The Darkness of December Can Bring Us Together
"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not
overcome it." (Gospel of John)
"The lamps are different, but the Light is the same." (Rumi)
"Only in the darkness can you see the stars." Martin Luther
King, Jr.
Here in the northern hemisphere, December plunges us into
deepening darkness as the days grow shorter, culminating in the
longest night of the year on December 21st. And for that reason,
several major religions choose this time of year for
celebrations of light.
For example, Pagans celebrate Winter Solstice as a sign of the
return of the sun, since after the longest night on December 22,
the sun begins its long journey back to us after a long, cold,
dark winter.
Also near this time of year Hindus celebrate Diwali,
colloquially known as the "festival of lights" because a common
practice is to place small oil lamps around the home and yard.
The lights are meant to help the goddess Lakshmi find her way
into the homes of the faithful to bestow prosperity. Diwali also
commemorates Rama's coronation, as the lamps are a welcome for
the returning king.
Jews celebrate Hanukkah during the December darkness, another
religious "festival of lights" commemorating the rededication of
the Temple in 165 BCE after it had been desecrated by the Syrian
King. After the Jews returned to Jerusalem and cleansed the
Temple, they held a service of rededication - but there was only
enough oil in the lamp to last one day. Miraculously, the oil
lasted eight days, long enough for them to replenish their
supply.
Kwanzaa celebrations, though not religious, are a growing
tradition among African Americans. Kwanzaa centers on the Nguzo
Saba, seven principles of black culture developed in 1966 by
Maulana Karenga, a professor of Pan-African studies and black
cultural leader in the United States. These principles are
unity, self-determination, collective work & responsibility,
cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. Each
evening, families and communities light one of the seven candles
in a kinara and discuss the day's principle.
Likewise, it is in the gathering winter darkness that Christians
celebrate Advent and Christmas, anticipating for four weeks the
hope, peace, joy and love of Christ whose birth is celebrated on
December 25th. Advent wreaths have one candle for each theme,
and a central candle symbolizing God's light coming into the
world. For his compassion, wisdom and courage, Jesus came to be
known as "light of the world."
Images of light and darkness for the spiritual journey are
profound. Expressions such as "a light at the end of the tunnel"
and "it's always darkest before the dawn" attest to the common
experience that sometimes, when challenging situations become
most threatening, we find hope in the possibility of a better
future that only begins to reveal itself in small and subtle
ways.
Reflecting on my own tradition as a Christian, it is amazing to
me that the hopeful light of Christmas is associated with a baby
born to parents in vulnerable circumstances. The gospel writers
depict Christ's homeless, peasant class birth into a world
governed by elite and brutal politics. For some of us this
concept may seem foreign, but in parts of our world, poverty,
oppression and injustice still darken the circumstances of many.
So while it may seem counterintuitive to look for hope in the
presence of an infant and his disposed family, each year I begin
to understand the connection a bit more. The possibility of
peace, the hope for justice, the experiences of joy and love can
be realized only through compassion. Nurturing our concern for
the well being of others, particularly for those who are not in
a position to care for themselves, is the only way that human
society will overcome the realities of fear, violence and greed
that have so long dominated our existence. Thus, it is in
creating room within the inn of our hearts for the vulnerable
creatures of this world that light enters our darkness; room for
the homeless and undereducated, for the refugee, for the
uninsured, for other creatures, and for the environment.
In the midst of this dark winter month, my hope is that whatever
our faith experience, we might all experience the presence of a
sacred light calling forth the best of what makes us all sisters
and brothers in the human family.