Christ Mass & The Dark is Rising

No more let sins and sorrows grow,

nor thorns infest the ground:

he comes to make his blessings flow

far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found,

far as, far as the curse is found.

                       Joy to the World vs 3 Voices United 59

 You may recall that before Christmas I encouraged you to listen to the 12-part BBC Radio adaptation of Susan Cooper's 1973 award-winning children's fantasy novel  called The Dark is Rising, The Wikipedia synopsis is quite good: 

It has been described as a "folkloric tale of an English boy caught in a battle between light and dark".Will Stanton begins to have strange and magical experiences on his 11th birthday, which is at the winter solstice – a few days before Christmas. He discovers he is one of a group of an ancient magical people called the Old Ones, who are guardians and warriors for "the Light" (i.e. good), who are waging a centuries-long battle against the forces of "the Dark" (i.e. evil), whose evil power is rising. 

We read this novel and the others in the series back in the 70s.Happily, the radio play, which we've finally finished,  is an excellent adaptation with fine acting, along with great atmospheric sound and music. It is a reminder of a day when the CBC did radio series' with some of the best actors of the day. Radio ignites the imagination akin to what happens reading a book rather than watching television. 

The seventh episode is called The Beseiging and it includes Will and other Stanton family members trekking to church on Christmas morning. They do so through what is a intense, supernatural snowstorm and while the vicar welcomes them cheerily it becomes apparent that the church and those in are surrounded by Dark forces and Will must create a wall of protection around them.

The Dark is Rising is not an overtly religious book and yet it grapples with the realities of good and evil, darkness and light. 

I was struck by this vivid description of Christmas Day, with the celebration of the birth of Christ, as being a moment in time when these forces are both intensely present. It's so easy for Christ Mass to become cozy and safe and even devoid of religious meaning. Yet why would we celebrate Christ's birth if it weren't for Good Friday and Resurrection morning?

 Perhaps we need a renewed sense of the blessings of the Christ Light as the dark seems to be rising in our world, the "sins and sorrows" of polarizing populism,  senseless war, and destruction of the planet. 

Again, I recommend listening to The Dark is Rising and here is the BBC link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w13xtvp7