to waitWhen you plant a seed
In the garden bed
But you don’t see green
Growing up just yet
Oh, it’s hard to wait
It’s hard to wait
Comfort, comfort, comfort, comfort
It’s hard to wait
So hard to wait
There’s gonna be a day
But it’s hard to wait
Rain for Roots is a collective of musicians and songwriters who create scripture songs for kids and their grown-ups. Its core members are Sandra McCracken, Flo Paris Oakes, Katy Hutson Bowser, and Alice Smith. This December Rain for Roots is booking virtual, thirty-minute Advent singalongs with two or more of these ladies, to be hosted by churches, schools, and other groups. For more information, visit https://rainforroots.com/advent-singalong.
For each day of the first week of Advent I am publishing one art-and-song pairing as an invitation for seasonal reflection.
Art & Theology 