“I would not have this season pass away

Until I see a star in strange light;

And a green tree on a hill.

Until my candle burns in ecstasy

Against the loneliness and dark;

Until I hear a sobbing and a song

Until I find an altar still and bare

Where I may leave my offering – and my prayer.”

The Rev. Max Kapp

The longest night has passed and light has begun to lengthen. Saturday night carols will be sung, candles will be lit and angels, shepherds and wise men will follow a star to Bethlehem. Sunday at sunset the first candle of the menorahs and first gifts will mark the beginning of Hanukkah.

For more than 25,000 years of human history, the cold and the dark have drawn people inward with their longings for wholeness, peace, connection and light. Candles flicker in Advent wreaths, menorahs and windows. Stars twinkle: the Star of Bethlehem, the Star of David, and our star, the sun.

Hanukkah, the Festival of Light, commemorates the courage and the faith of the Hebrew nation to overcome assimilation and the oppression of Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria. It celebrates the rededication of the Temple, reaffirming the covenant of the Hebrew people with their God.

The birth of Jesus in a manger affirms the divinity of every human being, no matter how lowly his or her beginnings. With courage and simplicity, a babe grew to spiritual maturity. Let his spiritual maturity, the miracle of lamp oil and the faithful courage of the Maccabees be our guides into a world huge and terrifying, where, like seraphim and angels, Jesus and Love walked and talked; a world where the Spirit of compassion and generosity lights the lamp, where there is mercy, where there is justice, where there is forgiveness and where there is love, real and concrete.

Whatever your beliefs, this is a Holy Season annually, eternally arriving to remind us that neither birth nor freedom arrive without labor. The majesty of love and meaning of life emerge right where the heart hurts most; where ease and security must be left behind if a great peace is to come.

It is the voices of the light bearers that ring out in the dark, guiding us to the heart of the holiday season … to its quieter joy and deeper peace.

Add yours to the many voices that sing in the darkness, keeping hope alive, cynicism and despair at bay. Bring the timeless warmth of light into your home and community, a flame of Eternal Love, compassion and hope. Be joyful in your giving; be grateful in your receiving; and catch the magic of the moment. Light cannot eliminate our darkness but it can illuminate it.

The Rev. Elaine Beth Peresluha is minister of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Bangor. She may be reached via bdnreligion@bangordailynews.net. Voices is a weekly commentary by Maine people who explore issues affecting spirituality and religious life.

“May you be met with cheer and surprising honest and generous personal warmth. May there be someone there for you and may you be there for someone. May you be disturbed by the callous and the dreary that you encounter and may you be filled by the tender and the lovely. May you hear good music and sing yourself hoarse and happy. May the holiday eves find you filled with resolve and understanding of imperfection with sufficient health and safety to be glad. May you discover with pride that you were among those who made a difference.” – Anonymous