Power with...Light!

The winter solstice has always been special to me as a barren darkness that gives birth to a verdant future beyond imagination, a time of pain and withdrawal that produces something joyfully inconceivable, like a monarch butterfly masterfully extracting itself from the confines of its cocoon, bursting forth into unexpected glory.

— Gary Kukav

The December holiday season can be cheerful, merry, and bright for some.

For some, the holidays may bring sadness or stir up other emotions.

After all, it is the darkest time of the year.

Saturday marks the winter solstice, the first day of winter, and the day we have the fewest hours of sunlight all year. Beginning Sunday the sun will stay up a few seconds longer each night and we'll begin our slow return to the light.

Sunday we usher in the Festival of Lights, Hanukkah. On each of the eight nights of Hanukkah a candle is lit in the menorah to symbolize the temple lantern oil that burned longer than it should have.

What is your experience of the long nights of this season?

Do you, like Kukav, take retreat in darkness to birth new joy?

What awaits you in the opened cocoon of a new day of light?

Let our being together this weekend be an assertion of

our hope for renewed light!

We'll see you in winter!

Celebrate the winter solstice and Hanukkah this weekend with these fun crafts for kids!

Winter Solstice Lantern Project

Hanukkah Hand Print Menorah

JOIN US THIS SUNDAY!

December 22, 2019

Out of the Darkness: A Multigenerational Service

Michelle McKenzie-Creech, CDFM & Rev. Craig Rubano

Together, on the shortest day of the year, as we celebrate the sacred flame that burned far longer than it should have, we return to the light. We find hope, possibility, and promise in light, casting us out of the darkness on this day as the Winter Solstice and Hanukkah arrive just hours apart.

Music by Louise Chernosky, Elaine Held, Sister Singers,

David Fischell, Rev. Craig, and Roots & Wings Drum Choir.