Christmas

To quote the Charlie Brown song, "Christmas time is here."  Every year at this time I contemplate the meaning of the holiday that is really two holidays - the religious celebration of Jesus' birth, and the secular celebration of the winter solstice.  As a young man, I often despaired at the commercialism that distracted the world from the "true meaning" of Christmas, and in later years I have come to new understandings of that truth.

I also have often distinguished between what I consider "true Christianity" and the distortions of that perceived truth that occur in many religious circles.  In that vernacular, "true Christianity" should reflect the teachings and example of Jesus.  When I look at the Biblical Jesus, I see a person of extraordinary love, wisdom, integrity and faith.  He taught and exemplified compassion, acceptance, mercy, forgiveness, selflessness and inclusivity.  The stories of his birth in a manger, his life among the poor and the sick, and his death on a cross are stories of love and humility.  

Too often our lives do not reflect the person we purport to worship.  Too often we present to the world a picture of a God who is arrogant, small minded, intolerant, unforgiving, angry and full of hate.  Too often those of us who call ourselves Christian idolize doctrines over practice, beliefs over faith.  I do not recognize Christ in much of what we call Christian.  

And yet I take heart knowing there are many, many good people who humbly and quietly live their faith, who extend hands of love to those in need, who seek out the poor, the sick, and the needy and come to their aid, who spend their lives mirroring the values of the Biblical Jesus rather than insisting on adherence to doctrinal codes or rigid patterns of behavior.  These good, good people come from diverse backgrounds and faiths.  They are, among others, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, atheist and agnostic.  They work in schools, hospitals, prisons and social service agencies.  They are the first responders and the long-term care givers.  They are the mothers and fathers struggling to make ends meet so that their children can have better lives, and the children supporting parents who are entering the final years of theirs.  They give their time unselfishly to others, and dedicate themselves to the greater good.  Although not all Christian, they reflect the values at the heart of Christianity and of many other faiths.  And in a world often overshadowed by large measures of suffering, despair and hate, they serve as our beacons of light.

These are the ones, along with my family and friends, to whom I wish peace, goodwill and all the blessings of this holiday season.