The Longest Night
‘Tis the season. It is that time of year where people go about whistling “Joy to the World”orhumming“WeWish You a Merry Christmas.” People are joyfully shopping for the perfect gift and gleefully adding last minute decorations to the tree. The merriment of this season is widespread and often contagious. Yet, for some the merriment of Christmas is hard to muster. For those who have experienced loss, for those who are feeling lonely or hopeless or afraid – the darkness threatens to overtake the bright lights of the holiday season.
Saturday, Dec. 21 is the winter solstice, the longest night of the year. Throughout the winter in the northern hemisphere, the sun’s position is lower and its time above the horizon is shorter. During the winter the North Pole is tilted away from the Sun, resulting in fewer daylight hours. (And now, we’ve reached the extent of my google-acquired knowledge on the winter solstice.)
Dec. 21 is the tipping point of the year where the night stretches out to its darkest extent, threatening to overtake the daylight. This scientific certainty of creation parallels the lived reality of human experience. We experience seasons of merriment, where all is merry and bright. And we experience seasons of sorrow, where the darkness of doubt, grief, and fear threaten to overtake the light.
If this Christmas season is more melancholy than merriment for you, take heart. God promises to be with you in the dark valleys and dreary shadows of life. God promises to provide glimpses of light, slivers of hope along the way. The prophet Isaiah says, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shined” (Isaiah 9:2). In the Gospel of John, the advent of Jesus is foretold as “The true light that gives light to everyone, coming into the world” (John 1:9).
Several years ago, two members of St. John Lutheran Church in Rutersville experienced an unthinkable loss. The grief was overwhelming and all-consuming. It was hard to manufacture false merriment for Christmas when life as they knew it had been shattered.
They attended a worship service in Austin that was intentionally curated to make space for grief amidst the bright lights of Christmas. Moved by the experience, they sought to recreate the experience for their neighbors closer to home. Now, The Longest Night worship service is in its eighth year here in Fayette County. It is a contemplative, quiet service for people who have experienced loss of any kind – loss of a loved one, a relationship, a job, a dream. The Longest Night is a gentle reminder that Christ’s light is the central truth of Christmas. If this might be meaningful for you or someone you know, you are most welcome to join the community worship service at St. John in Rutersville on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 6:30 p.m.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it” (John 1:5).