The View From Here

by Rev. Adam Blons

December 21, 2023

Happy Solstice! Tonight, December 21, is the Winter Solstice. When I was a child, my Dad used a soccer ball and a tennis ball to explain to me the relationship between the Sun and the Earth, why we have seasons, and why the nights get longer in the winter. Tonight is the longest night of the year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. However, it might be hard to notice the darkness with billions of Christmas lights parading from peak to peak through our neighborhoods. I wonder what it would be like if everyone turned off the Christmas lights, turned off all the street lights, and sat in the dark for the solstice? What stories would the shadows tell? What might we see when there is no light? What might the darkness teach us about the light of Christ that we prepare to welcome and celebrate on Christmas Eve? 

Here is a poem to help you savor the spirit of this night if you want to pause and sit in the darkness.

Winter Solstice Blessing

By Eric Williams

With faithful progress,

The Great Sun has traveled,

From north to south again,

And on this day, pauses.

So we also stand still,

With the whole Earth,

In quiet thankfulness,

To the Source of Blessing,

The Giver of All Light.