Yuletide

The Twelve Days of Christmas have a predecessor in the Yule Log and the traditions of the Twelve Days of Yule. 

God Jul! 

That's Merry Christmas in Swedish and Norwegian. 

In the Scandinavian languages,

  the ancient term of Jul is used to represent 

    the more recent term of Christmas. 

In a variety of Celtic and Germanic cultures, 

  including the Anglo Saxons, 

    the winter festival 

      that celebrated the passage of the Solstice 

        was and is Yuletide. 

Since we are in the middle of 

  the Twelve Days of Christmas 

    and just as truly in the Twelve Days of Yule, 

      I felt it was important to begin thinking about 

        the connection between the two holy times 

          and their place in our culture and faith. 

In truth, the two are one. 

Christmas and Yule are a single holy festival. 

That's one reason I began the sermon 

  with the words, "God Jul," 

    or Merry Christmas in various languages. 

It's nothing unusual 

  to find that a pagan spiritual celebration 

    has been converted into a Christian one. 

Although some Christians try to deny it, 

  many of the teachings, traditions, and holy days 

    that Christians hold dear 

      are rooted in other ancient cultures 

        and spiritual traditions. 

This holy festival in which we find ourselves 

  is truly a celebration of the Season of Solstice 

    for us all. 

Solstice is a moment, a day, and a Season. 

This year the moment and day were 

  2:02 a.m. Pacific Standard Time 

    on Monday, December 21. 

We are now in the middle of 

  the Twelve Days of Yule 

    and the Twelve Days of Christmas, 

      whether we choose to call it Yule or Christmas. 

The Twelve Days of Christmas began at sundown 

  on Christmas Eve, 

    and they will end at sundown on January 5, 

      the eve of the Epiphany (3 Wise Men's Day). 

The Twelve Days of Yule begin on the Solstice, 

  last Monday, the 21st this time around

    and they will end 11 days later, 

      this year on New Year's Day, January 1, 2021. 

(Doesn't the sound of 2021 sound wonderful?! 

  a new beginning after the end of 2020, at last!) 

I have to say that in my own life, 

  the Winter Solstice 

    has always been profoundly important. 

My first marriage took place on the Winter Solstice 

  in 1972. 

In many years, 

  one of my personal 

    anniversary and solstice celebrations

      was to go outside 

        and pour out a small libation of wine 

          in recognition of the importance 

            of the occasions. 

Now that I live in the North, 

  the Solstice is certainly not less important. 

I have to confess to you all that this is the first year 

  that I haven't had a light fit, 

    at least not yet! 

That's what I call a few hours in which 

  I simply MUST turn on every light I can find 

    because the darkness of the season 

      is beginning to give me the creeps. 

This is also the first year that I feel the deep joy 

  that most people in the North feel 

    with the arrival of the Winter Solstice. 

The two experiences may well be 

  closely related for me: 

    no light fit this year 

      and Winter Solstice Joy. 

In any case, I'm starting to love 

  watching the numbers for the length of the days 

    going UP instead of going DOWN 

      as the weather report and almanac tell me 

        that the Season is indeed changing direction. 

As soon as Winter arrives 

  it begins to end, 

    since the Winter Solstice marks 

      the shortest day of the year, 

        the first day of Winter, 

          and the day on which the days 

            begin to grow longer 

              and the nights begin to grow shorter. 

With the longer days and shorter nights, 

  we can also begin to look forward 

    to temperatures beginning to go up 

      even if the coldest temperatures of the year 

        may be upon us. 

The change of season has a profound effect 

  on our feelings. 

Seasonal Affective Disorder is definitely a thing! 

My own light fits may be a sign 

  that I have a mild case of SAD  

    as well as being a consequence of having lived 

      most of my life in the South. 

The truth is that I'm very grateful to be in the North 

  for many reasons, 

    but it would be impossible to think 

      that such a change from South to North would be 

        without any drawbacks at all. 

The biggest positive change 

  has been the absence of unbearable heat 

    (for the most part) in the summertime. 

Colder weather has not been 

  the biggest drawback for me. 

I've often told friends and family in the South 

  that around here, we have four mild seasons, 

    and that is true (for the most part). 

Maybe the biggest drawback 

  is the considerable period 

    of much longer dark than light. 

This year it seems to be more difficult than ever, 

  probably in part because of the pandemic 

    and the extent of the isolation 

      that so many of us are experiencing. 

There are ways of getting around 

  the darkness and isolation, 

    and I'm looking for as many of them

      as I can find. 

Among the ways around darkness and isolation, 

  I have always appreciated 

    the celebration of the Holy Days 

      as distinguished from the holidays. 

The Holy Days, whether Christmas or Yule, 

  have traditionally been ways of coping 

    with these days of darkness: 

      looking to the birth and the rebirth of the Light. 

At the same time, 

  the holidays can often leave us feeling worse, 

    because they bring back memories 

      of much better days. 

The very celebrations intended to help us feel better 

  end up leaving us feeling worse. 

The Holy Days have a much deeper meaning 

  than the holidays, and that is 

  something that cannot be taken away from us, 

    no matter the circumstances. 

Christmas is a celebration of holy birth, 

  and every night a child is born is a holy night. 

Among the Holy Days, 

  today is the Third Day of Christmas 

    and the feast day of St. John, the Apostle 

      traditionally known as the author 

        of the Gospel of St. John. 

And today is the Seventh Day of Yule, 

  since the Solstice arrived last Monday, 

    the First Day of Yule. 

During the Christmas and Yule seasons, 

  in celebration of new life, 

    a tradition of care of the poor 

      has long been honored at this time of year. 

If we spend time, energy, and other resources 

  caring for those less fortunate than ourselves, 

    we draw attention away from our own feelings 

      and our own circumstances 

        and bring renewed hope 

          not only to ourselves but also to others. 

The great old hymn, "Good King Wenceslas," 

  serves as a reminder of the tradition 

    of care of the poor. 

From the first time I heard it, 

  it has been one of my favorites. 

It's a song of St. Stephen's Day, December 26, 

  yesterday. 

Good King Wenceslas

Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen,

When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even;

Brightly shone the moon that night, tho’ the frost was cruel,

When a poor man came in sight, gath’ring winter fuel.

“Hither, page, and stand by me, if thou know’st it, telling,

Yonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?”

“Sire, he lives a good league hence, underneath the mountain;

Right against the forest fence, by Saint Agnes‘ fountain.”

“Bring me flesh, and bring me wine, bring me pine logs hither:

Thou and I will see him dine, when we bear them thither.”

Page and monarch, forth they went, forth they went together;

Through the rude wind’s wild lament and the bitter weather.

“Sire, the night is darker now, and the wind blows stronger;

Fails my heart, I know not how; I can go no longer.”

“Mark my footsteps, good my page. Tread thou in them boldly

Thou shalt find the winter’s rage freeze thy blood less coldly.”

In his master’s steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted;

Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed.

Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing,

Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing.

Just singing that hymn gives my heart a lift. 

In a similar way, Yuletide is an ancient celebration 

  of the return of the Light, the rebirth of the Sun. 

A yule log is an ancient tradition. 

It's a way of safely bringing 

  the warmth and good feelings of a bonfire 

    into the heart of the home. 

Where there is a fireplace, 

  a special log is burned 

    to represent the light and warmth of the sun. 

Where we have electric or gas furnaces, 

  perhaps a video of a crackling fireplace 

    can represent the tradition. 

Like our Zoom gatherings themselves, 

  in these strange times, 

    we are finding new ways 

      to renew our joy and sense of well being 

        as the holy days are upon us. 

Amen. 

So mote it be. 

St. Nicholas

December 6 is the Feast Day of St. Nicholas, legendary 4th Century Bishop of Myra. His story developed into the legend of Santa Claus. 

Today, December 6,  is St. Nicholas' Day. 

I believe that St. Nicholas, 

  and his modern counterpart, Santa Claus, 

    can bring us hope in the midst of the chaos 

      that is inundating us 

        these days. 

Nicholas was a bishop of the early Christian church, 

  serving in the Greek speaking maritime town 

    of Myra, on the coast of what is now Turkey. 

His lifetime bridged the years around Constantine's 

  Edict of Milan, which made Christianity legal: 

    St. Nicholas was born on March 15 of 270 CE, 

      and he died on December 6 of 343 CE. 

Saints' Days are normally set 

  on the date of their death, 

    since their death is thought to be 

      their birth in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Hence St. Nicholas' Day is December 6, 

  the anniversary of his death. 

Constantine's Edict of Milan was proclaimed 

  in February of 313, near the middle of 

    the life of St. Nicholas. 

Prior to the Edict, 

  Christianity was an illegal religion, 

    and people could be, and were, punished severely, 

      as was Nicholas himself, 

        if they refused to renounce their Christian faith. 

After the Edict, after 313, 

  Christianity became a tolerated religion, 

    and Christians were no longer persecuted 

      for their faith. 

As I said, Nicholas himself 

  was imprisoned for a time 

    because he refused to recant his Christian faith. 

To this day, St. Nicholas 

  even in the form of  Santa Claus, 

    is portrayed with red cheeks 

      because of the abuse he received 

        during his imprisonment for his faith. 

People all over the world 

  are being persecuted for their faith to this day 

    by authoritarian governments 

      like that of ancient Rome. 

If we are willing to let it be so, 

  the appearance of Santa Claus 

    with his red cheeks 

      can remind us  

        of the importance 

          of our acceptance of each other 

            despite our different faith commitments. 

We as UU's can be especially sensitive 

  to the importance of this kind of mutual acceptance 

    because of the centuries 

      during which UU's have experienced 

        different kinds of prejudice against our faith

          as well as terrible persecution at times. 

So St. Nicholas or Santa Claus 

  can have special meaning for us as UU's 

    whatever the wider culture may think about him. 

Different cultures have their own customs 

  for the celebration and remembrance 

    of St. Nicholas. 

For instance, there has long been a tradition 

  of children putting out their shoes 

    in the hope that St. Nicholas 

      will leave treats for them. 

He is often said to leave small gifts 

  in stockings or wooden shoes, 

    especially on December 6, 

      not only on December 24 or 25.  

This custom actually has roots in the legend 

  of Bishop Nicholas himself. 

In ancient times, a hearth 

  was almost like a small room. 

There was space for a fire and a chimney above. 

There would be room to hang small clothing items 

  to dry in the warmth of the fire. 

The story is told that 

  Nicholas was known to climb onto the roofs 

    of people in his diocese 

      and drop small gifts - or gold coins if needed - 

        into stockings that had been hung 

          in the hearth to dry. 

In one particular case, 

  three young girls in a family 

    were about to be sold into slavery

      to pay off the family's debts. 

The Bishop heard of it, 

  and on Christmas Eve, 

    he climbed up onto the family's roof 

      in his bishop's red robes and hat 

        and dropped bags of gold 

          into the girls' stockings 

            that had been hung up in the hearth to dry. 

The picture of Bishop Nicholas in his red robes 

  dropping gold into stockings in the family's hearth, 

    through the chimney, no less, 

      as a Christmas gift to a family that really needed it 

        became iconic and legendary, 

          and it has remained across many centuries 

            to give birth to an even more widespread icon 

              of our own culture today, 

                Santa Claus himself. 

The story gives us a lovely picture 

  of the way St. Nicholas got into the business 

    of putting special gifts into stockings 

      and the way he was ultimately transformed 

        into Santa Claus,

          a way to pronounce St. Nicholas,

            maybe a young child's way of trying to say it. 

So what does this mean to us today? 

I feel that my mother gave me a hint. 

As children will do, 

  and as I've told the story before, 

    I informed her that I knew 

      that Santa Claus could not possibly deliver gifts 

        to all the children of the world in a single night. 

I was letting her know 

  that I no longer believed in Santa Claus. 

She then informed me that Santa Claus 

  is the spirit of giving, 

    and that was something 

      that I could not argue with, 

        and I still can't argue with it! 

The bottom line for me 

  is that I still believe in Santa Claus. 

I do believe that St. Nicholas, 

  as legendary as he may be, 

    was a real bishop in a real time and place, 

      complete with red cheeks 

        and with red robes and cap. 

I also believe that the icon of our culture, 

  Santa Claus, is a symbol based on the bishop, 

    who serves us well as the spirit of giving. 

As I often like to emphasize, 

  spirit is breath. 

When we breathe in, we take in life, 

  and when we breathe out, 

    we let out the stuff of life 

      for other kinds of creatures. 

Oxygen enables us to utilize energy, 

  and so we take in life as we breathe in oxygen. 

The carbon dioxide that we breathe out 

  enables plants to produce energy 

    in the form of food 

      for themselves and for animals, 

        in effect for all living things. 

One could say that plants of many kinds 

  are the original spirits of giving 

    as they breathe in the carbon dioxide from us 

      and from all kinds of animals 

        and breathe out the oxygen that we all need. 

In any case, 

  as we breathe, as we process oxygen,

    we enable the thoughts of our hearts and minds. 

Spirit, that is, breath, enables thought. 

As we think, 

  we can also focus our thoughts on giving. 

Especially at this time of year, 

  as we approach the Holy Days of light and giving, 

    we all need the spirit of giving 

      to remind us of our need of each other. 

Especially in these strange times, 

  we can see ourselves as sources of hope and life 

    for each other. 

We share what we have 

  with those less fortunate than ourselves 

    and we follow the example of St. Nicholas. 

In so doing, the spirit of giving, 

  Santa Claus, 

    and the breath that calls us to share life, 

      renews our opportunities to participate 

        in the ancient and noble rituals 

          of sharing the wealth. 

I have high hopes that we are heading into 

  an era of great altruism. 

There are great evolutionary advantages 

  to the practice of altruism 

    among many species. 

Our own survival 

  on our small, beautiful spaceship Earth

    may well depend upon it. 

There are signs of a new beginning coming, 

  in the Heavens 

    with the solstice and a planetary conjunction, 

      and on Earth 

        with the inauguration of a new U.S. President. 

We all desperately need some new beginnings, 

  especially of good things. 

A new birth of mutual care, generosity, 

  and altruism 

    will go a long way toward bring us hope 

      just when we need it most. 

I'll be thinking and speaking of the new beginnings 

  a great deal in the weeks to come. 

Stay tuned, or, as Rachel Maddow says, 

  "Watch this space!" 

Amen. 

So Let It Be.