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.
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