“Don We Now . . .”

Sunday, December 5, 2004

Rev. Gretchen Woods

Chalice Lighting:

As dark rises and days grow short.

We kindle our flame of religious community,

That it may light our minds, warm our hearts,

And lift our spirits.

And we light this second chalice

for our partner church in Korispatak, Romania.

Opening Words:

December has begun. Thanksgiving is past.

We look with temerity toward the shortest day of the year,

In a time when war ravages many countries,

Our blessed Mother Earth is debased by our acts,

And no hands are clean.

Yet, the persistence of the human spirit in its longing

For Beauty, Joy, Peace, and Love,

Guides us to dress ourselves in colorful array,

To light candles and fires against the dark,

To celebrate new life and sing our hearts’ desires

For a better future for all of life.

We gather in this spirit of Love and Life.

SERMON: “Do We Now. . .”

So here we are, post-Thanksgiving, preparing for the zenith of the winter holiday season. Though the Thanksgiving Turkey is a memory, unless you are still making sandwiches and soup, there is still celebration ahead.

Some of us find this daunting. Some find it downright fearsome. Maggie Savage writes: “Every December I climb under my piano with my bottle of Grand Marnier, and I don’t come out until after New Year’s Day.” P.D.Q. Bach’s description of “Uncle John,” which Professor Peter Schikele tells us comes from his “late Soused period” which precedes his “early Contrition” period and affords almost as many excesses, may offend those of us who have had to live with friends, relatives, or our selves, as alcoholics. But it does touch a chord for any of us who have been to a Christmas Party that featured such a blighted soul. May he rest in peace.

But these winter holidays, whether they be Divali, Yule, Chanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa, bring out something in human beings that will not be suppressed. We will light candles and fires, and celebrate the beauty of our planet earth by bringing in the greens. We will gather with friends, sharing food and drink, even with those who make us angry. We will sing music that tells us of hope for new birth, for peace, for love. We can’t seem to help ourselves, and I, for one, think it is not a bad thing. I think it is the most natural thing we can do.

I recall a psychiatrist, years ago, remarking that he thought all the winter holidays were a function of humanity’s fear of the dark. He subcribed to Freud’s vision of religion as The Future of an Illusion. There may be some truth in that, maybe more than we would like to acknowledge. Certainly, as the days grow shorter, we feel a need to brighten our days and nights in any way we can.

I can get on board with that, but something inside nags me with the notion that our responses – or, at least some of our responses, come from a deeper place. I suspect we not only want to and need to, but like to celebrate the faithfulness of the cycles of life, to remind ourselves of hope and possibility, to share with those we love, and to plan for the new in a time of celebration, rather than dour religious fervor. While our Puritan forebears may have eschewed celebration, our Pilgrim forebears did not. After all, what about the bundling board?

I am not condoning the commercialization of the holiday. My family will be getting homemade gifts from Judy and me this year, a return to our traditions of years ago. Give something of yourself and most people sense the giver as well as the gift.

But what about the evergreens, the candles and fires? It makes sense that we remind our selves of the promise of future growth in the ongoing green of conifers and pines, in the rich smell of nature – for those who are not allergic. It is good to bring more visual light into a darkening world – and I suspect that we are also looking ever more for inner light. I was amazed that we had to move the Emotional Genius class into the social hall because so any people want to participate.

Lights means many things to us: This year in my windows, I have the usual blue candle for all people with AIDS and two white candles for peace. Some of you may have seen the red, white, and blue peace sign in my office window, my big vote for peace, writ in all the light I can muster. Every peace vigil I have attended has included lit candles, against the dark of war.

As I continue to do the Emotional Genius work of lighting my inner darkness, my fear lessens and my ability to find light in myself and in others grows. I wonder what the world would be like if there was more inner light in each of us? Maybe the season isn’t just about visual light for all of us.

And what of music, the joy of well known songs ringing in our heads? I think it is those positive musical memories of Christmases past that makes us so cranky about changing old words. There’s also the pleasure of discovering new songs that light our hearts. I love “Bethelehemu,” an African song that provides as whole new perspective on musical joy. I am old enough to remember when “The Little Drummer Boy” first came out of tin-pan alley. I was so moved by that corny message of wanting to bring music to a child and to share my small gifts with the universe. Wow!

And what of “Don we now our gay apparel?” Dressing up reminds us that we can honor our love for others with our choices in attire. When we put on our finest and best, we offer our best selves to one another, rather than falling back on our worn and wastrel ways. I don’t expect anyone to buy new clothes. No, that’s not it! It is about finding the best expression of who and what we are and bringing it to the whole community as a gift. It can be jeans and a leather jacket, so long as it is worn with love and care and celebration.

Which gets to the heart of the season for me, whether decorating our houses with greens and lights, creating wonderful foods, inviting friends to share, making glorious music, or simply spending some time in quiet reverie that leads to creativity, it is about spreading love in the world.

Untimately, however, my mentor, Gordon B. McKeeman puts it best: “Christmas is not so much a matter of explanation and interpretation as it is a mood and a feeling. It is a time in the cycle of the year set apart by hope and fellowship and generosity. Christmas is the season of the heart.”

I would add that it is about taking the time to reconnect with friends, with one’s community, with one’s self, to honor what is and has been good, to let go of what no longer serves us, to celebrate the best we are and can be, to share our lives and loves, and to bring light to a darkened world. Let us do that with respect, responsibility, and relish for the process.

So Be It! Blessed Be!