Early this morning at 1:21AM PST the northern tip of the axis of rotation of our planet earth reached its maximum tilt away from the sun. At that moment the geographic north pole (to be distinguished from the magnetic north pole) was tipped furthest away from the sun—and, miraculously, from the standpoint of ancient humans in the northern hemisphere, the days begin to lengthen, the nights begin to shorten, and the sun starts to return to warm us once again. The winter spell is broken—a cause for celebration.
We humans observed the phenomenon of the winter solstice—this joyous beginning of the return of the sun (for those in the northern hemisphere)—long before we understood why the sun returned. The why wasn’t generally understood until the Copernican Revolution of the 16th century. Copernicus and others of that era offered a much simplified concept of the observed motions of the sun and planets by placing the sun at the center of a “solar system,” rather than conceiving of the earth as the center of the universe, i.e. heliocentrism, not geocentrism. Heliocentrism was seen by the Roman Catholic Church as a grave threat to its philosophy and theology. After all, if humans and earth were not at the center of the universe it would be harder to argue that humans are the singular focus of God’s intent. Galileo Galilei, the Renaissance scientist who argued in favor of heliocentrism, lived the last part of his life under house arrest imposed by the Inquisition because his ideas were considered a grave heresy.
All the hate stirred up a few years ago by right wing pundits over whether you greeted people this time of year with “Merry Christmas” or “Happy Holidays”, of course, was, and is, totally inane. Multiple traditions, most particularly the Jewish and Christian ones, cluster important holidays this time of year simply because, in the northern hemisphere, of the winter solstice. We humans have been celebrating the return of the sun and its attendant warmth since we first figured out how to predict that it would happen (think Stonehenge and even earlier). Take note that in the Christian tradition, the actual date and even the time of year of the birth of Jesus of Nazareth has been a matter of dispute for centuries.
But I’m veering off my intended track. On this Saturday Winter Solstice and one of the last days of frenzied shopping for many celebrants of the season, I want to earmark my favorite holiday album, tune, and lyrics.
The album is The Bells of Dublin, recorded in 1991 by The Chieftains and an array of accompanying artists. A standout cut on that album for me, a cut that changed the way I think about the holiday season, is Jackson Browne’s composition The Rebel Jesus. It particularly stands out for me now as militant Christian nationalism pretends to the true expression of Christianity. Listen to The Rebel Jesus here on YouTube. The lyrics are presented below. The entire album is also available on YouTube, thanks to RCA Victor, here. Enjoy, and happy holidays!
Keep to the high ground,
Jerry
The Rebel Jesus
All the streets are filled with laughter and light
And the music of the season
And the merchants' windows are all bright
With the faces of the children
And the families hurrying to their homes
As the sky darkens and freezes
Will be gathering around their hearths and tales
Giving thanks for God's graces
And the birth of the rebel Jesus
[Verse 2]
Ah they call him by the "Prince of Peace"
And they call him by "The Saviour"
And they pray to him upon the seas
And in every bold endeavor
And they fill his churches with their pride and gold
As their faith in him increases
But they've turned the nature that I worshipped in
From a temple to a robber's den
In the words of the rebel Jesus
[Verse 3]
We guard our world with locks and guns
And we guard our fine possessions
And once a year when Christmas comes
We give to our relations
And perhaps we give a little to the poor
If the generosity should seize us
But if any one of us should interfere
In the business of why there are poor
They get the same as the rebel Jesus
[Verse 4]
But pardon me if I have seemed
To take the tone of judgment
For I've no wish to come between
This day and your enjoyment
In a life of hardship and of earthly toil
There's a need for anything that frees us
So I bid you pleasure
And I bid you cheer
From a heathen and a pagan
On the side of the rebel Jesus