Posted on 12/23/2015 7:24:38 AM PST by Salvation
Some sing, "O Holy Night." Some sing, "Silent Night." Some sing, "It Came upon a Midnight Clear." Christmas, it would seem, is a festival of the middle of the night. Jesus was born when it was dark, dark midnight. We are sure of it. And why shouldn't we be?
Even though we are not told the exact hour of His birth, we are sure that it must have been at night. Scripture does say that the shepherds who heard the glad tidings were keeping watch over their flock by night (cf Luke 2:9). Further, the Magi sought him by the light of a star, and stars are seen at night--deep midnight. None of this is evidence that Jesus was born at 11:59 PM, but it sets our clocks for nighttime--deep midnight.
Add to this the fact that Christmas is celebrated near the winter solstice, the very darkest time of the year in the northern hemisphere. More specifically, Christmas breaks in on the very days when the light begins its subtle return. The darkest and shortest days of the year are December 21st and 22nd. By December 23rd and 24th, we notice a definite but subtle trend: the days are getting longer; the light is returning! It's time to celebrate the return of the light; it’s going to be all right!
How fitting it is to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the true Light of the World, in deep and dark December. Jesus, our light, kindles a fire that never dies away. Indeed, in the dark hours of late December, we notice a trend. The light is returning; the darkness is abating; the days are growing longer from this point on. It is subtle now, but it will grow! And with the return of light, we celebrate our True Light: Jesus.
But light is best appreciated in contrast. We are most grateful for the glory of light when darkness assails us. There’s just something about Christmas Eve! As the date approaches and the darkness grows, we light lights. All through December, as the darkness grows we light Advent candles. We light more as it grows darker. Even the secular among us string lights during dark December, in malls and on houses. It's as if to say, the darkness cannot win; the light conquers!
Lights have their true glory in contrast to the darkness. Who sees the stars at midday? Who appreciates the beauty of light until he has experienced the darkness? Yes, Christmas is a feast of the light. We confront the darkness of December and declare to it, your deepest days are over; the light is returning. And we of faith say to a world in ever-deeper darkness, your darkness cannot remain; it will be overcome and replaced. For though darkness has its season, it is always conquered by the light.
Light has a way of simply replacing the darkness. On December 22nd/23rd, the darkness begins to recede; the light begins to return. It is almost as if the darkness takes up the words of John the Baptist: He [Jesus] must increase, I must decrease. It seems subtle at first, but the light always returns; the darkness cannot last. In three months, the equinox occurs; in six months the summer solstice comes. The darkness will once again seek to conquer, BUT IT ALWAYS LOSES. The light will return. Jesus is always born at the hour of darkness’ greatest moment. Just when the darkness is celebrating most, its hour is over; the light dawns again.
Yes, we celebrate after sundown on December 24th in accord with a tradition going back to Jewish times (that our Feasts begin at sundown on the previous night). Christmas morning is almost an afterthought. Most pastors know that the majority of their people have come the "night before." In a deep and dark December, a light comes forth, a star, and shines in the heavens.
We gather in and on a dark night. We smile. We are moved by the cry of a tiny infant, by whose voice the heavens were made. His little cry lights up the night. The darkness must go; the light has come; day is at hand.
Yes, we celebrate at night to bid farewell to the darkness. It cannot prevail. The darkness is destined to be scattered by a Light that is far more powerful, a Light it must obey, a Light that overwhelms and replaces it. Farewell to darkness; the Light of the World has come.
Jesus is the Light of the World.
The videos below are a celebration of light. As a Christmas gift to myself last December 22nd, the darkest day of the year, I took the afternoon off and went to photograph the triumph of light over darkness. I went to a Mausoleum--yes, to a place where thousands are buried in the walls. But also in those walls are windows, glorious windows where light breaks through and Christ shines forth. Some of the most beautiful stained glass in the city of Washington, D.C. reside in that place of death and darkness. The light breaks through and it speaks of Christ.
These videos are a testimony to just some of those windows. In this place, a place of death, a light breaks through: the light of faith, the Light of Christ. The lyrics in the first video are from Taize: Christe, lux mundi, qui sequitur te habebit lumen vitae, lumen vitae (Christ, light of the world, who follows you has the light of life, the light of life). The second video features verses from the "Canticle of the Three Children" in the Book of Daniel.
As you view these videos, ponder the fact that stained glass begins as opaque sand. But when subjected to and purified by the fire, it radiates the glory of light, which can now shine through it. So it is for us. Born in darkness, but purified by Christ and the fire of the Spirit, we begin to radiate His many-splendored Light shining through us to a dark world.
The Light wins. He always wins.
Calling me 'Nestorian' or else belonging to a church that had those leanings, in addition to the smokescreen of pushing off onto some 17th German having taken note of pagan elements having been blended in with Christmas observances. There are likely more shadings and nuance that is accusatory and carries notes of falsehood for being incomplete, overly simplistic characterization, but those will suffice for now.
Making me out to be some kind of Nestorian was false narrative when you initially constructed that years ago now, which you bring here while also further attributing motive -- instead of making the effort to otherwise understand what someone is saying.
It's infuriating forum tactic on your part, but has long been among the same tiresome repertoire...
Regardless of what facts there may be pertaining to a particular issue, those are near always shaded, slanted in ways to better make room for an added rhetorical bashing of "Protestants".
Here we are, on observance of 'Christmas Day' and you're still at it.
Can you for once cease the personal attack notes being added in, whenever you are challenged on some point? And then -- stick to that for more than one or two comments on a thread?
It seems you desire for me to fully engage, while refusing to do so yourself other than to continue lecture in one vein despite other information which is also part of the larger picture.
BlueDragon:
Ok, so I will drop labeling you a Nestorian, although technically while I did several years ago label you that, I did not in the previous post. I said you seem to belong to a Church that has Nestorian leanings.
But for the record, technically speaking, regardless of what you do believe, orthodox Christology does not hold that Christ was a Human Person. I just want to be clear about that without imputing motive and labeling you anything. Christ was Divine Person who via the Incarnation by the Holy Spirit was Born of the Virgin Mary and became man, thus he took on fully a Human Nature was like all humanity in all things, save Sin. While Christ took on a Full Human nature, with the qualification I stated before regarding sin, he simultaneously was Fully Divine in Nature as well. So the Divine Person Jesus Christ, True God and True man was born of the Virgin Mary, that is what we as Catholics, Eastern Orthodox are for sure celebrating this Christmas Liturgical Season 25 December to 6 January.
As to what Protestants are celebrating or Not celebrating, I will not speak to that Ok. I will let you guys speak to that. But at the same time, I will not just sit here and let certain segments of the FR Protestant brigades here try to define what it is I as a Catholic believe and in particular try to tell me that the early Church under the directives of the Bishop of Rome and Church of Rome mandated 25 December as the Feast of the Nativity due to setting up a feast for the sole reason to rival the pagan feasts that were being celebrated around the same time.
Let's not waste any time talking past each other.
A Merry Christmas to you, and may God bless you abundantly.
Thanks sincerely for the ping.
Sorry for the typos. I’m keyboarding too fast, but I think you’ll get the idea.
Merry Christmas to you, dear iscool!
My post stands as posted.
You changed a quote of mine to fit your agenda.
Tacking your view on the end of my quote was deceptive. The placement of the quote marks show that.
That's not proper.
Please post your comments separate from mine, not squeeze them into my quote.
God DOES abundantly bless me, thank you.
Let's not waste any time talking past each other.
Let's not alter quotes.
You’re welcome, just practicing internet etiquette.
There it is right there...
We can know we have eternal life just by the things John has written...-- Iscool
The quote from John is magnificent, but it does not substantiate your claim that "everything is right there" .. If it did, then as you yourself say, all we would need is John --- good noodles, we wouldn't even need Matthew, Mark, and Luke!
Rather, I think it is more accurate and more complete to say, as ST. Paul teaches repeatedly,
It is "more accurate and more complete" because it includes both major chunks of Apostolic Tradition: the Oral Tradition and the Written Tradition (Scripture) St. Paul includes both."I commend you because you remember me in everything and maintain the Traditions even as I have delivered them to you"(1 Cor. 11:2).
"Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the Tradition that you received from us" (2 Thess. 3:6).
"So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the Traditions which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter" (2 Thess. 2:15).
May God bless you.
“I had already supplied sufficient answer to that question prior to the question being posed.”
False. If you had, I would not have asked my question. This is not a matter of opinion.
“If one decided to get fully technical about it — I had asked you pretty much the same question, first.”
No, you had not. I asked a distinct question. The answer to that question would determine something.
“Which makes it to be that it is you who “can’t” answer the question.”
Completely false. Also, I did not say you can’t answer it. I said I understand if you can’t answer it.
“Or is it more like won’t answer?”
I see no point in answering your initial question without you answering my initial question since it determines something.
“It’s the game-playing you indulge yourself with, attempted to be won at others’ expense which I object to, vladi.”
First of all, my name is not “vladi” - so right there we can see who is playing games here. Secondly, my question determines something. It’s not indulgence to ask such an important question. Again, I understand if you can’t answer it.
“Go ahead. Explain it. Cut to the chase. Get to the point instead of getting twisted, crooked mileage out indulging in put-down/insult the protestant game-playing, along the way.”
If you can’t answer the question, I understand. You keep posting and posting, but not answering. Since my posts seem to be getting deleted I can only assume that the point is getting across in any case. I’ll send this to you by PM as well, but I won’t reply to any response message there. They will be automatically deleted. Please respond here.
You later posted:
“Goodbye. I choose to not play your game.”
That’s the second time you have said that, but you posted anyway after the first instance and my responses to the second have apparently been deleted even though they violated no rules in any way.
“If you otherwise have grounds for the initial assertion which you made, then feel free to establish grounds for that.”
I understand if you are unable to answer my question. It’s okay.
I see. That would explain much. My posts are being deleted even though they violated no rules.
** My posts are being deleted even though they violated no rules**
Your posts were deleted for being personal and badgering.
Click on my name at the bottom of this post to review the guidelines for posting on the Religion Forum.
Posts 109 and 112 have removed. As will 157 as they are repeated.
Okiedokie.
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