Unitarian Church in Westport to Offer Winter Solstice Service
The Unitarian Church in Westport, located at 10 Lyons Plains Road in Westport, is happy to present a Winter Solstice service on December 20th at 7 p.m. Join us in a service of reflection and celebration as together we bring back the light and look forward to spring. Rev. Marti Bishop will lead us through the meaning of this longest night of the year for our ancestors thousands of years ago. We will explore how the ancient rituals and stories still influence us today. Childcare will be provided.
The Winter Solstice is unique among days of the year — the time of the longest night and the shortest day. The dark triumphs but only briefly. For the Solstice is also a turning point. From now on (until the Summer Solstice, at any rate), the nights grow shorter and the days grow longer, the dark wanes and the Sun waxes in power. From the dark womb of the night, the light is born.
Many of the customs associated with the Winter Solstice (and therefore with other midwinter festivals such as Saturnalia, Hanukkah, New Years and of course, Christmas) derive from stories of a mighty battle between the dark and the light, which is won, naturally, by the light. Other traditions record this as the time a savior (the Sun-Child) is born to a virgin mother.
Unitarian Universalism is a “living tradition” that draws upon the wisdom of the world’s religions. If you asked one of our children what kind of person a Unitarian Universalist is she might tell you that a Unitarian Universalist is a person with an “open mind, helping hands, and loving heart”. An adult might tell you that we affirm, “freedom, reason and tolerance”. The Westport Congregation is a diverse community of individuals and families, old and young, and gay and straight. We are people from a variety of faith backgrounds.
Rev, Marti Bishop completed the ordination program at the New Seminary for Interfaith Studies and concluded a seven year career as a Hospice Minister in March of this year. Rev. Marti is especially interested in designing rituals and educating people on the ancient religions of indigenous people.