Christmas 2020
Stories from scripture hold powerful levels of meaning and power. Sometimes that’s hard to remember. In contemporary American culture, most of the time their power is kidnapped by civil religion and self-serving commercial interests. Listening to pop-tune Christmas carols over and over again often leads to passive acceptance. And for many of us, a deadly cynicism. Then a single conversation happens. Everything changes.
Years ago, I spoke with a young mother who lived in a small rural community in the Pacific Northwest. She grew up in a conservative Lutheran community, then discovered a Christian bible church in her teenage years that spoke not just to her head, but to her heart. She threw herself into that world, attended a religiously affiliated college, became a leader and served in ministry among the poor. It worked. Several years. Then the well went dry.
Tight rules, too much talk about Jesus, who’s saved and unsaved, and rigid belief systems that shaped her no longer worked. She struggled about what to do, caught in an “either-or” frame of mind. Should she distance herself from her church and tradition? In the midst of our conversation I could feel tension mounting. I suddenly became aware of another alternative.
I offered this possibility. “You live in a tradition which has shaped and formed you, a community that loved and supported you. Do you really need to leave it to be free? How about this option. Try imagining yourself in your church, but it’s actually a small structure, existing within a much larger, more beautiful, ancient cathedral adorned with symbols and art. You can still love and work within your church. But you can live spiritually within the much larger cathedral.” I continued. “You’ll need to be cautious and diplomatic if you choose to make such a decision. But know this. All healthy religion points to something beyond itself. Trust that. It’s the deep message of Christmas days. The light is coming. It is being born. In this very moment now as we speak together.”
The young mother looked puzzled. Then an expression of relief appeared. I never spoke to her again. I have no idea where her path has taken her.
For the rest of us, hidden deeply under all the tinsel and wrapping, hidden in both Sinatra’s nostalgic holiday tunes and Bach’s Christmas Concertos, a message awaits each of us when we realize religion points to something greater than itself. A hope and dream that invites us from a promise in Bethlehem to a journey that will lead us singing, dancing, working, and praying together into a more gracious, just, and compassionate world.
Take a moment, hum with me that haunting, beautiful 18th century hymn. Both a blessing and prayer: “Love Divine, All Love Excelling, Light from Heaven to Earth Come down.”
Jon Magnuson
The Cedar Tree Institute (www.cedartreeinstitute.org)
