Dark of winter, soft and still, your quiet calm surrounds me.
Let my thoughts go where they will; ease my mind profoundly.
And then my soul will sing a song, a blessed song of love eternal.
Gentle darkness, soft and still, bring your quiet to me. “Dark of Winter” by Shelley Denham
[Zechariah said:] And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High,
Luke 1:76-79
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge
of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins.
Because of the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us,
to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
The words written by Shelley Denham, in “Dark of Winter,” can give us pause to take in the gifts that come from “wintering.” This word “wintering” has popped up a number of times for me in the past few weeks. Katherine May in her book called Wintering says “plants and animals do not fight the winter; they don’t pretend it’s not happening nor do they attempt to live the same life they were living in the summer.” It is easy to understand wintering; all we need to do is look to the animals. Whales swim to warmer climates, birds fly south, bears hibernate. These animals respond to nature in a way that makes the most sense for their well-being. So why don’t we?
Denham describes something so wonderful and so needed for many of us as we embark on this very busy month. In December, at our church, there are many sacred events which can help us slow down. We need to be sure our time is filled with celebration but also filled with opportunities to get quiet, to be quiet long enough to hear our souls sing, to embrace the gentle darkness of winter.
Scripture like this one from Luke is wonderful. It is a good passage for when we try to quiet our souls, to remember who Jesus is and why he came. In our understanding of Jesus’ presence in our life we will find our feet again. We will then find the places where we can overcome the shadows of death. We will find light, joy and life in the story of a newborn babe. We will be granted peace; the peace of God which surpasses all of our understanding.
Merry Christmas!
Pastor Val
Arcane Technology Solutions, LLC
One Response
I love life’s synchronicities! Just this past week as I was driving, I saw this cow grazing in the field. There was snow on the ground and I felt sorry for the cow as it had no coat, no blanket to keep warm. Then I was reminded that God prepared all animals for the different seasons. It is interesting how animals accept what God has given them and just live. We humans try to “improve” on what God has given us. This Christmas, remember who made you, who you are and whose you are. 🙂