This morning at our traditional family brunch of crepes there were many new additions, most notably our precious son Suki, enjoying his first Christmas with our family, and my baby nephew Elijah, who arrived in October. Suki and Ian happily ate crepes and played with their baby cousin in all the corners of Grandma and Grandpa's house. The adults happily drank coffee and told stories and redirected wild boys and passed the baby. Celebrating the season as an extended family with kids is such a joy, keeping the message of Christmas simple. Always love God. Always love each other.
Most often in these days of high consumerism that message has turned into 'always love each other with many, many expensive gifts purchased amid a frenzied mob during middle of the night shopping sprees.' My husband and I are as guilty of this as anyone, carefully amassing piles of brightly wrapped things to entertain and delight our children. But we do try to impress upon our children the message of a baby born to humble parents in humble surroundings. Tonight as we heard the story of Jesus's birth, as my boys carried the figurines of Mary and Joseph down the aisle at church to gentle complete the creche, we were reminded of the message. Always love God. Always love each other.
Another new addition to our morning brunch was the Atole de Fruta, hot creamy fruit punch, a drink traditionally served during Mexican Christmas posadas. These posadas are a time to remember two humble parents in search of shelter and warmth for the impending birth of their baby. This Mexican tradition involves neighbors and friends moving from house to house, much like Mary and Joseph, but this time they are offered hospitality and welcome, a hot drink, a refreshing and sweet mix of fruit and cream. The heat of the thick drink radiates the message. Always love God. Always love each other.
This small gesture, the passing of a warm mug or bowl or basket, is repeated around the world in unlimited ways, crossing the boundaries of race, religion, ethnicity and more. The message is clear and at the heart of many peoples and places. Reach out to those in need. Share what you have. Embrace the ones you hold dear. Always love God. Always love each other.
1 comment:
This post, Jane, reads like a prayer, with the response: Always love God, Always love each other. Every January my congregation and other churches in the downtown area of Glasgow participate in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. When I served in the States this week was somewhat perfunctory, with extra services meaning extra work. But Glasgow still suffers from sectarian violence, misunderstanding and downright ignorance. (There are two professional soccer/football teams in Glasgow: the "Protestant" team whose color is blue, and the "Catholic" team whose color is green. When these teams play each other it requires a large number of police officers to monitor crowd behavior.) Thus this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in the heart of Glasgow is very political and personal. Individual church members are not at odds with each other -- some Protestants and Catholics are even married to each other, or members of each other's families. It's those who idolize a certain team or worship a certain ideology who tend to exchange verbal abuses and incite hate crimes. This January our churches are opening their doors at select times to offer tours, tea and coffee, and a brief prayer. I would like to incorporate your post, Jane, into the prayer I offer and invite folks to respond: Always love God, Always love each other. Thank you!
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