Author: lakewooducc

“I saw how ideally politics filled the Greek definition of happiness – ‘a full use of your powers along lines of excellence in a life-affording scope.’” These words of John F. Kennedy, quoted in the biography, An Unfinished Life, by Robert Dallek [p. 111] reveal Kennedy’s motivation for going into public service. He felt that in politics he would find happiness. It was a calling that would require his full abilities and would make a contribution to the good of the world.

The Greek view of happiness very much fits with the Christian view of a good life, a fulfilling life. Jesus teaches that the way of joy is a life of self giving for the good of others. We find our highest good when we give our lives away for the benefit of the world. That’s what our faith tradition teaches about happiness and a good life.

This is far cry from how the world tends to see happiness especially in this season of Christmas. We are bombarded with messages that tell us that happiness comes from giving someone a certain gift. The right toy. The beautiful piece of jewelry. The new car. The huge TV. Want to put a smile on someone’s face? Give them something new, glittery, and expensive. But seeking happiness that way is hollow and fleeting. It does not last.

It’s ironic that a holy day honoring someone who was poor, had very few material possessions, and gave his life away for others, is celebrated by the spending of millions of dollars on things which don’t ultimately contribute to longterm happiness and, for the most part, don’t make the world a better place.

If we want to be happy this Christmas, or any time, the perspective of the Greeks and of Jesus are worth considering. We think about how we are spending our money, but we must think, also, about how we are spending our lives. Are we making a full use of our powers along lines of excellence in a life-affording scope? Are we heartily engaged in changing the world? Bringing peace on earth, good will to all?

“I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.”
John 15:11

Prayer: In this season of presents and parties, may we center our lives on true happiness. May we look to the life of Jesus as our guide for the good life. May we give ourselves to our highest good and to the good of the world. Amen.

Do you have mistletoe hanging in your foyer? Custom says if you are found under the mistletoe, then you are to be kissed. A kindly, romantic custom. But there is more to mistletoe.

In Scandinavia, mistletoe has an ancient association with peace and reconciliation. So maybe meeting under the mistletoe for a kiss was an outgrowth of this tradition linking mistletoe with reconciliation and peace.

In a world that often seems powered by revenge, vengeance, and retribution, Christmas is the perfect time to resurrect themes of reconciliation. Christmas is about bridging the divide between earth and heaven; the way things are and the way they are meant to be. Christmas is about seeing and celebrating the presence of divinity and sacredness in every day life. It is about God and humanity being together.

There are also all the social and political implications of Christmas: Justice, peace, compassion, and the common good. These themes speak of reconciliation in families, in communities, among peoples, religions, and nations.

As Mister Rogers of children’s TV has said, “It’s very dramatic when two people come together to work something out. It’s easy to take a gun and annihilate your opposition, but what is really exciting to me is to see people with differing views come together and finally respect each other.” This is the essence of reconciliation. It is based on respect and mutual understanding. Reconciliation is the opposite of revenge. It is about coming together with the other party, it is about working things out, it is about growing closer through the process of addressing a conflict. Vengeance is about subduing, conquering, and eliminating the other party in a conflict. Reconciliation is about turning that “enemy” into a neighbor.

From the biological side of things, mistletoe is known as a “keystone species.” That is an organism that has a disproportionately pervasive influence over its community. That is a fabulous association for Christmas, for the church, and for Christianity. We, too, are to have a disproportionately pervasive influence over our community working for justice, peace, and community.

Mistletoe with its associations of peace, reconciliation, and influence is a wonderful symbol of the meanings of Christmas. So, as you decorate for the Christmas season, don’t forget the mistletoe!

“Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.”
Psalm 85:10

Prayer: The birth of Jesus is like God kissing the earth. It is a gesture of love, faithfulness, and hope. May we celebrate the birth of Jesus by seeking reconciliation and peace in our lives, our relationships, and in the world. As the birth of one child has dramatically changed history, so may our commitment to the common good have a drastic impact on our world today. Amen.

In many churches there are certain colors associated with different times in the church year. The color for Pentecost Sunday is red. Red is the color for the Holy Spirit. The color for Easter is white. It is symbolic of purity. White is also the color for communion and baptism. Green is the color for the Sundays after Pentecost called ordinary time. Purple is the color for Lent, the season of preparation for Easter. It is the color for repentance. It is also the color for royalty.

What about Advent? In some churches, purple is used. There is the association with repentance because Advent was a time of fasting and confession like a “little Lent.” Purple was also used because of the association with royalty. It was a season of preparation for the birth of a king, King Jesus.

An alternate color for Advent is the color blue. Some associate blue with Mary, the mother of Jesus. Some associate blue with royalty. And in today’s setting, there is the association of blue with Hanukah which reminds us that Jesus was Jewish.

Should we use blue or purple? With purple there is the possibility of groveling and discounting our potential and seeing ourselves as depraved sinners. With blue there is the potential for being simply obedient subjects who depend on our king to take care of everything thus abdicating our power and agency. Neither of these extremes holds much appeal.

There is also a positive dimension with each color. With purple, there is the reminder of our need to repent and to realign ourselves with God. There is the association with royalty and seeing Jesus as the sovereign of our lives and following him in service to others. With blue there is the association with the humility of Mary; her chosen cooperation with the purposes of God, her self giving. And with blue we remember Jesus‘ Jewishness promoting positive interfaith relations today.

Blue? Purple? Yes. Either one. Both.

“John said to the crowds. . . ‘Bear fruits worthy of repentance.’ . . . The crowds asked him, ‘What then should we do?’ In reply John said to them, ‘Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.’”
Luke 3: 7, 8, 10, 11

Prayer: We pray for the will, obedience, and humility to emulate the compassion and generosity that we see in the Christmas story. May we invite Jesus to rule our hearts. May we have the courage to give our lives in service to the common good as he did. Amen.

This is a season of watching and waiting. Of getting ready. We are anticipating something that will happen. We don’t want to miss it. We want to be prepared.

On Sept. 20, 2001, then President George W. Bush declared in a speech that “God is not neutral.” That may be one of the only things he ever said that I can agree with! God is not neutral and that truth is at the heart of the meaning of Christmas.

Christmas is centered on the birth of Jesus. We celebrate his birth because of his life and ministry that has been remembered and handed down from generation to generation. Jesus is a bold statement that God is not neutral. Jesus is the embodiment of God’s concern and favoritism for those made poor, for those who are taken advantage of, for those who are left out, for those who are discounted, devalued, and demeaned. Jesus represents God’s advocacy on behalf of the poor, the hungry, the oppressed. Jesus shows us that God is not neutral. God has a heart for those who are suffering and don’t get a fair shake at life.

Jesus came to a people who were living under the thumb of a regime of violence and intimidation. They were being economically strangled by taxation and fees. They were being forced to support and serve the administration that was oppressing them. And in that time and to that place, there comes a person of justice and peace who does not make accommodations, who does not compromise his values, who lives out of complete and utter solidarity with those who are poor and abused and sidelined by religion and by government.

God is not neutral. That is the message of Christmas. God is on the side of those who are struggling and those who are stifled against those who impose power through violence, economic intimidation, and social control.

This leads us to think about the people are in our day and time that God is concerned about and favors. Who is struggling and not treated fairly? People who are poor. People who are not heterosexual. People involved in the criminal justice system. People who have disabilities. People who are immigrants. People who are illiterate. Older people. Millions of children. The list could go on and on. The coming of Jesus is a bold declaration of God’s preferences and favoritism. Jesus was born to poor parents in a backwater village. He was not from a prominent family. He was not economically or socially privileged. There is God’s preference. And lack of neutrality.

In light of this, how do we prepare for Christmas? How do we align ourselves with God? How do we celebrate the birth of a poor peasant? How do we get ready for what God is doing to make life better for those left out, left back, and left over?

“The lowly will again rejoice in God,
and those who are poor will exult in the Holy One of Israel.
For tyrants will be no more,
mockers will vanish,
and those disposed to do evil will be destroyed. . .”
Isaiah 29:19

Prayer: We are grateful that our devotion is to a God that is not neutral. We pray for the will and courage to reflect the preferences of God in our lives. May we delight God by our defense of the poor and the victims of violence and injustice. In this season of joy, may we find ways to be in solidarity with the God of Jesus who is the God of justice. Amen.