Traditionally, Advent is a time of searching for light in the dark.
The Pagan tradition of Yule is a celebration of the return of the sun.
But Darkness is as important as light,
the cold dark of winter is as important to life
as the bright warmth of summer.
Darkness is home to entire ecosystems,
places where humans cannot survive.
Darkness offers us the gift of rest, healing, and hope.
It is in the darkness of sleep that our bodies are able to heal and rejuvenate.
Darkness offers opportunities for beauty and love to live in our lives.
Conception begins in the dark womb,
a great prophet was born at night,
and the vastness of the universe can only be seen on the darkest of nights.
So on this longest of nights, let us welcome the night.
Let us give thanks for the life, rest, healing, hope, love, and beauty
that are offered to us only in the darkness.
Come, beautiful souls, and let us worship
as we embrace the darkness together.