by Senior Minister Rev. John Morehouse
There is something about the month of December that holds us in ways we can’t always explain; these days can be both exhilarating and solemn. These Gods of December are full of mystery.
Richard Rohr captures this paradox beautifully: “Many mystics speak of the God-experience as simultaneously falling into an abyss and being grounded. This sounds like a contradiction, but when we allow ourselves to fall into the abyss—into hiddenness, limitlessness, unknowability, a void without boundaries—we discover it’s somehow a rich, supportive, embracing spaciousness where we don’t have to ask (or answer) the questions of whether we’re right or wrong.” This is why we celebrate Hanukkah, the solstice, and Christmas: to remind ourselves that we live at the edge of what we know and what we can never know.
I still believe in the Gods of December, Santa among them. They are as real as they have meaning in our lives. The stories we tell are never just about the stories; they are more about finding light when there seemed to be only darkness.
But remember that like light, love always returns. Even if we think we have lost our way. What seems lost is almost always found. Especially during Holy Days of Light, such as this.
As the theologian Charles Halton writes in his book A Human-Shaped God, “We don’t need to interrogate the facts, especially when we’re simply trying to tell truth-filled, inspiring stories. When we get caught up in the details, we miss what actually matters about our telling of the longest night, the oil in the lamp, and the baby being born.”
So, I say, pay homage to all the Gods of December, whether with anticipation or worry, for in keeping them present we are declaring that life is sacred and love matters most.
Happy Holidays!