Today is the Winter Solstice – the shortest daylight and longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. In Houston the day will be 10 hours and 13 minutes long. The further north you travel, the shorter the day – Junction City, KS will be 9 hours and 25 minutes; Minot, ND will be 8 hours and 20 minutes. The day is also the official start of winter for us. Our Southern Hemisphere friends are experiencing the Summer Solstice – the longest day and shortest night. All of this is determined by the angle of the Earth’s axis in relation to the Sun as we rotate about it. You may ask why bring this up? We learned this in science class many years ago.
In four days the Christian world will be celebrating Christmas – the birth of Christ Jesus. The Incarnation. Some have been preparing for the Christmas Day over the last several weeks (and sometimes months) so the celebration will be perfect. Others, due to lives struggles and circumstances, just want the day to pass. Still others, following the state of the pandemic, just want to cancel Christmas this year. Many of you are still scratching your heads as you are well aware of this and don’t see the correlation to the tie to the solstice.
While we all know the Christmas narrative as presented in the Gospels our focus many times is Jesus as a babe in the manger. The one whom the angels declared to the shepherds the Savior, who is Christ the Lord. In our Sunday services, we have been reminded of all the events, including that He came to die on cross for our salvation. Again, you may ask about the solstice. Okay, let’s show two accounts of His coming. First (while long) is the Gospel of Luke (Linus does a fine job of reading this in the Peanuts Christmas special):
“1 In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
The Shepherds and the Angels 8 And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. 10 And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”
15 When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. 17 And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. 18 And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.” (Luke 2:1-20)
The standard Christmas narrative. Let’s add another one though, as short portion this time from John:
“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any- thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:1-5)
As the Earth makes its way around the sun annually, the seasons were determined by the Creator of all things (yes, including us). His Word tilted the Earth on its rotation to give time of rest to the hemispheres during their winter months and growth during their summer months – to give common grace to all mankind. The grace meant to sustain us in hopes that all would come to Him for salvation, to be called as Sons of God and inherit through adoption – eternal life.
While I remember my science teachers lessons on the solstices and equinoxes, this day reminds me of the God who made all that there is in this world for our good. So, yes, I am preparing for the celebration of Christ’s first coming and I look all the more forward to the day we can rejoice with the host of heaven when he returns. Come Lord Jesus, come.
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