Christmastime is here… I have been thinking a lot about the effects that the Pandemic and the toxic political environment have had on our ability to simply communicate. In a season where the church has traditionally reflected on the call of the Prince of Peace to live differently for at least one day a year; I am seeing something far different.
Where once we were able to have civil discourse in the religious and political arena, instead I see hate and fear mongering being spewed by far too many. Instead of working across the aisle for the benefit of the people they are elected to serve, far too many politicians are digging trenches and lobbing verbal grenades at each other. What is missing far too often is simple, respectful, civil conversations and sharing of ideas. I am not certain if it is pandemic fatigue or political fatigue that has me in a dark mood so often.
One of the books that I have been browsing during this season has been Thomas Merton’s collection of prose writings, Raids on the Unspeakable. With his remarkable candor and direct questions aimed at the reader and at himself, he confronts many of the demons society would rather keep buried and out of view. Even sixty years after its first publication, Merton’s words speak just as much to us today as they did when they were written in the age of Vietnam, the Nuclear Arms Race, and racism.
In the chapter titled, “Letter to an Innocent Bystander” Merton wrote the following: If I dare, in these few words, to ask you some direct and personal questions, it is because I address them as much to myself as to you. It is because I am still able to hope that a civil exchange of ideas can take place between two persons—that we have not yet reached the stage where we are all hermetically sealed, each one in the collective arrogance and despair of his own herd. If I seem to be in a hurry to take advantage of the situation that still exists, it is, frankly, because I sometimes feel it may not continue to exist much longer. (Raids on the Unspeakable, p. 53)
The challenge for us today is to regain that civil discourse in order to work together to build a better society and world where peace and the celebration of unity in the midst of our diversity. Where dividing walls are broken down and bridges are built to connect us. In the words of John Lennon:
You may say I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope some day you’ll join us
And the world will be as one https://youtu.be/L6svOHFSAH8
“I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all year.”—Charles Dickens
Some of my earliest memories of Christmas Eve are from my home church. Every year at the stroke of midnight, Rev Morgan would end his sermon with this phrase: “And now it is Christmas.” The last time I led worship beginning at 11pm and ending with Rev Morgan’s words was when I was deployed to Southwest Asia.
This year, we recorded our Lessons and Carols service the week of the 13th of December and watched it tonight on our website. Christmas Eve, 2020 is one for the history books as are Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost. Through it all, the Spirit has remained faithful as I navigate this new territory with the congregation I served in Estes Park, Colorado and the congregation I currently serve in Carrollton, Georgia.
What words of familiarity and comfort do I offer this year? These words of Howard Thurman from his book The Mood of Christmas speak to Christmas being far more than one day a year. The true meaning of Christmas is expressed in the sharing of one’s graces in a world in which it is so easy to become callous, insensitive, and hard. Once this spirit becomes part of a man’s life, every day is Christmas, and every night is freighted with anticipation of the dawning of fresh, and perhaps holy, adventure. (p. 18)
May we have that renewal of spirit as we continue to serve in these unusual times. And now, as Bob Morgan always said, it is Christmas.
On this Christmas Eve, a powerful reflection shared by Veterans For Peace…
For years our peace action group up here in Maine would gather at our house for a Solstice Celebration. If I kept my act together long enough, I’d search out and play my record album with John McCutcheon’s rendition of “Christmas in the Trenches” on it. A beautiful, haunting song that springs out of a real event during World War I when soldiers from both sides stepped out of their trenches into No Man’s Land for a moment of peace and joy and camaraderie.
— Read on www.veteransforpeace.org/who-we-are/member-highlights/2020/12/15/christmas-trenches
In his book Raids on the Unspeakable, Thomas Merton reflected on the birth narrative of Jesus as proclaimed in Luke’s gospel. In the special and heavenly light which shines around the coming of the Word into the world, all ordinary things are transfigured. In the mystery of Peace which is proclaimed to a world that cannot believe in peace, a world of suspicion, hatred and distrust, even the rejection of the Prince of Peace takes on something of the color and atmosphere of peace. (pp. 65-66) I have been reflecting on our response to Christmas in the midst of a pandemic and political/societal turmoil where peace seems to be the last thing people are focusing on. These are indeed pretty dark times for so many. These are times of exhaustion and depression; of hatred, mistrust, and anger; of loneliness and fear.
In the quiet time that I have been able to carve out in a schedule that is often chaotic, Spirit has been speaking to me. My sermons for the rest of the year are recorded along with Christmas Eve’s Lessons and Carols. It is a surreal time in a sense now that the messages have been recorded and yet the events are still unfolding. As Merton said, all ordinary things are transfigured. I am still wrapping my head and my heart around that phrase as I see so many of the above phrases he used to describe a world that cannot believe in peace. As we journey together towards the end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021, I am seriously looking for a hope that is not surface but is rather deep and real.
If the world is so busy rejecting the Prince of Peace, perhaps that does at least acknowledge the existence of that peace. The world doesn’t really know how to define peace. When I was in Strategic Air Command (the USAF’s nuclear bomber and missile command that stood ready to deploy and unleash a nuclear Armageddon far greater than Hiroshima and Nagasaki) their motto was Peace is Our Profession. Deterrence through the stockpiling of enough nuclear weapons to blow the world up countless times was a way to peace? Even as a Chaplain Candidate, Second Lieutenant I recognized the absurdity of that statement.
As I got to know pilots and aircrew (retired and active) who flew those missions, I came to realize that they were the last ones who wanted the “balloon” to go up and the order given to blow targets to oblivion and come back to bases that would be devoid of any life, including their families, because of the nuclear retaliation by the USSR. Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) was insane and as they looked at that mission, they truly realized the value of peace and the insanity of their mission. Why they continued to serve is a philosophical question for another day.
Perhaps in the midst of this current insanity we can see the hope, the color, and the atmosphere of peace. Truly that is my hope and my desire as we journey together into the future and as we commemorate the birth of the Prince of Peace. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer.
“Be kind. If you do nothing else, bring kindness to the forefront of your daily life. Our lack of respect for one another holds us back not only from working together for change but also from creating a civil society that embraces complexity and diversity.”—Rivera Sun
A wonderful reflection from Ronnie McBrayer!
It was Advent 1843, and the French village of Roquemaure was preparing to celebrate both the season and the restoration of the church’s pipe organ. …
“Chains Shall He Break”
The sun has long ago set and the Vesper Lights flicker and glow
Thank you for this day of reflection
Thank you for those who gathered for our last Narrative class
Thank you for the opportunity to see your wonders
Thank you for friends who are family
Thank you for family
Now as my eyelids grow heavy
I lift this humble prayer to you
Dona Nobis Pacem
Grant Us Peace
A wee prayer from the heart of your Padre…
The Moon’s journey across the sky from the darkness of the New Moon to the light of the Full Moon has taught me a lot about life’s journey during these “interesting” times. This picture was taken from the back deck of our house in Georgia.
2020 has been an unusual year to say the least. The COVID-19 worldwide Pandemic has changed the way we live, work, recreate, rest, and worship. When we rang in the new year, we had no idea what was in store for us. As a pastor, switching gears from typical worship services to Zoom worship was a huge challenge. Many of my colleagues joked how they never taught us how to construct this sort of worship in seminary. Of course, when I was in seminary, the internet wasn’t available, and I was typing my seminary papers on a manual typewriter!
As Advent approached, I was uncertain what it would look like. My wife and I, along with our puppy, had moved from Colorado to Georgia in the midst of the pandemic so that I could take a new call. Initially we thought we might be able to have small, 30-minute worship gatherings with a small number of people in the sanctuary and the rest seeing it via stream on our website. However, as we watched the pandemic numbers skyrocket nationwide as well as in our new state and county, the decision was made to continue streaming worship. It was weird to be recording my portions of worship on a Wednesday for broadcast on the following Sunday. Literally, it was hard to remember what week of Advent we were in!
In the midst of all the strangeness of this season, I worked to find the light shining and to recall wonders I saw around me. Today the clouds have cleared off and the sun is shining. This morning when I awoke and then headed to work, it was gloomy and overcast. I struggled to see the light in the midst of the gloominess. The light first appeared in a non-typical way. A man had stopped by the church and needed help with rent. He asked for three days to take him up to Christmas Day when he would get paid. The motel’s office was closed on Christmas Day, so he didn’t know how to pay for the next week. Using the pastor’s discretionary fund, I was able to pay for another week at the motel. Times have been tough and when you live from paycheck to paycheck one surprise bill can throw you off completely. As we chatted outside afterwards, I could see a new light in his eyes. I couldn’t see his mouth through the mask he wore, but I definitely saw a light shining that hadn’t been there before. This Christmas he wouldn’t be on the streets. As we left, we wished each other a Merry Christmas. Later in the morning, the sun came out. The two of us leaned towards the light without knowing it. The simple act of assisting with his rent and then talking together afterwards was the light that shone in the darkness.
In his book Raids on the Unspeakable, Thomas Merton offered this reflection on there being no room at the inn when Jesus was born. Into this world, this demented inn, in which there is absolutely no room for Him at all, Christ has come uninvited. But because He cannot be at home in it, because He is out of place in it, and yet He must be in it, His place is with those others for whom there is no room. His place is with those who do not belong, who are rejected by power because they are regarded as weak, those who are discredited, who are denied the status of persons… With those for whom there is no room, Christ is present in this world. He is mysteriously present in those for whom there seems to be nothing but the world at its worst. (pp. 72-73)
Part of leaning towards the light is being open to the possibility of meeting Christ in the face of a stranger, of one who lives hidden on the margins. Years ago, I met Jesus in a homeless camp; his name was James. Today I met Jesus again outside a motel. His name was Arvel. Where will you meet Jesus as you lean towards the light? Blessings on your journey as we move forward into the new year.
| Verse of the day The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God.” – Luke 1:35 |
| Voice of the day The birth of Jesus made possible not just a new way of understanding life but a new way of living it. – Frederick Buechner, The Faces of Jesus: A Life Story |
| Prayer of the day Ever faithful God, through prophets and angels, you promised to raise up a holy child who would establish a household of peace and justice. Open our hearts to receive your Son, that we may open our doors to welcome all people as sisters and brothers, and establish your household in our time. Amen. – From “Revised Common Lectionary Prayers” |
