“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

This year, December 21 at 4:21 am EST marked the winter solstice, where the 23.5-degree tilt of the Earth’s axis puts the Northern Hemisphere as far away from the sun as it is all year. In cities such as Barrow, Alaska, and Nuuk, Greenland, and Longyearbyen, Norway, the sun does not even rise above the horizon for weeks during the winter period (a long year indeed!). Something unnoticeable to us happens on December 22, though.

The Earth begins its move toward the spring equinox, where the Earth appears perpendicular to the sun’s rays directly overhead, and we are no longer so far separated from the warming rays. This process of “leaning into” the sun continues until the summer solstice where we are as close to the sun as possible. It is not a noticeable process, but a long slow one, highlighted by the recognition of more light in the evenings or more warmth in the sun’s rays.

This Advent season, many of us feel off-kilter and unbalanced; our world has tilted into a season of darkness and cold. Perhaps we have experienced a loss this year, and we feel untethered and drifting. Maybe a new diagnosis leaves us feeling unbalanced and unstable as we enter the new year. We might be reeling from upheaval at work or uneasy about the polarized political discourse in our country. The circumstances around us may be unsettling. Yes, at this time of year, some of us feel far away from not only the sun but also the Son.