On Faith: Christmas season is not all happiness and light

What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.

~ John 1:3-5

As the autumn wanes and gives way to winter we enter a season of dying light. The days get colder and the nights grow longer. The church year shifts as well, to the season of Advent. To be sure, Advent is a time that looks toward the celebration of the incarnation of God becoming flesh in the baby in Bethlehem. However, at its core, Advent is also a season of deep longing for wholeness and peace in the world and within ourselves. During Advent we also eagerly await the return of our Savior to heal our brokenness and bring an end to suffering and pain.

Yet, it can be difficult to acknowledge these things as we also enter the unrelenting pageantry of Christmas. The joyful songs, festive decorations, lavish celebrations, the unfettered happiness — it becomes a cultural expectation. There is not room or space for anything else. It is difficult to express sadness, grief or deep loss. After all, one does not wish to be labeled a “Grinch”.

It is important to make space for these things, to reclaim the season of Advent as a holy time of longing and lament. It is important to recognize that for many the shine of Christmas is often little more than a cheery

veneer, a festive façade to bury our sadness instead of facing it. For many, Christmas is not a balm but salt in a wound. It brings into starker contrast the very things they don’t have: peace, hope and joy. For many, the outward trappings of Christmas do not match what is inside them as they struggle with the loss of a loved one, with anxiety or depression, with loneliness or fear, with uncertainty for the future.

This year at Zion, we will be introducing a special service called “The Longest Night.” This service is traditionally held on or around the Winter Solstice, Dec. 21, the longest night of the year. It is a space for people to express those deep longing for wholeness and peace. It is a place to bring our grief and sadness in a culture that often doesn’t offer much room or patience for brokenness, particularly in this season. It is also a time for hope. We sing songs, read scripture, light candles — not to ignore or gloss over our pain, but to remind ourselves that darkness will not have the final word.

I think Gerald Sittser puts it well: “The quickest way for anyone to reach the sun and the light of day is not to run west, chasing after the setting sun, but to head east, plunging into the darkness until one comes to the sunrise.”

We gather to face our sadness and grief and look toward the light of dawn. It is then, after seeing the world and our lives as they are, that we can find real and lasting joy in this season. It need no longer be a cheery veneer of festive façade. In Jesus we have our light in our darkness that cannot be overcome.

The Longest Night service begins at 7 p.m. Dec. 18.

As I often say, it is always a good idea to invite your friends and neighbors to church. However, this is an especially good opportunity. Even if you yourself don’t need it, go with someone who does so that they do not have to sit alone. Please join us and invite your friends for a time of reflection and lament but also of hope as we remember our Savior Jesus who is the light in our darkness.

Writer Pastor Charles (CJ) Boettcher is the new(ish) pastor at Zion Lutheran Church, 1000 Washington Ave., Cloquet. Visit him at the church or by calling 218-879-4647.