4th Week of Advent
The fourth and final week of Advent is already half over. Only two more days until we celebrate Christmas Eve, then Christmas Day. We endured the shortest day and the longest night of the year during Winter Solstice yesterday/last night. I just learned of Yalda Night (evidently, a Persian festival, also celebrated during Winter Solstice). For so many millennia, human beings have sought ways to understand the passage of days, nights, and, eventually life. Ceremonies and rituals passed down from generation to generation help instill a sense of belonging to a group, a community, a family, a nation . . . but we all belong to the human family.
This time of year is incredibly rich with a plethora of traditions recognizing the more evident darkness and the impact of light penetrating that dark. Whether a pagan custom of Saturnalia worshiping many gods, or a Christianized version of celebrating Christ entering the darkness in the world as the “Light of the World”, we enjoy celebrating . . . it seems to help us get through it, offering hope . . . light at the end of the tunnel ( I couldn’t resist!).
The same is true for every day events, whether we are mesmerized by a sunrise breaking open the morning, or, noticing a shooting star racing across the night sky . . . we ponder them. Jesus humanizes this phenomenon. When it comes to celebrating Christ’s entrance into the world, and His eventual reign as King, things take on an entirely new perspective and lends itself to a new level of celebration. Despite spending inordinate amounts of time and money and energy in preparing for our holiday celebrations in a worldly manner, do we truly give proper celebration to the “Christ” part of “Christ-mas’? It does us good to slow down and remember the humble beginnings of our savior and king . . . a barn! . . . a stable. Hay, animals, dirty, cold, we are told.
Mary wasn’t whisked away by her husband in a comfortable car to a hospital room with attending staff to help her prepare for her baby’s arrival. It was just her, on a donkey, or walking with Joseph towards his home town for the census. She new no-one but Joseph. She was 9 months pregnant. She was tired, and probably a bit scared, at such a young age, of what was to come. They were rejected by home after home - there was no room for them. But, her faith had prepared her; “Let it be with me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) She had all she truly needed . . . trust in the Lord! . . . that God’s perfect Will would be done . . . that Jesus would be born; the Messiah; Emmanuel - God with us! She would soon be bringing God into the world! How could anyone be totally prepared for that?!?!
Considering the dark times they were living in at the time under King Herod, perhaps she had some inkling or inner knowledge that she was indeed being called to bring a light into the world. Perhaps the angel informed her. It wouldn’t be until Jesus’ public ministry, about 30 years later, that Mary would learn this for certain, when he announced to the Pharisees, “I am the Light of the World.” (John 8:12)
Bringing the symbol of light into our Advent and Christmas celebrations helps us remember how significant Christ’s presence is for all of humanity . . . God is with us! We need the light in our dark world. We need Jesus! We need Jesus within us - to shine through us . . . we are called to be lights in the world, piercing the darkness, shining light into dark spaces and hearts, warming those cold spaces with the light of love, offering hope and joy.
May Christmas be all this for each of you . . . light, hope, love, peace and joy . . . so that you can be all of this for the world, in desperate need of it!