Page 10 - Presbyterian Connection

Connection
ECUMENICAL
Celebrate the Light!
10
PRESBYTERIAN
WINTER 2021
presbyterian.ca
PHOTO CREDIT: THE REV. JEFF MURRAY, ST. ANDREW’S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN SACKVILLE, N.B.
this period to contemplate and dispel the darkness of ignorance.
The Rev. Shalini Rajack-Sankarlal reflected, “Diwali reminded me of my days growing up in Trinidad when we would go from one friend’s house to another, shaping bamboo to make decorative stands for the diyas (oil lamps).”1
Where are you going?
To celebrate Hanukkah. A festival celebrated in Judaism. It is observed for a period of eight nights and days anywhere between the end of No- vember and December. It all starts with lighting candles. The bless- ings are said, the Menorah is lit, and light enters the world. Rabbi David reminds us that latkes go well with Hanukkah!
Where are you going?
To celebrate Christmas. Come to a Christmas tree lighting, but not just any Christmas tree. The Boston Christmas Tree has come from the forests of Nova Scotia and stands tall in the Boston Commons in Bos- ton, Massachusetts. It is a symbol of thanksgiving for the generosity of the city of Boston as the people of that city reached out to the victims of the Halifax explosion on December 6, 1917.
Or maybe Le Réveillon is for you: Le Réveillon is a festival celebrated in four Canadian provinces (Que- bec, Manitoba, Ontario and New Brunswick). This holiday is similar to Christmas in that it celebrates the bir th of Jesus Christ. On Christmas Eve, a large candle is lit symboliz- ing Christ, Light of the World. This candle is left to burn throughout the night.
Where are you going?
To the Sacred Fire. The fire is one of the ways to start a ceremony or any sacred event. The light of the fire is a spiritual doorway that opens to a spiritual realm. The sacred fire is never left alone, it is watched and attended to by a Fire Keeper. People gather around the fire for ceremony and conversation. Indigenous socie- ties have numerous ceremonies for the transitions of the seasons, like the full moon ceremonies incorporat- ing the sacred fire.
Vivian Ketchum speaks of lighting a candle to guide someone who has died to help them on their journey.2
Where are you going?
To celebrate the Lantern festival. Celebrated on the 15th day of the Lunar year, which falls anywhere be-
tween late February and March. The festival is highlighted with many lan- terns floating in local bodies of water. Many think this Chinese festival of lantern lights originated in Buddhism.
Where are you going?
To celebrate Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa (first fruits) is an African Ameri- can celebration that isn’t religious in origin yet incorporates practices of ancient spirituality from Africa and elsewhere. Light is used in this celebration as a symbol of seven principles* where each principle is symbolized with a candle. A kinara is the candle holder that holds the seven candles. Each night a candle is lit, and families talk about one of the seven principles. This is done each night until all the candles are lit.
These principles are: 1. Unity
2. Self-Determination 3. Collective Work and
Responsibility
4. Cooperative Economics
5. Purpose
6. Creativity
7. Faith
The Ecumenical and Inter faith
Relations Committee of The Pres- byterian Church in Canada has an extensive and diverse mandate. Par t of that mandate is to promote and encourage peace, respect and un- derstanding between ourselves and those of other faiths...to encourage Presbyterians to acknowledge, un- derstand and appreciate other faith traditions, and to help Presbyterians to live in good relationship with per- sons who belong to other religions.
As we celebrate the light, espe- cially in the darkest months of the year, we realize that we all cherish this gift of creation.
Arise, shine; for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1)
The most precious light is the one that visits you in your darkest hour!
—Mehmet Murat ildan
REFERENCES
1 The Rev. Shalini Rajack-Sankarlal
is the minister at University Com-
munity Church in Windsor, Ont.
2 Vivian Ketchum originates from Wauzhushk Onigum Nation of Northern Ontario and is a mem- ber of Place of Hope Presbyterian Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She is a former member of the Life
and Mission Agency Committee.
By the Rev. Kenn Stright, member of the Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee,
West Petpeswick, N.S.
“Great Spirit who comes out of the East, come to us with the power of the East. We are thankful for the light of the rising sun. Let there be light on the path we walk. Let us remember always to be thankful that you give the gift of a new day.”
—Traditional Indigenous prayer to the four directions
Light is important in many religions and festivals throughout the world. It is most often the symbol of the divine who brings light into the world... “Let
there be light!” (Genesis 1:3). Being such a religiously diverse and multi- cultural nation, Canada and Canadi- ans have many wonderful opportuni- ties to “celebrate the light.”
God is the Light of the heavens and earth. His Light is like this: there is a niche, and in it a lamp, the lamp inside a glass, a glass like a glit- tering star, fuelled from a blessed olive tree from neither east nor west, whose oil almost gives light even when no fire touches it—light upon light—God guides whoever He will to his Light; God draws such comparisons for peo- ple; God has full knowledge of everything—shining out in houses of worship. —Qur’an 24:35–6
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not over- come it. (John 1:5)
The “Where are you going?”
questions below are to let people know they can go and celebrate these festivals of light regardless of faith background and all of them are found here in Canada, maybe just around the corner.
Where are you going?
To celebrate Diwali. It’s Diwali, come and see the lights! This is the festival of lights, celebrated by millions of Hindus, Sikhs and Jains across the world with each candle symbolizing the power of light to conquer dark- ness. Hindus also take advantage of
“Waazakonenjigen [Ojibwe]—Light, is sacred. Light is brought into the darkness first by the One who created us all. We were all in darkness at one time. There is a beautiful story about how Raven was able to trick Grandfather Sky so that he could bring light into this world.
“There are many, many light stories centring around Sun, Moon, Stars and Fire. There are 13 moons, each with their own meaning, sunrise ceremonies, Sacred Fires, and Solstice ceremonies. The stories vary from community to community and from one storyteller to another. Each of these stories can teach a different lesson each time they are heard. When these stories are shared, people will have different responses and perspectives. It is about your experience, your personal growth, and what learnings you need from the story. The Stories are given to us by the Creator and are meant to be shared. The Sacred Fire is one way we keep our relationship to God strong. In the Indigenous way, fire is a living being. It is considered an aspect or relative of the sun, sometimes referred to as a ‘Ray of the Sun’—the People pray at the Fire to ‘the One who lives beyond the Sun,’ not to the sun itself. Sacred Fires are lit at dawn and burn continuously for the length of the gathering. Often, they burn for four days.”
—The Rev. Margaret Mullin, retired director of Winnipeg Inner City Missions and minister at Place of Hope Indigenous Presbyterian Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She lives in Treaty One Territory, homeland of the Cree, Anishinaabe and Dakota Peoples and homeland of the Métis Nation.