Saturday, December 21, 2024
“Winter Solstice”
Today is the Winter Solstice, representing the shortest amount of daylight and the longest amount of darkness in the year. For those who live in the extreme northern parts of North America, tonight is the night that presents some of the best Northern Lights of the year.
Before Rome adopted the modern calendar as we know it in the AD 300s, much of the world identified with the Winter Solstice occurring on December 25th, Christmas Day. It was also often called Midwinter, representing the middle point of the Winter season.
There is also an ancient Hebrew tradition regarding today’s date. The Talmud, a sacred text of Hebrew law, teachings, and commentaries, explains that the first man, Adam, is the first to recognize the Winter Solstice. The story goes that when Adam saw daylight shortening and darkness extending, he believed it was punishment for his sin and that the world was retracting back into chaos. As a result, beginning on the Solstice, Adam spent eight days fasting and praying to repent of his sin.
Of course, most of us will not really notice much difference from yesterday, nor will we have some passionate inclination to spend the next eight days fasting and praying. After all, this is Christmastime, and fasting does not sound very appetizing this time of year. Praying sounds good but not from an intense feeling of guilt and repentance. We typically save those things for Lent, when we’re already depressed from the long winter.
Christmas is a time to celebrate, but it is also a good time to reflect on the importance of God’s gift to the world. Finding a few moments to pause, breathe, and pray can be a powerful tool this time of year. When everything and everyone is on hyper-speed, allowing God an opportunity to speak, guide, and inspire is much more powerful than anything on the roads or in the stores.
Take some time today, on the Winter Solstice, to give God some praise, prayer, and glory. All this technical stuff about the earth tilting this way and that, creating longer and shorter days, is really amazing. But it’s over my head. I’m just happy that the whole world has stayed together in one piece, and by giving God a little time today, God will help me stay put together as well.
“Everything was created by God, everything in heaven and on earth, everything seen and unseen, including all forces and powers, and all rulers and authorities. All things were created by God’s Son, and everything was made for Him.” (Colossians 1:16 CEV)