Lux Venit
Today is the first day of winter. The darkest day of the year. The last few years I have taken a few moments to wax philosophical on the solstice. This is the moment to celebrate the light breaking into the darkness. We thought all hope was lost. It kept getting darker every day. Until the solstice. The "turnaround" day. Hope! The light is coming!
I just read a book by Jessica Prentice, New Moon Feast. I don't agree with everything she writes in this book, but what she says about Christians celebrating the solstice seems to hit the mark:
She makes the point that since the arrival of electric lights, this season has become one of hurry and busyness. But in the old days, it would have been a time of slow, quiet reflection. Long nights with no light means more time literally in the dark! Imagine complete darkness with perhaps only the moonlight to see by. Can you imagine the pent-up expectation for light? And what comes along three to four days after the solstice? We celebrate Christ's birth - the light has come. Daylight returns and we can see clearly again. I love it.
One of the classic Christmas cd's in my collection is the first Micheal W. Smith Christmas recording (ok, so it was a cassette tape when I first heard it. Now I have the CD!) The song "Lux Venit" was included on it - translation from Latin:
Lux venit: "the light has come"
Sursum corda: "look upwards hearts"
Lux Venit Lyrics
The solstice is a time to celebrate that even in our darkest hour, God heard our cries and sent a shining light into our darkness - Jesus Christ. Look upwards hearts. The light has come.
I just read a book by Jessica Prentice, New Moon Feast. I don't agree with everything she writes in this book, but what she says about Christians celebrating the solstice seems to hit the mark:
Christmas has become secular and commodified, but this was not always the case. In the traditional Christian calendar, the Moon of Long Nights corresponded to the period of Advent, which means "coming." Advent was a time of penitence, abstinence, and prayer. For those of the Christian faith, the period of long nights is about the expectation of a miracle: the coming of the light. It is not an accident that Christ's Mass - the celebration of the birth of the Son of God - corresponds to the winter solstice - the rebirth of the Sun.
She makes the point that since the arrival of electric lights, this season has become one of hurry and busyness. But in the old days, it would have been a time of slow, quiet reflection. Long nights with no light means more time literally in the dark! Imagine complete darkness with perhaps only the moonlight to see by. Can you imagine the pent-up expectation for light? And what comes along three to four days after the solstice? We celebrate Christ's birth - the light has come. Daylight returns and we can see clearly again. I love it.
One of the classic Christmas cd's in my collection is the first Micheal W. Smith Christmas recording (ok, so it was a cassette tape when I first heard it. Now I have the CD!) The song "Lux Venit" was included on it - translation from Latin:
Lux venit: "the light has come"
Sursum corda: "look upwards hearts"
Lux Venit Lyrics
The solstice is a time to celebrate that even in our darkest hour, God heard our cries and sent a shining light into our darkness - Jesus Christ. Look upwards hearts. The light has come.
Labels: Celebrations, Jesus, seasons, theology in real life
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