Winter Solstice and Planet Alignment

Written as part Lindale Mennonite Church's Longest Night celebration. 

December 21 is the Winter Solstice and marks the longest night of the year. It stays dark for more hours tonight than any other night; around 14 and a half hours. 

Alignment November 27, 2020

Before Jesus came to bring the light of salvation, and before science, people all over the world were afraid that because the nights kept getting shorter, that the sun would never come up again. And that they would forever live in darkness! It was quite frightening for them! So, they did all sorts of things to drive away the darkness, and to try to bring the sun back again! They put wreaths of candles on their heads, they danced around huge bonfires and prayed to their god not to punish them with darkness. In ancient Mexico, the Aztecs sacrificed human beings to placate their sun god. 

Long ago, during one of these dark, dark nights, three Wisemen were looking to the sky for a sign of hope. They saw a very bright star. They followed that star and eventually found Jesus, the true bearer of light and hope for the world of darkness. If you look at the sky on the 21st, and it is not too cloudy, you will see a very bright star to the south. It is so bright because two planets, Jupiter and Saturn, have come together to form that light! The last time this happened was over 800 years ago! Many people believe that the star the Wisemen saw was this same event; two planets coming together to form a bright light. So rare, that indeed it was a sign of hope for the world.

Alignment December 12, 2020

We light candles and put lights in our windows and homes during these dark nights to celebrate the coming of the true light: Jesus! We no longer have to fear that we will forever be in darkness. Neither the darkness of the longest night of the year or the darkness of our sins. 

Notice the sequence of the pictures on the dates from the oldest to the newest. You can see the progression of how Saturn slowly moves behind Jupiter until all you can see in the picture below are the rings of Saturn. Jupiter totally eclipses Saturn. 

Alignment December 20, 2020