From the Pastor:
A Season of Light

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. ~Psalm 60:1

Dear Friends,

Have you noticed? Can you tell? The sun, which only a few weeks ago, seemed to be slipping out of our grasp, planning an exit, so to speak, is now on course to come back again. The days are growing longer. By the end of January, we will all feel it: the return of the unconquered sun.

It is no accident that the ancient Christ-followers of the Northern hemisphere celebrated the birth of Jesus just after the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year, and the longest night. On December 25, the light had already begun its return, as Christians celebrated the birth of the Light of the World, the Unconquered Son.

Now we enter Epiphany, the Season of Light. Christ our light is among us, and we see in scripture the many ways in which that light is made manifest. On Epiphany Sunday we remember the Wise Ones from the East who came in search of a new-born king, presaged by unusually persistent and guiding starlight. The Sunday following, we remember Jesus’ baptism by John in the Jordan River. The following Sundays we watch how light permeates the oracles of Isaiah.

One thing to remember: Light is meaningless without darkness. And darkness is often described by scripture as holy, the space in which light is given birth, just as a child grows in the warmth, safety, and darkness of the womb. The Rev. Stephen Charleston, author of “Ladder to the Light” and former Episcopal Bishop of Alaska, reminds us that light and darkness are not in competition, but are mutually dependent. Rev. Charleston was interviewed about light and darkness in 2022:

For many Indigenous peoples in North America, the dark winter months are a time of regeneration and rest, of “deep spiritual awareness” when sacred stories are shared that aren’t told at any other time of year, said Charleston, who is Choctaw.

Darkness is a place where new life is formed, he said. You cannot be born without darkness. You cannot take root. You cannot have light.

I pray for you the blessing of this season when light and darkness dance together and reveal to us the beauty of the world and its seasons.

Grace and Peace, Rev. Pat Raube