Seasons of Light
By the Rev. Dr. Andrew Grosso
The seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany always include a number of opportunities for celebration. This year, one of the ways Saint Michael will mark these seasons is by offering three special services of lessons and carols: Advent Lessons and Carols, Christmas Lessons and Carols, and Epiphany Lessons and Carols.
Together, these services connect the seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany in ways that help us enter fully into the meaning and the blessings each season offers.
“The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all people shall see it together” – Isaiah 40:5
The seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany are the first three seasons in the calendar of the church year; together, these seasons inaugurate the cycle of remembrances and celebrations that order the worship and mission of the church. These three seasons are intrinsically linked: each leads naturally to the next, and all three are organically connected to the later observances of the year.
The overarching theme of these three seasons has to do with the coming of Christ into the world. Advent is about the promise and anticipation of his coming. Christmas is about the fulfillment and celebration prompted by his appearing. Epiphany is about the proclamation of his coming to all the peoples of the world. Each of these seasons thus commemorate in different ways God’s redemptive action on behalf of his people and his creation: Advent bears witness to the promise of salvation, Christmas testifies to the fulfillment of God’s promise, and Epiphany describes the outcome of that fulfillment.
“What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all peoples” – John 1:3-4
One of the images that has often been used in the history of the church to describe the coming of Christ into the world is that of light. Light is, after all, one of the most primordial elements of creation (Gen 1:3), second only to wisdom in the ordering of the world (Prov 8:22-31). But the use of the image of light as a way of marking these seasons in the calendar year is not something Christians invented: even before the time of Jesus, the people of Israel observed Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Light and the Festival of Dedication.
The observance of Hanukkah is a commemoration of the reconsecration of the temple in Jerusalem following the Maccabean rebellion against the Seleucid empire. The lighting of the candles of the menorah is a central part of the observance of Hanukkah, and is as much as a sign to the nations as it is a sign to Israel: the menorah provides light to those outside Israel as a testimony to what God has done for God’s people, as much as it provides light to those inside Israel and reminds them of God’s faithfulness.
“My eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles” – Luke 2:30-32
Over the centuries, Christian theologians have explored ways the image of light helps us understand God’s creative and redemptive activity. Gregory of Nazianzus, writing in the fourth century, preached a sermon on Epiphany known as the “Oration on the Holy Lights,” in which he described the baptism of Jesus as the appearance of God’s light in the world. The anonymous but influential sixth-century scholar known only as pseudo-Dionysius used light as a metaphor to describe the relationships between the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. Robert Grosseteste, the thirteenth-century Bishop of Lincoln, made extensive use of the image of light as a way of making sense of the nature of the world and the relationship between God and the creation.
For Christians, Jesus himself is an image of both the light of God and the temple of God’s people. Thus, the seasons of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany invite us to reflect on how through Jesus God renews the worship of God’s people, illuminates the darkness of the world with God’s glory, and sends out the people of God into the world to proclaim in word and deed all that God has done.
The observances of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany are about remembering what God has done in the past. But they are also intended to draw our attention to what God is doing in the present, and even orient us toward what God will do in the future. Advent provides us with opportunities to reflect on the ways we hope and long for God’s presence to be manifest in our lives and in the world, and to remember the promise of God’s salvation. Christmas is an invitation to recognize the ways God’s Word is born anew in our lives and in the world, and the ways we are thereby born anew in him. Epiphany encourages us to bear witness both in word and in deed to our experience of the salvation God gives to us through Christ, and to share that experience with others.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you” – Isaiah 60:1
May the light of Christ be born in us again this year, and may we be born again in him, that our lives would be a testimony to all people of the love and mercy we have received in him.
**This article was written by the Rev. Dr. Andrew Grosso and was featured in the 2022 Winter Archangel.
Advent Lessons & Carols 2022
Sunday, Dec 04, 2022, 4:00 PMBegin the Advent Season with this beloved service of readings, music, and processions.
Christmas Lessons & Carols 2022
Sunday, Dec 18, 2022, 4:00 PMAs we prepare for Christmas and the birth of Christ, join Saint Michael for this beloved and beautiful service, featuring nine Lessons and Carols. Together, they tell the story of the Christ child through scriptures, read by local dignitaries, and gorgeous choral-led carols. Join us as we continue this family favorite tradition.
Epiphany Lessons & Carols 2023
Sunday, Jan 22, 2023, 4:00 PMJoin us for our new Epiphany Lessons & Carols service as we complete the cycle of observances that began in Advent and continued through Christmas. This service will feature both our Traditional and Contemporary music ministries, and will include familiar hymns and music newly arranged for this service. Come and bring a friend as we celebrate the light of Christ shining throughout the world.
Tags: Advent 2022, Christmas 2022, and Epiphany 2023 at Saint Michael and All Angels / Blog & Newsroom / Featured Parish Stories
