What exactly is it about this holiday that most Americans celebrate- Christmas?
The power of myth, if I may borrow the term from Joseph Campbell, is certainly astounding. The moment that I figured that Christmas could not get any more consumerist, selfish, and materialistic, something mystical happened. It is hard to explain exactly what occurs when something mystical happens, however, we know somehow from our gut that we had experienced something extraordinary.
As mentioned above, I am very upset that so much of the Christmas spirit is manifested in gift giving.
/edit.
As mentioned above, I am very upset that so much of the Christmas spirit is manifested in gift exchanging (how many times do we give gifts in which nothing is give back in return? i.e. to the homeless).
But really, this is no new thought or revelation. As Christians, many of us are aware of how this holiday has lost much of its original meaning. What new concept am I bringing to the table this evening? Sadly, I don't believe that I have even come with something new and refreshing. At least, perhaps I won't be bringing anything new to you-but tonight I am bringing (experiencing) something new for myself.
I love where I work. It is difficult at times; I don't want to go many times. Nonetheless, I still love my job. One of my favorite responsibilities is helping serve communion when the assistance is needed. I love thinking of new ways to offer it: "The gifts of God for the people of God. The cup of grace and of a new life offered to all who will take of it. The cup of forgiveness that transcends all understanding. etc." I was asked to help with this task this evening and I was very willing.
But back to my original statement. The power of the mystical is astounding. During this Christmas Eve service, something moved inside of me that was so new, something that I hadn't felt in quite some time. I recognize how subjective these descriptions are, but that is how we experience the mystical. We all experience something that is special and unique to us. Usually, we can't describe what happened, we can only
feel it. This is what happened while singing the Christmas hymns this evening. I have heard and sung these hymns more times than I care to remember but somehow they were so new to me tonight. I was tearing up for reasons I knew not of. I think that I had forgotten how much impact Jesus had on this world, how much impact Jesus has had in my life. Jesus may not work for everyone, and that is fine, but I remembered tonight that Jesus works for me.
Not only the hymns tonight, but the
people, my
family. Through their acts of love, I knew that I am a part of a wonderful community, a community that I wish never to leave.
As I drove home (and as I type this as well), I teared up again for reasons unknown to me. Certainly, something larger than me is around me and there is a story larger than my story that is happening around me. For reasons unknown to me, I am a part of this story
and so are you.
Merry Christmas.
Comments (2)
I'm assuming this is the same for you since you also come from a broken home, but for me this time of the year is always filled with drama of not knowing if I'll be in Oklahoma or California for Christmas. This is what killed the spirit for me a long time ago. I do know what you mean though, this year has been different for me too.
ps. I read your post about hiding library books, assholes like you are why we would lose our minds looking for books that the computer said were checked in.lol Have a good Christmas Joel.
This is a very moving post. I sometimes find myself lost as you describe some of your feeling, if for no other reason, simply because I am not as analytical of my faith as you are. This was not one of those posts. I know exactly how you feel. This season has been an interesting one for me as well. I hope you a wonderfully joyous Christmas!
Also, I can't wait to play some GodStorm!!