Happy Candlemas Day, or as it is known in some circles, Happy Groundhog Day!
I know what you’re thinking: “Okay, Pastor, what do you mean, ‘Candlemas Day’? Did you mean to say ‘Christmas’ and the spell-checker changed it to ‘Candlemas,’ instead?” Not likely, since my spell-checker has flagged “Candlemas” as a misspelling. Apparently, whoever programmed the spell-checker was as unfamiliar with the celebration of Candlemas, as most Americans are, and as I was (until just today!).
So, what is Candlemas? It is an ancient Christian holiday, still celebrated by many churches in various parts of the world, which commemorates the presentation of Jesus in the Temple, 40 days after he “opened the womb” (Luke 2:23) – that is, the 40th day after Christmas, or February 2nd. It was traditionally on that day that Mary and Joseph followed the Jewish law and presented the baby Jesus to God in the Temple, redeeming him with the offering of two turtledoves or pigeons (Luke 2:22-38). During that visit, an aged prophetess named Anna, and an elderly man named Simeon, came to them and recognized that Jesus was the Messiah they had been waiting to see. Simeon took Jesus into his arms and prophesied that Jesus was his salvation, and that Jesus would be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:32). Because of the reference here, and elsewhere, to Jesus being “the light,” Christians often light candles on Candlemas or take them to church to be blessed that day in celebration of Jesus as the true Light that came into the world (John 1:9). (See also John 8:12, “Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”)
Interestingly, and appropriately, I was already pondering the matter of light and darkness today before I came across information about Candlemas. What got me thinking about it was the more well-known (at least in America) celebration known as Groundhog Day. Yes, I confess I was more knowledgeable about a goofy secular tradition than about an ancient Christian holiday! But what had struck me this year about Groundhog Day, from a spiritual point of view, was how Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and was therefore frightened back into his hole for six more weeks of winter, or so the superstition goes.
Now, I don’t take that prediction seriously. Sure, it is an economic boon to Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where people flock to watch the annual groundhog celebration, but there is no correlation, let alone causation, between the groundhog casting a shadow and the weather patterns that follow. So that is not what interested me.
What interested me was this question: assuming a groundhog comes out on a bright day, a day when the sunlight casts its shadow, and it is frightened enough to run back underground, what is it really being afraid of? (Besides the crowds of spectators?!) You could read it either of two ways, either of which could have spiritual symbolism.
1. First, there is the possibility that the groundhog sees its shadow (as the tradition says) and is frightened by the darkness and runs away. I see a connection between the shadow and all the evil things in the world which might frighten us: disease, crime, war, an asteroid hitting earth, a super-blood-blue-moon, temptations, or the devil and his demons. We rightly avoid or even run away from certain evils when we can, not putting ourselves in situations or relationships which might endanger us physically or spiritually. In fact, Scripture tells us to have nothing to do with the deeds of darkness (a list of such deeds is found in Galatians 5:19-21) and even to flee from them (1Corinthians 6:18). Paul admonishes us in Romans 13:12, to “cast off the deeds of darkness, and put on the armor of light.”
At the same time, though we avoid such works of darkness, we need not fear them, for Scripture promises us that we are “more than conquerors,” and that nothing, not even death, can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:37-39). He is in us, and is more powerful than he who is in the world (1 John 4:4). Therefore, we don’t need to live in constant fear of our shadow, worrying about what is going to happen to us. Nothing can take the Lord by surprise; God’s “got our back,” and the rest of us, too.
Sometimes it is right to stand up, speak out against, or take action against the forces of evil in the world. There is a time and place for our rulers to “bear the sword” (Romans 13) to restrain evil, and for you and me to speak out and rebuke wrongdoing. But ultimately, the remedy against darkness is light, specifically the Light which is Jesus Christ. As the Gospel spreads and people are converted from the kingdoms of this world to the kingdom of heaven, darkness is pushed back and the light advances. Every person redeemed from evil and brought to Christ is a defeat for the devil and a victory for God. While governments bear the sword, the Church (which is all Christians) bears the Gospel. And as the Gospel advances and pushes back evil, we see the continuing fulfillment of the prophecy, “The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light,” – the Light of life who is Jesus Christ (Matthew 4:46).
2. Of course, there’s a second possibility with good old Phil the groundhog: maybe he’s not really afraid of his shadow; maybe he’s afraid of the bright sun. Likewise, those who do evil, or like to dwell in sinful deeds, shun the light. We know from experience that many sins and crimes take place in the dark, away from people’s eyes that would see the acts of wrongdoing. There are hours of the night when it’s just not safe to be out walking – or even driving. Sometimes evil deeds take place in hidden places, but often at night, when the darkness of the night matches the darkness of the person’s heart and hides them from sight.
Scripture teaches this also, saying that people rejected the Light of the world because they loved the deeds of darkness: “The light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19). They didn’t want the light to shine and reveal their evil thoughts and works, so like cockroaches that scurry for shelter when you turn on the kitchen light, they too try to cover up their misdeeds.
The only problem is that God sees all; the darkness is as night to him (Psalm 139:12), and he will hold everyone accountable for the hidden deeds they do in the dark. God is not mocked, he cannot be fooled or avoided or rationalized against. What is done in darkness will be revealed – and that is why many people hate to hear the Word of God, because it convicts them of the wrong they are doing. It sheds light on their deeds of darkness, and they try to jump back in their holes to avoid the painful light of God’s righteous truth.
As Christians, we should never have to fear someone finding out what we were doing. We should never be scandalized by a microphone that is left on, by a phone call or text made to the wrong person, or by something we did when “no one was watching.” We should welcome the light of truth being shone on us, because our actions are showing what it means to live in the light of Christ. Transparency in government is nothing compared to transparency in the life of a Christian.
So there you have it. As your life reflects the light of the true Light who came into the world, I hope you had a great Groundhog Day, I mean, Candlemas Day. Oh, and be sure to dress warmly for the next six weeks – just in case Phil was right!
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Amen.
Read: Psalm 139, John 1:1-18, Galatians 6:1-10