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| Image by James Brennan |
A Meditation for the Longest Night
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A GREETING
How long must I bear pain* in my soul,
and have sorrow in my heart all day long?
(Psalm 13:2)
A READING
So she carried him, and secluded herself with him in a remote place.
The labor-pains came upon her, by the trunk of a palm-tree. She said,
“I wish I had died before this, and been completely forgotten.”
Whereupon he called her from beneath her:
“Do not worry; your Lord has placed a stream beneath you.
And shake the trunk of the palm-tree towards you, and it will drop ripe dates by you.”
“So eat, and drink, and be consoled."
(Qu'ran 19:22-26)
MUSIC
A MEDITATIVE VERSE
Relieve the troubles of my heart,
and bring me* out of my distress.
(Psalm 25:17)
A POEM
Let there be night.
Let there be glistening of moon
on frosted water, cracks
like portals to the darkness below,
the darkness all around.
Let there be night,
when shapes shift on the ocean floor
and creatures stir
who don't know they're unnamed.
Let there be night,
when silence and mud
carry roots of trees,
tangled and tender.
Let there be night,
where love lives, to confound evil,
and the forgotten are held
in mulch and matter.
Let there be night,
that brings forth life
in a mother's hands, her
returning breath.
Let there be life.
- from "Let there by night," by Sherry Coman
VERSE OF THE DAY
For your steadfast love is before my eyes,
and I walk in faithfulness to you.
(Psalm 26:3)
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| Image by Cobalt |
Today is the winter solstice, in which those of us in the northern hemisphere experience the longest night of the year. In many traditions, services are held on the longest night in solidarity with those for whom Christmas is a difficult time of the year, due to separation from loved ones, loneliness, poverty, and many other realities.
In addition, on three Saturdays we are looking at the life of Mary: before the Annunciation, during her pregnancy and in the time after Jesus’ birth. Today we honour the Mary that was living for nine months carrying a child. In the Christian tradition, we do not have any narratives that speak to this particular part of her life. From the appearance of Gabriel bringing the news, to the birth itself, there is only the meeting with Elizabeth and the profound ‘yes’ that is represented in her song. Otherwise, we are left to wonder how she managed.
But then there is the Qu’ran.
Both Mary and Jesus are venerated in Islam, and there are several chapters that speak directly to the experience of Mary in different moments of Jesus’ life. In the childbirth scene, as above, Mary struggles in a solitary and lonely labour. Without anyone to help her, God provides. She is led to a stream for water and is fed through the dates of a date palm tree.
Although the birth of Jesus probably took place at a different time of year than when we celebrate, setting the birth near the winter solstice by association allows us to feel the moment of light entering into the darkest time of the year. Jesus is born, bringing light into the world. And yet the darkness of this time was a vital and necessary part of the cycles of the world of which we are told by the gospel of John he was a part of at its conception. In Genesis 1, God creates both the light and the darkness and sees them both as good. “There is evening and there is morning…” Both the evening and the morning are vital parts of the cycle of light and dark that got imagined into our existence.
On the longest night, we acknowledge our deepest sorrows, agonies and losses. The disappointments of life, the unexpected and challenging changes that have come to us over the past year seem especially acute. We may feel like we've lost our mooring, and are floating in a sea of the unknown. Our hearts are broken or are breaking from the weight of hardships. Jesus enters the world and becomes one of us exactly for such times. His life and his dying will hold many longest nights.
When we are in the midst of hardships, it can be very challenging to imagine the transformation that God has in mind for us. It can be very hard to surrender our trust to God. But God never lets go of us. God holds us in any and all moments. When we least feel God, we can know that the divine energy is within us, and can never be put out.
Love lives in darkness, love lives in light. Jesus comes into all of it to bring his whole self to us, so that we may know him — in darkness, in light and in all the shades between. The birth of Jesus reminds us that we never have to be alone within our own internal pain, temptation or isolation. Jesus has experienced suffering and his love is always with us.
On this winter solstice, how can you take courage from the mother of Jesus, as she leans into a date palm tree? How might you imagine her turning to you, and handing you a date?
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The next devotional day is Monday, December 23rd. From there to Epiphany, these devotions will continue with just two interruptions, on December 26 and December 29.
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LC† Seeds of Hope is a project of Lutherans Connect, supported by the Eastern Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Centre for Spirituality and Media at Martin Luther University College. To receive the devotions by email, write to lutheransconnect@gmail.com. The devotional pages are written and curated by Deacon Sherry Coman, with support and input from Pastor Steve Hoffard, Catherine Evenden and Henriette Thompson. Join us on Facebook, and on Twitter. Lutherans Connect invites you to make a donation to the Ministry by going to this link on the website of the ELCIC Eastern Synod and selecting "Lutherans Connect Devotionals" under "Fund". Devotions are always freely offered, however your donations help support the ongoing work.
Thank you and peace be with you!