Daily Jubilee
I love that ever so slowly the days are getting longer again. The sunlight does wonders for my mental health. I am not one that revels in cold days or winter sports. I miss warm summer sunsets and my porch! Snuggly cats, lamplight, and books only take one so far, and so, despite my encouragement in Sunday’s sermon to slow down in the darkness and look for God’s stars to light our way… I am happy each sunset now comes just a few minutes later on the clock from here on out.
While taking down the Christmas tree at the turn of the year makes me sad (and grumpy with the effort), to leave it up all year would be to diminish what makes the season bright and special. The holiday festivities give us something to look forward to in the short, dark days of winter. I can’t help but think that this is why, particularly since the pandemic, people put up their Christmas decorations immediately after Halloween! We need the joy of the season, we need the hope we know in Christ, we need the twinkling lights to help us banish the darkness!
Of course, this doesn’t mean that the darkness is behind us, shadows lurk in every corner. Despite the Light come into the world, the gloom of our broken world looms profoundly. The world and all that is in it does not, unfortunately, reset when we turn the calendar to a new year. Wouldn’t it be lovely if we had Jubilee years like those of the Old Testament, where the slate is wiped clean and everyone has a chance to begin again?
To think about it too deeply is to despair, I fear. Especially since we are hopefully entering the new year following a time of deep joy and rest. But maybe, just maybe, we can find ways to hold onto that sense of joy and peace, if we keep our eyes on Jesus. Can we reflect his light in some way, just in our little corner of the world? Can we start with our awakening in the morning, in the privacy of our homes, and can we carry that warmth into our places of work, our classrooms, our clubs and our community? Maybe we can be catalysts for the Light brightening as the days grow longer. Maybe every morning is our own personal jubilee, to begin anew in our striving to center our lives on Christ. The season of Christmas comes to a close, but the Light of Christ does not diminish.