State of our Faith | Light in the Darkness: Reflections on Faith in this Season

In this special year-end episode of State of Our Faith, Rev. George Mason, Rabbi Nancy Kasten, and Mara Richards Bim reflect on themes of light and darkness across their faith traditions. 

As the holidays and new year approach, they discuss the significance of embracing both light and shadow, the importance of community and rest, and how faith calls us to be active participants in bringing hope to the world. Together, they offer insights and encouragement for finding light in challenging times.

Watch the video, here.

George (00:00):

Welcome to the State of Our Faith, the Faith Commons occasional video presentation. My name is George Mason. I'm joined by my partner, rabbi Nancy Caston, and my other partner, Mara Richards Bim. And, uh, we are coming to you at this year end to share some of our thoughts about where we are with the holidays upon us and with the election behind us and with life before us. . You know, in all of our religious traditions, the theme of light and dark is, is prevalent. And we have Christmas and Hanukkah this year, coinciding actually. And so we thought we'd use that theme, which we used in actually December's newsletter that Mara wrote about, uh, to, to frame some of our thinking about where we are in our faith. Uh, at this point, Mara, would you lead us?

Mara (00:54):

Sure. This month's newsletter I wrote about, uh, darkness and Light, and specifically referenced St. John of the Cross's poem, dark Night of the Soul. And, um, the thing about that poem and about our faith traditions, um, there is this idea that within darkness, God is always in the darkness and within the darkness. If we sit with it long enough, we eventually find the light. And so that's kind of where I'm at with my own faith journey right now. Um, you know, it's, um, it's a busy time of year. Uh, I do enjoy the advent season, and I've been leaning into that to my faith community and into the, um, advent celebration as we head toward Christmas. And, and yeah, that's kind of where I'm at.

George (01:45):

Wonderful. Nancy, how about you?

Nancy (01:48):

Well, last night I actually, um, watched online a, um, service in memory of my teacher and friend, rabbi Dr. David Sson, who tragically and suddenly died one year ago. . And as part of that, um, observance, a wonderful tourist scholar named Ruth Calderone from Israel, who was a, actually a member of Knesset mm-hmm. In Israel, and actually would teach Talmud to the Knesset members <laugh. Um, wow. She gave a lecture about, um, about love and it, and she talked about the reciprocity of our relationship with God, that we need God's love and God also needs our love. And as part of that, she, um, shared a reading, and I'm gonna share it because it's just so, I found it so moving and inspiring. It was written by a woman named Eddie Hillam, who was a Holocaust victim. She died in Auschwitz at the age of 29, and she kept a diary, and this is an excerpt from it.

Nancy (03:02):

God, these are frightening times. Last night, for the first time I couldn't sleep. I lay in the dark, my eyes wide open as images of human suffering past before me. God, I will help you hold on within me, but I cannot guarantee anything in advance. One thing becomes clear to me. You cannot help us. We must help you. And by helping you, we help ourselves. This is the only thing we can save now. And the only thing that truly matters, your presence within us, perhaps we can also help others uncover you in their tormented hearts. Yes, my God. It seems to me that you cannot alter the circumstances. They're simply part of this life. And I ask you for no explanation. On the contrary, you may ask for an explanation from us with each heartbeat, my conviction grows stronger. You cannot help us. We must help you and defend to our last breath in the place where you dwell within us.

George (04:17):

Wow. Goodness.

Nancy (04:21):

So that idea that God is within us, not outside of us, and our commitment to God as revealed in our feelings, our relationships, our actions, I, I think that's what I'm trying to hold onto and develop in this season. .

George (04:46):

Beautiful. Well, thinking about Christmas, uh, we always read the Gospel of John on Christmas Eve, and in most church traditions we do read from the first chapter, which draws upon the imagery of light that we get in Genesis, and the idea of, um, God coming to us in person . In Jesus is identified with this sense of, of the light coming into the world. And as it talks about, uh, Jesus embodying that light, it goes, I think, to Nancy's point and something that Christians, uh, need to continue to reflect upon. And that is that it's not that Jesus was the only light . But that he shows us how God's light comes into the world through persons . And that he then says to us, we are the light of the world. Right. And that we therefore have a responsibility to, uh, be light in the darkness to others.

George (05:54):

. I was reading a, um, a an article in the New York Times today about a Palestinian wine maker in Bethlehem. Hmm. Uh, when I was in Bethlehem, uh, just before October 7th, uh, I visited a winery in the West Bank in Bethlehem. Uh, it was a neighboring vineyard to this particular story, but, uh, this winemaker was talking about the challenge of continuing to make wine in the old fashioned, uh, in, in the context of the war. . And the occupation, the wall, uh, runs right next to his vineyard. Uh, and there was a, a photograph of, of that taking place, and they kept asking him questions about the context in which he was doing this. And he kept trying to say over and over in different ways, uh, he said, wine is above politics. Mm. <laugh and, uh, and, and that, that when you focus on beauty and when you focus on things that are universal and enduring and you, you, you pay attention to that it creates a kind of, uh, reprieve from the oppression of the darkness around you.

George (07:19):

And I think that that's something in my faith right now, I'm trying to focus on . Not to allow, uh, the darkness of fear and anxiety and worry over what could be . And what is to overcome my responsibility, my duty to be light in the world. And to me, there are so many things, um, art and, uh, food and hospitality and generosity and things that we can do to humanize the world. And in doing so, again, I hear that phrase from John, and the light came into the world and the darkness has never overcome it. Mm-hmm

Mara (08:03):

<affirmative. Yeah. To that. I, I, that's beautiful. And yes, I, um, have been spending a lot of time with family and also with really embedding myself in different places, including my daughter Harper started Cub Scouts, so we are, um, doing the community thing, you know, and getting together and there you go. Uh, sort of teaching her about, uh, public service through Cub Scouts. And, and I think that, that for me, in this moment of uncertainty . Finding concrete ways to be in community with people . Um, hospitality of course, but also, uh, faith communities and friends, and just gathering together . Um, is proving to be a moment of light.

George (08:52):

Beautiful.

Nancy (08:53):

You know, this is all so true and we all know it from our experience, and at the same time we know that it's not always Yeah. Easy to do. . And I think, you know, the other thing we have to keep in mind is self-compassion. . Compassion for others. . You know, we talked when we came in today about how our moods have fluctuated Definitely. And we felt, you know, able to be generous and light . Reflecting at certain points and not so much . At other points . And, you know, we need to let ourselves feel those feelings too. And I think that's, you know, that's what we learned from, you know, God created light and darkness. That's right. . Um, not one or the other. Right. And not one above the other, right. . Um, so, you know, we have to accept those things as, you know, the yin and yang of life .

Mara (09:46):

. Right. And rest. I think that, um, all cultures right in the times of winter and in the dark and cold, it's an opportunity to rest and sort of build up for the spring ahead and for the newness. And I took a nap yesterday. It felt

Nancy (10:06):

Rest as resistance, right?

Mara (10:08):

That's right. Yes. Yes. Also, that's great. And also for those who, um, have been so enmeshed in the political, um, work this past fall, it is, it's okay to take a rest. Mm-hmm. Yes. . For all of us.

George (10:25):

Well, we're heading into a holiday season, uh, where Christians celebrate Christmas, and it is, you see all across the city and in neighborhoods, everywhere, lights going up on houses, uh, and sometimes you'll see, uh, meno and windows too, right? <laugh, but not as much.

Nancy (10:46):

Now we have those blue and white lights, which are, you know, usually an indication. Okay. There, there are some houses lit up that way. .

George (10:53):

Right. But the, the Hanukkah is the Festival of Lights. . And, and so again, these themes, and it's, I think, helpful for us to ask not just whether we put out these lights as a community gesture or whether they actually reflect our faith, and if so, how? So what are we really saying? Are we saying we're being good neighbors? . Uh, are we saying that we are wealthy enough to have these lights <laugh and to decorate in this way? Uh, is it self-referential or is it a gift? . Is it, uh, a way of talking about our confidence that the light, uh, is never overcome by the darkness, but that we actually have to switch it on. . We actually have to, uh, plan to do something about it. Uh, I think, uh, this is what we want to encourage you to be thinking about. Faith, isn't it?

George (11:54):

It is a verb. Mm-hmm. Faith is something that we do. And here at Faith Commons, we are active. Yes, we have times of pause and rest because of the rhythm of life. Uh, but we want to encourage you to be active in your faith in this coming year. Uh, not to lose faith, but to find common cause with people of faith, uh, whether it's your own or other faiths. And this is what Faith Commons is all about. Uh, we have lots to, to do in the new year, and we hope you'll join us, uh, as we wish you. Happy Holidays. We hope at year end you'll consider going to faith commons.org and maybe making a donation to support our work. Uh, we want to support you in your efforts to be light in the world. Thanks for joining us.