shadow and light and ...Groundhogs?

Alas! must it ever be so?

Do we stand in our own light, wherever we go,

And fight our own shadows forever?

~Edward Robert Bulwer Lytton

 

Today is Groundhog's Day. It just serves to prove that we can pretty much have a holiday for about anything...and we do. So, if it is cloudy and overcast and this big fat cousin to a rat sees no shadow...then spring is imminent. However, if the groundhog sees his shadow...back underground he goes and six more weeks of winter is in store. So I got to thinking about darkness and light and shadows as being harbingers of things to come, whether good or bad. It seems to be a funny paradox really, as you would think if sunny you would be overjoyed and encouraged and want to stay out of a dank cold hole in the ground. Another meaning of Groundhog Day has been popularized by the Bill Murray movie Groundhog Day where he endlessly relived the day...over and over again in order to glean some spiritual truths and change into a better person. We can find ourselves in the same predicament and suffer our own version of a groundhog day and it can last for a long time. God is always trying to show us some stuff about Himself in relation to us and is trying to teach us these same truths. Does it ever seem to you sometimes that you are doing the same things over and over again... often times with the same results? It has been suggested that the definition of insanity is repeating your same behavior endlessly and expecting a different result. Thankfully, God is very patient with us and allows to find our way out of the maze...most of the time. Unfortunately it just takes some of us a really long time and we give up in frustration. The amazing thing is that no matter how difficult the challenge or how long and winding the road...He is always there...patiently waiting on us. The other reason today is very special is because, in historical Christian tradition, this is the day that Jesus was presented at the temple to perform the redemption of the firstborn and the ritual purification of His mother, Mary. This was a very significant occasion as there was an ancient prophecy that was fulfilled on that day. When Joseph and Mary entered the temple with their son, Jesus, they met a man named Simeon who received the baby Jesus and prayed a prayer called the Nunc Dimittis,

 

Nunc dimittis servum tuum, Domine, secundum verbum tuum in pace:

Quia viderunt oculi mei salutare tuum

Quod parasti ante faciem omnium populorum:

Lumen ad revelationem gentium, et gloriam plebis tuae Israel.

This is translated as,

Now Thou dost dismiss Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy word in peace;

Because my eyes have seen Thy salvation,

Which Thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples:

A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel.

So, essentially Simeon is saying here is that not only has a prophecy given to him been fulfilled but here is a light...a glorious light that represents salvation for the world. Simeon saw and recognized this light the minute he laid his eyes on Jesus. I just think of the lyrics of the great praise and worship song Marvelous Light, “Into marvelous light I'm running, Out of darkness, out of shame. By the cross you are the truth, You are the life, you are the way...” So, back to our groundhog friend. The thing that really confuses me with Groundhog Day is the idea of running back into darkness from the light. It just seems counter intuitive. Jesus is the Light of the world. All things that surround Him become shadows in His light. When we step into that light something happens...things in us...never before seen,,,become exposed. Sometimes pretty...sometimes not...but always surprising. In representing visual art, shadows adds complexity, depth and dimension. Without this critical element a picture or painting would look flat...lifeless...dull...even boring. But when it is added a subject stands out, a scene becomes lifelike, and a landscape is made more dramatic often times affecting us in a very profound way. As a whole, the entire work of art becomes alive, beauteous and meaningful. Living a lifestyle of worship turns all our anxieties and troubles into cast shadows in His perfect light, making God the central focus. Every time we worship even in our times of extreme difficulty, a shadow is added to this big painting on this canvas of our life. As a result of this, we are given an enhanced view of the divine picture - it becomes three-dimensional. A clearer view of His good, pleasing, and perfect will for us emerges, with God standing out plainly as the main subject. I know that this is probably a very complicated take on a dirty, smelly and scared of his shadow rodent coming out of a hole in the ground...checking the weather...and giving us hope... or dashing it. Has it really come to this? Do we hang our hopes for the renewal that spring brings on a groundhog? Really? If it's all the same to you, I think I'll just celebrate Nunc Dimittis...