Peace on Earth

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men – Luke 2:13-14

Never mind the sexist King James men, this is for many the key verse in the Christmas story found in the Bible. Linus told us so! And for me, despite all the tradition (see previous post) and the holiday merriment, this may be the greatest gift of the season—Peace.

I am all for the current atmosphere of social media: Facebook, Twitter, texting, email, and of course blogging. But there come times that we just need to remind ourselves what peace is:

Stillness.
Quiet.
Calm.

And of course there is the broader definition of peace as the absence of war and strife. Goodness knows the world needs a good dose of that right now.

For most of us, we can make our voices heard to promote more peaceful world practices, but it is more in our control—and certainly more immediately felt—in our own lives. I know some who never (or at least very rarely) have a totally silent moment in their lives. They are always busy, and even when they are relaxing, the TV or music is constantly playing. As I mentioned, I am all about media and music; I enjoy them a great deal. But there has to be time in our day-to-day lives to be quiet. At least occasionally. For those who never get any true quiet time, I wonder how their minds can process everything. Doesn’t there have to be some point at which the brain and the subconscious have to sort through all the stimulation of the day? That’s part of what dreams are for, I guess, but still . . .

A further aspect of peace for me is to stop fighting against life so much. And I think I am making some strides in this, but I have a ways to go. We so often find ourselves in conflict with other people, with governments and corporations, and with life in general. Our souls cry out for peace; I know mine does. To again quote Eckhart Tolle:

What could be more futile, more insane than to create inner resistance to what already is? What could be more insane than to oppose life itself, which is now and always now? Surrender to what is. Say “yes” to life—and see how life suddenly starts working for you rather than against you.

I am not saying that we have to “take things lying down” or become doormats for abusive or harmful treatment. But even in our reaction to such hurtful things, we must have the posture of accepting what actually is and responding to that. It’s easy sometimes to function from a place of denial and projection, casting our own feelings and attitude on to others. It’s so much healthier—and more realistic—to acknowledge, accept, and then respond appropriately to all things.

For each of us, at least in our own little corner, let there be peace on earth.

Solstice

The Winter Solstice arrives on December 21 at 12:11 EST this year, marking the point at which the sun is farthest south of the equator. For many people, this marks the beginning of the sad—and maybe SAD—time of year.

I get it (sort of), but I don’t really relate. For me, winter is a beautiful time. I actually like snow (regardless of the occasional aggravations of shoveling and driving). The cold doesn’t really bother me. The short daylight hours get to me a little bit, but I do enjoy the prolonged “quiet” hours. (Even if it isn’t truly quiet in our homes, it’s quiet in the natural world.)

The solstice is historically a very joyous time. For the ancients and pre-historics, imagine the relief when the days stopped getting shorter. The sun wasn’t dying! Also, it was the time of germinating, hibernating, resting, and enjoying the harvest. Recharge time! Obviously, Christmas falls right around the solstice, as does Hanukah and (as of 1966) Kwanzaa. The New Year begins soon after, and it’s a great time of looking forward and looking back. Overall, I guess I just appreciate the opportunities for reflection and enjoying the more quiet moments of this slower time of year.

But if winter isn’t your favorite time of year, maybe try to open up to it a little bit. You might find some hidden treasures. And if not, hang in there.

It’s only 89 days until spring! 

Waiting

On most church calendars, the season of Advent begins on the Sunday that falls between November 27 and December 3. For many, many people, Advent is a holy time of year marking preparation for Christmas.

Growing up, I was oblivious to the spiritual significance of the season, although I looked forward to Christmas as much as any kid. Even when I first started doing the “Christian thing,” I didn’t really pay that much attention to Advent. The tradition that I was spiritually born into didn’t put much stock in ritual, so the church calendar wasn’t emphasized.

It’s only been the last several years that I started appreciating the wonder of the Advent season. I remember at a Christmas banquet years ago hearing someone talk about Advent in a way that really struck me. He talked about the Jews in the time right before Christ’s birth being in this state of waiting.The image that most stuck with me was that of a hunter right before dawn. (He hunted deer, so he spoke with some experience!) He painted a picture of pre-dawn stillness, of all of nature, including himself, waiting for the sun to rise. And that, he said, was how all of Israel waited for the coming of Messiah.

Now, I know that many people in the world (including some readers, most likely) aren’t religious or don’t relate to the whole coming-of-the-Messiah thing. No matter; this kind of archetype speaks to all of us. It’s a universal experience at some point to be waiting for something. Whether it’s a new career, a spouse, a new home, some kind of spiritual or emotional awakening—we all wait on something sooner or later. (And I’m referring to significant waiting here, not just waiting for Friday to finally get here or for dinner to be done!)

And there’s something very profound in this expectant—but not exactly impatient—state. There’s something deep and beautiful that happens in our souls during this time. I know Tom Petty said that the waiting is the hardest part (and sometimes it is!), but there’s also a delicious expectancy in waiting—like a woman awaiting the birth of a child or a couple during their engagement. We know something wonderful is coming, and part of us can’t wait.

But it’s also the sweetest, most hopeful anticipation we could ever know.

Traditions Old and New

I opined recently on the inanity of the “War on Xmas” (spelling intentional!), so this time around I’ll share something a bit more personal.

We all have our Christmas traditions and favorites. Most of them date back to our childhood, or perhaps when we first married or had kids. And over the years, some traditions evolve or fade away, while others spring up. So as someone who has Christmas memories going back over forty years, I have the whole gamut. As regular readers will know, my wife Joan and I bought and moved into my grandparents’ house at the beginning of 2013. (It’s feeling more and more like our place.) So this year promises a heady mixture of old and new traditions.

When I was a kid, my parents split and my mom and I lived with my great-grandmother. So I had Christmas Day with a pretty extended family at her house. On Christmas Eve, I would go first to my paternal grandparents’ (with another rather extended gathering!) and then to my maternal grandparents’—the ones whose house we now own. So that was a lot of festivity in two days! If there was any holiday tension at the time, I wasn’t aware of it. It was all just festive and happy!

Then when Joan and I married, we added a whole new level of traditions. Over the years we tried different combinations of families, but we ended on Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas Day with hers. That’s been working (mostly) well for a long time.

So now that we live in the house that always hosted the Christmas Eve gatherings, it’s kind of strange—but in a good way. It’s that wonderful mixture of old and new. Some things I don’t think will ever change, like roasting a ham with cloves and sherry to have on Christmas Eve, when gifts are exchanged (my family on the 24th; Joan’s on the 25th), or having a fire in the fireplace. Other things will be new, like our recent tradition of exchanging Christmas mugs and new pj’s before turning in late (after midnight, usually) on Christmas Eve. Or putting up four Christmas trees (we have somewhere to put them now)!

The point of all this? I guess it’s just to encourage everyone to embrace the old traditions while keeping an open mind for new ones to emerge. In time, they might become long-cherished rituals as well. Merry Christmas!

This Means War?

This time of year should be such a joyous time for everyone. Between the spiritual and religious significance, the honored traditions, and the child-like joy of the holidays, it’s a time when the hearts of everyone are lighter.

However, over the last number of years there has been a spirit of cynicism and vitriol that would make Scrooge or the Grinch cringe. I am referencing the War on Xmas (spelling intentional). I don’t mean the alleged secularization or assault on the holiday that many on the far right bring up each year. I mean those very right-wing rabble-rousers themselves. They are the ones who are taking all the fun and yes, all of the meaning out of Christmas.

Let’s start with the Xmas spelling. “You are attempting to take Christ out of Christmas!” is the all-too common cry. Not so fast! The Xmas spelling dates back to the 16th century in English and comes from the Greek Chi Rho symbol, which is an ancient Christian symbol.

But of course, the whole kerfuffle goes beyond symbology. The hue and cry—mostly from the Religious Right—tries to take ownership and authority over the biggest holiday in America. (The proof of this claim, for any who would argue otherwise, is quite simple: no other holiday sees the massive closings of business that Xmas does. As always, follow the money.) Anyway, the great cry goes up that we evil liberals are “destroying a traditional, scriptural, sacred holiday”!

Oy . . . First of all, most of the traditions of Xmas are quite modern, some dating back only to the 1950s. So there’s nothing ancient about it. And as far as scriptural goes, there is no mention in the Bible about celebrating Jesus’ birth. Of course, there are lots of traditions not mentioned in the Bible. Doesn’t make them wrong by any means, but let’s not be disingenuous about it.

As many have probably heard, it’s very unlikely that Jesus was born anywhere around December 25 anyway. Again, it’s not specifically recorded, but the general consensus is that it was probably in the spring, based on the whole census issue and the shepherds in the fields with their flocks, among other indicators. The movement of the date to December was likely to appease the pagans who celebrated Yule or other solstice festivals. And I for one am fine with that! Don’t you think God loves the idea of having more people at the party? Jesus told parables about that very thing!

So bring on the mistletoe, the evergreen tree, and Santa. War on Xmas? Bah, humbug!