Sun Worshippers
The summer solstice is on Saturday 21 June 2025
by Brian Radcliffe
Suitable for Whole School (Sec)
Aims
To consider both the practical and symbolic effects of sunshine.
Preparation and materials
- None required.
Assembly
- Today (or point out when 21 June will occur) is the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. This is the day when the number of daylight hours is at its maximum, so it is the longest day of the year.
Pagan sun worshippers gather at Stonehenge and other ancient monuments to celebrate this event. It shows how important the sun has been to humanity throughout history. Solstice celebrations have taken place for thousands of years. - Sunlight can, of course, be harmful. Every summer, we need to cover up, wear a hat and apply sun cream.
Excess exposure to sunlight can affect our appearance, particularly later in life. Older people’s skin may show the result of too much sun early in life. We also understand a lot more now about the link between skin cancer and too much exposure to the sun.
In addition, we must always remember that it’s very dangerous to try to look straight at the sun. - However, did you know that exposure to sunlight in moderation is beneficial? It encourages our bodies to produce Vitamin D, which helps to keep our bones, muscles and teeth healthy.
Sunlight encourages the production of serotonin too, which is a natural antidepressant. That’s why some people suffer from seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, in winter. They become depressed because there’s less natural sunlight, but then their mood changes when spring arrives. In fact, many of us may find ourselves feeling more positive when the sun is shining than on a cloudy, rainy day.
Sunlight can also boost the immune system, enabling us to fight off infection and illness more easily. - Like many aspects of life, sunlight benefits us, but it can also be harmful if we don’t treat it with respect.
Time for reflection
So, we've heard a practical view of the summer solstice, but the sun worshippers at Stonehenge and other ancient sites treat the sun in a way that is more than merely practical. They are not there just to bathe in the warm glow of the sun. For them, the sun represents something more. It’s symbolic of a greater force. They see the sun as fundamental to life itself. This concept has been true throughout the history of religion, not least for Jews and Christians.
In the creation story at the beginning of the Bible, in the Book of Genesis, the sun is a symbol of all that is regular, stable and predictable. The sun rises, and the sun sets. It happens every day. It never fails, except in those moments when God shows his displeasure, such as at the moment of Jesus Christ’s death on the cross at Calvary on Good Friday, when the sky goes totally dark.
The sun is also an image for the greatness of God throughout the Old Testament section of the Bible. All that is good, all that is glorious about God, is symbolized by the sun. When people disobey his commands, it’s as if the sun has gone behind a cloud. When people turn back to God, it’s like the sun rising again.
The same imagery applies to Jesus too. In his gospel, John describes Jesus as light, with no darkness in him at all. Jesus represents all that is open, true and just. Nothing is hidden. The very last description of Jesus in the Bible, in the Book of Revelation, says that ‘his face was like the sun, shining at full strength’. So, it’s not just Pagans who see the sun as special.
What’s the weather like today? I hope that we can enjoy some sunshine. But be careful!
Song/music
‘Walking on sunshine’ by Katrina and the Waves, available at: https://youtu.be/iPUmE-tne5U (3.48 minutes long)
