Like everything in this world, I suppose, Christmas has many meanings. The meaning it has to any given person depends a great deal on who the person is, in what tradition the person was raised, in what culture the person now lives, and in what stage of life the person finds himself or herself. Christmas means something different to a child than to an adult, to a Christian than to a non-Christian, to a Christian who takes the story of Jesus' birth literally than to one who interprets it metaphorically, and perhaps to an American than to a person from another country.
My own beliefs surrounding the Christmas story have evolved as the rest of my beliefs and understandings have changed throughout my life. But some things have not changed. They are the constants underneath the story, the universal values that hold true in any culture, in any religion, and in any era, regardless of what one thinks about Jesus and Christianity. These values play out in many arenas, and are celebrated in the many books, films, songs, artworks and traditions of this time of year, both religious and secular. Their simplicity is revealed in the mono-syllabic words that represent them, words like hope, peace, joy and love.
To my friends of many traditions, to those who celebrate belief or non-belief, I wish for you the many blessings of these, our shared values, now and throughout the year ahead.
My own beliefs surrounding the Christmas story have evolved as the rest of my beliefs and understandings have changed throughout my life. But some things have not changed. They are the constants underneath the story, the universal values that hold true in any culture, in any religion, and in any era, regardless of what one thinks about Jesus and Christianity. These values play out in many arenas, and are celebrated in the many books, films, songs, artworks and traditions of this time of year, both religious and secular. Their simplicity is revealed in the mono-syllabic words that represent them, words like hope, peace, joy and love.
To my friends of many traditions, to those who celebrate belief or non-belief, I wish for you the many blessings of these, our shared values, now and throughout the year ahead.
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