Pastor's Corner: The hidden holy days of January

Holiday - it's a word that originated from an old English word meaning "Holy Day." It's a fitting word for our end of December celebrations - no matter its old English or modern English contexts.

But here in the thick of January, the glitter of Christmas has faded. The echoes of new year celebrations have diminished down a canyon of life moving on per usual. As lights disappear from the eaves of houses and the parched evergreens lean against back door steps, the extended hours of darkness feel especially long in our holiday hangovers.

We stumble back into work routines with credit card bills laden with holiday shopping, and the reality that those great intentions of bettering ourselves with New Year Resolutions are already falling short.

Has this gotten you a little down? No, it may not necessarily be that you've been neglecting your vitamin D regimen. It could be you're just headed into a weekend that ends with Blue Monday.

It's coming.

In 2024, Jan. 15 bears the distinctive title as "Most Depressing Day of the Year" – otherwise known as Blue Monday. While understood more as a myth than an actual event, Blue Monday seems to get more recognition these days as our society has grown increasingly aware of anxiety, depression and mental health.

While many of us might experience a short spell of the doldrums this time of year, some struggle with an intangible darkness that runs as long and deep as a bitter January night. But this is not a new phenomenon. Somewhere around 1,000 B.C.E. the Bible reveals David's struggles with anxiety, fear, grief, and even loneliness. Jesus Himself, the Savior of all mankind, was prophesied to be "despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain" (Isaiah 53:3).

Did you catch that? Even the Savior of mankind faced rejection by the very people He'd come to save. And that's an ongoing rejection that continues on into the 21st century. Jesus knows suffering, depression, and despair. He knows the valleys of our lives because not only does He walk through them alongside us, but He provides color, stability and life.

When we find ourselves surrounded by canyon walls, the Lord calls out to us, "Look up! Lift your eyes to the face of those cliffs because your help comes from the one who sun-splashes brilliance over that earthen canvas." When your foot strikes a stone, He says, "Take a second look. That's the rock upon which I can build you a firm foundation." When the river rages with impassible rapids, He says, "Drink deeply of these living waters and a river of life will flow from within."

Jesus knows what we are going through, especially when our Blue Mondays carry over into all the other days of the week - every week. But above all, Jesus is the light-bearer even in our darkest of times. We all seek out light in darkness. Jesus is the light we can follow. Whether He leads us to a friend's helping hand or to a medical professional's tender care, Jesus promises, "whoever follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

With Jesus, your Blue Mondays can in fact become holy holidays.

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Commissioned Lay Pastor Theresa Danley

Milk River Churches: First Presbyterian Church of Havre, Presbyterian Church of Chinook, Chinook United Methodist Church, Chinook American Lutheran Church