In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone.
— Christina Rossetti
We are nearing the culmination of my very favorite time of the year. Once the warmth of summer has given way to the shorter days and chill of autumn, the sun’s light is diffused in beautiful and extraordinary ways. The verdant colors of our summer surroundings begin their metamorphosis and the burgeoning hues of nature’s autumnal brilliance eventually give way to leafless, jagged branches revealing their stark silhouette high against a brooding sky. A bleak purple-grey appears on the horizon at sunset. Our shadows grow longer, and the clouds begin to take on an ominous aspect. The brittle leaves scratch against the hardening ground. Ponds and streams freeze and the cold, windy chill calls to mind the inhospitable conditions awaiting the Holy Family in Bethlehem’s stable.
As the weather changes outside, in the context of the liturgy we contemplate the last things – the end of time. The Church portends a calamitous time, and we experience a sinister foreboding. The natural world responds, called to hibernation and silence. The ever-circling gloom surrounds us, we begin a new liturgical year, and we pray, “Come, Lord Jesus.”
Yes, this is my very favorite time of year. It has to do with the progression of the great autumn festivals (sacred and profane) which, in their good time, give way to the great feast of the Incarnation.
As an artist, incarnation is the essence of all I do – the transmutation of ideas and ink on the page into living, if ephemeral, sounds. In doing so, it is the image and wonder of light that has always captured my imagination and drawn me to this time of year. Such an amazing natural, physical metaphor plays out before us: the gathering darkness gives way to the most brilliant Light of all, the Sun of Righteousness.
Hail, O Sun, O blessed Light,
...Sent into the world by night!
.....................Let thy rays and heavenly powers
..........................Shine in these dark souls of ours.
..For most duly
......Thou art truly
................................God and Man we do confess:
........ ...................Hail, O Sun of Righteousness!
– William Austin
I believe the most dramatic image animating the coming of the Light is the appearance of candles in windows everywhere. There is a special, simple beauty to those small electric bulbs as they pierce the cold darkness and beckon to us from the hospitable warmth of home and hearth. The light is small, but the message and symbolism are cosmic.
We all know what comes next. The Savior will be born on a cold, starry night, grow to adulthood and begin his ministry. The days will again grow longer; the sun will rise higher in the sky to soften and bake the earth with warmth. The flowers will blossom, and the leaves will return to the trees. Jesus will be tried, executed, and will defeat death and sin once more. But the great beauty of this time of year is the journey – the timeless procession from darkness to Light. I wish you a blessed Advent journey and a holy Incarnation.
.....................................Restore us, O God of hosts;
.....................................show the light of your countenance, and we shall be saved.
................................................................ – Psalm 80:3
Rob Lehman
Organist and Choirmaster
