The Return of Light: A York Rite Christmas Observance

The message given by the Eminent Commander (Sir Knight Gary Roberts) of El Monte Commandary No 2 of Utah on December 22, 2025 at the annual Christmas Observance.

Companions, Sir Knights, and Brethren All:

We gather this evening at a profound moment in the annual cycle. We have just passed through the longest night of the year. The darkness has achieved its greatest extent. And now—almost imperceptibly at first—the light begins its return.

Our ancestors recognized in the cosmos what we as Masons understand in our own journey: that from the deepest darkness, light must emerge. That the search for light is never in vain. That what seems lost can be recovered.

The Mason’s Perpetual Search

Every man who enters our Craft begins the same way—in darkness, seeking light. The blindfold represents our honest acknowledgment: we do not possess the light we seek. We must be led to it. We must be made ready to receive it.

As Royal Arch companions, you have journeyed far in this search. You have labored through ruins, dug through rubble, descended into darkness seeking what was hidden. And in that darkness, you made a discovery: the Word that was lost could be recovered. The light that seemed extinguished had been preserved.

This is our first great lesson about light: it cannot be permanently extinguished. Truth may be obscured, hidden, or forgotten—but it remains, waiting for those with courage to search.

The Cryptic degrees taught us that light must be actively preserved. Before the destruction came, preparations were made. The faithful labored in secret to ensure that what was precious would not be lost. The vault—constructed in darkness, hidden from sight—represents the work that must sometimes be done when darkness threatens.

The winter solstice teaches the same lesson. Even at the darkest moment, the mechanism for light’s return has already been established. The very structure of creation ensures that darkness cannot reign forever.

The Pattern in Heaven and Heart

At this time of year, we witness in the heavens what we experience in our hearts. Our ancient brethren must have wondered each year: will the light return? Will the sun reverse its decline?

Yet year after year, at this precise moment, the pattern held. The sun stopped its descent and began to climb again. Light started its return. The darkness, having reached its maximum extent, began to recede.

They built monuments to mark this moment—Stonehenge, Newgrange—because they recognized its profound significance. This was spiritual truth written in the stars: darkness does not have the final word.

We, with our greater knowledge, understand the mechanics. But does this scientific understanding diminish the spiritual truth? No—it reveals something more wonderful: the very structure of creation embodies the principle we seek. Light’s return is built into the fabric of existence.

The Light That Entered Darkness

In this season, we as Knights Templar also contemplate a specific manifestation of light entering the world—that moment when, as our Christian tradition teaches, the Divine Light took human form. The Word became flesh.

Our spiritual ancestors chose to celebrate this event at the winter solstice because they recognized the profound connection between the cosmic pattern and spiritual reality. At the darkest moment, light enters. When night has reached its greatest extent, dawn is nearest.

The stable in Bethlehem represents what our degrees have taught: that light often comes in unexpected ways, to unexpected places, through unexpected means. The Greatest Light appears quietly, humbly, accessible to shepherds and wise men alike.

This is light that does not blind or intimidate but draws near. Light that enters into darkness rather than simply dispelling it from afar.

For the Mason who has sought light throughout his journey, this represents the ultimate truth: the Light we search for has searched for us. The Divine Illumination we pursue has pursued us. The Truth we dig through ruins to recover has been working to reveal itself to us all along.

Living in the Return of Light

What does this mean for us practically?

First, we carry the certainty that darkness is not permanent. In our personal struggles, our fraternal challenges, our societal difficulties—the pattern holds. The darkness may be deep, but it has limits. Light will return, as surely as the sun begins its climb after the solstice.

Second, we commit to being light-bearers ourselves. We have received light through our degrees. This light is not for us alone. Like the vault-builders who labored for future generations, we must ensure that what we have received is preserved and transmitted.

Third, we recognize that great light often comes quietly. The return of light at the solstice is almost imperceptible at first—minutes added to each day, barely noticeable. Yet those minutes accumulate. Small illuminations, faithfully received and acted upon, transform over time into full day.

Finally, we maintain hope. Not naive optimism that ignores darkness, but mature hope grounded in pattern and promise. We hope because we have seen light emerge from darkness before. We hope because the structure of reality favors light’s triumph.

The Convergence of Journeys

Brothers, our personal journeys as Masons, our yearly journey through the solar cycle, and the great journey of humanity toward understanding all converge at this moment.

The Royal Arch taught us to search through ruins—we searched, and we found.

The Cryptic degrees taught us to preserve and prepare, to trust that darkness could not permanently prevail.

The Orders of Knighthood called us to embody the light we had received, to defend truth, to serve others.

And now, at the turning of the year, at the return of light from its lowest ebb, we stand as men who have completed these journeys and who bear responsibility for their lessons.

We are the returned exiles who have recovered what was lost. We are the faithful builders who preserve light for the future. We are the knights who defend what is true. We are the companions who have seen light emerge from darkness and who testify to its reality.

Conclusion

As we conclude this observance, feel the truth of this season. Outside, though we cannot see it, the cosmic machinery has shifted. Each day from now until summer will be longer than the last. The light grows—slowly, steadily, surely.

This is our assurance and our commission. The light grows. Our task is to align ourselves with its growth, to participate in its expansion, to become its bearers and defenders.

Let us leave here tonight not as men who have attended a ceremony, but as men renewed in our primary purpose: the search for light and the commitment to share whatever light we find.

Companions and Sir Knights: The darkness was deep, but the light has returned. It returns in the heavens. It returns in our hearts. It returns in our Commanderies, Councils, and Chapters. It returns in the world that so desperately needs it.

The journey from darkness to light is the Mason’s eternal quest. Tonight, we celebrate that this journey is not futile. The light does return. The truth can be recovered. The way forward exists.

May this season of returning light illuminate your path, strengthen your resolve, and renew your commitment to our ancient search. May you always look to Him who stated “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” Merry Christmas, and may the light grow ever brighter in the year to come.

In Hoc Signo Vinces – In this sign, we conquer.

Amen!

So mote it be.