The Worship Committee and I were on a mini-retreat recently. It was about 65 degrees and sunny. We sat on a blanket underneath a tree on the church’s front lawn mindfully contemplating apples. Less than 48 hours later, that same lawn was covered with a foot of snow.
Change happens quickly. Winter is all of the sudden upon us. A time with less light and more cold. It also may mean time off for those of us who are on an academic calendar. It can be a frantic time of traveling and buying gifts. It can also be a quiet, beautiful, and peaceful time. Just as the climate has changed so has the political climate abruptly changed. It felt that as a nation we made such progress in the past eight years and now things seem so uncertain.
However, we have many reasons to celebrate in winter.
The celebration of Christmas dominates our culture but we may also be celebrating Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and/or Winter Solstice. Hanukkah literally means dedication. It celebrates the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem. Hanukkah makes me think about those things to which I am dedicating my life. To what do we dedicate ourselves? One common denominator among the winter holidays is the celebration of light. Whether it is the light of the Christ Child, the returning light of the sun, the light of the Menorah, or the light of our principles, let this winter be a celebration of changing light. May we all be light to each other in this time of darkness. May we all be warmth to each other in this time of coldness.
May we all be hope to each other when hope is hard to find.
Blessed Be, The Rev. James Galasinski