Winter Solstice - What Is It?

As we walk our  life's path we discover over and over that what we see is not necessarily the whole story. For example, the sun's relationship to Earth has incorrect perception explanations which differed from how God created it.

One of such misconception was the church's view of the earth-sun relationship as opposed to that of science. The Catholic church proclaimed that the sun moved around the Earth. This made sense, yes? God created the earth; therefore the sun was secondary and inferior to the earth. Consequently the inferior sun must move around the royal earth thus creating sunrise and sunset. In 1532 an astronomer-mathematican named Copernicus proved that it was the opposite. Did he share this? No way! He did not want to be labeled a heretic, so he delayed publication of his book until on his death bed ten years later. However, the Catholic church with "theology eyes" withheld the book from publication to the" science eyes" until 1616.

However, when you wander further back into prehistory, ancient tribes knew much about the earth-sun relationship as they used their relative positions to determine when to plant, when to harvest, when to slaughter their cattle-and of course celebrate each with a festival! Temples and unique structures were built to determine precisely the exact moment of major sun -earth events- the equinoxes and solstices. The Neolithic site in Germany shows both the sunrise and sunset of the Winter Solstice. Stonehenge in England shows only the sunrise of Winter Solstice.

So what is a solstice? Because the Earth, traveling an elliptical path around the sun at 67,000 miles per hour has a 23.5 degree tilt, there are times when its exposed surface to the sun is the least and the most.

A solstice is a day when there is the greatest difference in the length of day and night. On December the 21st, sun light exposure is the least causing us to have a short day and a long dark night. We call that day the Winter Solstice. See what I mean by "eyes not seeing" what is going on? We are residing on a titled surface, we are moving at 67,000 miles per hour. God's world seems to have layers and layers of mystery to be revealed to us. 

To modern man, the sun-earth changing relationship has been reduced to calendars having solstices labeled. The western church; however, has carried forward the winter solstice as a time to stop breathe remember those who have died and those in pain, those who suffer from any loss. This year especially as the pandemic continues, we are becoming numb to the pain of Covid's daily loss of life. We have the blessing to be able to acknowledge our losses be they the loss of life or health or job or relationship or whatever in the Healing Service on December 21st at 7 pm. It is in-person and streaming live on YouTube at the StLukesGranville site. Let's gather, bring our pain and surrendering that pain to God so we can experience healing and walk forth into God's ever present light.

REMINDER: December 21, Winter Solstice Service will be held in-person at the church (107 E Broadway St., Granville, OH 43023) or via our St. Luke’s YouTube Channel.