Officially Winter

Winter comes tonight at 12:30 am EST


...and it is 64°F at midnight, and tomorrow is forecast to be warmer than today!

Solstices have always held a fascination for me. For awhile, I was cowed into feeling guilty about that because, face it, pagans have co-opted and corrupted these celestial holidays. But this year I found liberation in the form of a vocabulary word: naissance.

Naissance by itself (according to dictionary.com) means "a birth, an origination, or a growth, as that of a person, an organization, an idea, or a movement." I ran across this word when it was used to describe the biblical figure of Job as a Naissance Man, as opposed to a Renaissance Man, who would be re-naissance. (I have since learned that Naissance also happens to be the name of a maternity shop for belly dancers, but I digress.)

Job and his friends were Ivy League scholars of their era. They understood what we call natural science better than many scientists today, and they mixed it seamlessly with philosophy which gave them a broad outlook that is often lacking in this era of specialization. The Book of Job is a naturalist's extravaganza offering many insights about creation.

Then God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years." Genesis 1:14

Job and friends were fully aware of this. It is not a pagan thought. He clearly knew the difference between celebrating the grace of his Creator and idol-worshiping creation.

²⁶ If I have looked at the sun when it shone Or the moon going in splendor, ²⁷ And my heart became secretly enticed, And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth, ²⁸ That too would have been an iniquity calling for judgment, For I would have denied God above. Job 31:26-28

There is a grace that is accessed by knowing God in His creation. Finding enjoyment in His planning for for seasons is not an iniquity calling for judgment. Denying me the freedom to celebrate the strengthening of His Light might be.