From Darkness into a Marvelous Light

The sun gains victory over the cold of night! The pagan celebration during the coldest of winter . . .December 21-22 . . . marked the Winter Solstice and the public celebration of Sol Invictus, or the unconquered sun God of the Roman Empire and patron of the Roman soldier. Winter marked death and spring was a resurrection! It was culminated in the Saturnalia Festival with a giving of gifts , festive images, other settting free of slaves in Rome. The earth was at its darkest yet the sun was the closest it would be to the earth. . . . Sound familiar????? John the Baptist would tell of the coming Light . . .

And You child, will be called the prophet of the Highest, for You will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited< us, to give light to who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.(Luke 1:76-79)

In the darkest of days, the Son would pierce the darkness and shed Light upon all of mankind! So by the fourth century (approximately A.D. 360) the Church was celebrating the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As more came to know Christ, the pagan celebration was abandoned and the Light of the world was celebrated in His triumph over the darkness of death. Old things past away and the celebrations became "new"! We can celebrate at CHRISTmas despite the pagan past and present commercialism. The Light has indeed pierced the darkness and we must shine that Light now and every day!