The daily devotional reading from "Forward Day by Day" reveals the creativity and the depth within the Christian calendar.
Today (June 24) recognizes the birth of John the Baptist who was born six months prior to Jesus (December 25.) The devotional reading explains the symbolism of the placement of these two dates on the church calendar. I've included today's reading which is a great example of how the Christian calendar can help us think about our faith in creative ways.
Years ago I was in a parish staff meeting reviewing the calendar of activities when a fellow staff member noted the feast of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist with great puzzlement. “What a random date,” the man exclaimed. “Why is it here at the end of June?”
I reminded him of the history of Christmas. Ages ago the church placed the festival of Christmas in the midst of the winter solstice celebrations to correlate with the victory of light over darkness. As the sun reaches its nadir, and darkness seems to be the victor, light begins growing in its power and duration. It echoes the reign of Christ.
The metaphor is reversed with John. His feast occurs in the midst of the summer solstice. As the sun marks its zenith and begins to diminish, we remember John the Baptist who paved the way for Jesus and proclaimed, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).
Isn’t that a fitting credo and lesson for us all?
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