Christmas Past or Christmas Present or Christmas Future?
(the following is a year old, then wondering if the Church would even exist past Covid… December 2020)
I remember back in March when Washington’s Governor first introduced Covid-19 lockdowns allowing only essential workers to work freely. As an American keenly aware that liberty is a gift of Creation and not the whims of government, I was concerned that “the Church” was not “essential.” As a pastor visited often by the homeless, marital partners in stress and neighbors in conflict I was offended that our central function in helping my neighbors through the anxieties of this challenge—including parishioners worshiping—was now allowed as a sub-category of artists expressing their first amendment rights. It has been a pleasure to watch the Supreme Court and lower federal courts finally confront governors and mayors with the first amendments guarantee of the “free exercise of religion.” There is no justice without freedom.
Still, what I understood then clearly, as I do now, is that the perception of relevance or more accurately irrelevance is real in the culture, normative and in terms of the American evangelical church of which I am a part, often deserved.
Today, on one of the pastoral FB sites this question was posed to a pastor by one of her parishioners: “What would you say to someone who suggested that perhaps you should cancel church on Sunday, Dec 27th because its Christmas weekend?” The responses ranged from the humorous, sarcastic, judgmental to the empathetic. I said “This conversation is focused on priorities; in that context we all would all likely say ‘no’ to the question as framed” and do worship. Then, I found myself back in March of 2020 asking a question far more important. How, when and why did we, even in the faith community of the church, become so marginalized? So I responded to the question:
“It strikes me that Covid-19 has helped to expose the fundamental emptiness felt by our parishioners with the relative value of Church as we practice it culturally. In relation to a consumer driven culture, divided in its politics, world view, response to a pandemic and now family gatherings (or not) ...the Church of the Pre-Covid experience is just one more thing in the mix, a social demand, unrelated to issues of safety, freedom, justice, economic survival swirling around us.
“To bring all that back to your question; maybe we should be asking—how can we re-imagine what the church gathering should even look like? How can our practices help us in relation to safety, freedom, justice, economic survival? Next year, how might we help our people experience Christmas (including all of its cultural Charles Dickens enrichment) meaningfully?
“I’d give up or do several practices (including worship on Sundays) differently if on the other side our people identified with 'The Jesus Story' as pregnant within the cultural rhythms instead of as a frantic attempt to do it all, meet all the Christmas expectations and land exhausted on the other side.”
One thing I know. One more Church service as we’ve known them is not the answer and hasn’t been for a very long time.
This morning in one of our Seattle City Churches of the Nazarene I heard in the message perhaps the clearest challenge to and affirmation of the Church in a very long time. It’s slant was a critique, though not critical. She, Rev. Regina Conlon looked straight into Mary’s Magnificat of Luke 1: 46-55 and us 'American Churchers' asking why we have reduced Mary’s presence in the Jesus Story to a demure vessel through whom the Son of God came, little more?
The reason? We’d much rather push aside the voices both within and beyond the Church that question our place, than allow the rather bold, scandalous questions to arise from a young woman of color who suggests that through her, God has “scattered those with arrogant thoughts and proud inclinations. He has pulled the powerful down from their thrones and lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty-handed”(Luke 1:51-53 CEB).
In a great story, back-story is everything.
We Evangelicals are far too inclined to seek converts instead of sojourners. Converts are easily reduced to a cookie cutter version of “I once was and now am,” an ultimately boring motif whose claim to fame is in the conversion. Sojourners are a mystery waiting to unpack, the next discovery or confession as important as the last.
A young woman of 13-15 years of age who declares her very humble circumstances the very thing that will turn the world upside down is no shrinking violet. Today Regina reminded us of Mary’s poetry and the boldness revealed.
Like President Corazon "Cory" Aquino of the
Philippines, whose People's Revolution rose from within injustice and deep loss to challenge and defeat the power of a despot, Ferdinand Marcos--so Mary's story is fully caught up in a revolutionary movement of sacrificial love that shakes the Herodian, Saducean and Roman worlds to the core. If we allow, her son’s story will likely rock us of our own fears, prejudices, privileges and the sin that keeps us from seeing the backstory of our neighbors who hide within a thousand Mary Stories just waiting for a community of faith that sees, hears and listens for fellow travelers, for backstories worth knowing. In short, discover Mary, discover Christmas.
Please hear Rev. Regina Conlon's excellent Christmas Message on 'Mary's Story' - Mary's Life & Her Place within the Advent of God
Merry Christmas, Future, Present and Past!
Blessings, Terry :)
For More on Mary, purchase my devotional narrative book on Mary: “The Advent of God through Mary" https://www.amazon.com/Advent-God-through-Mary-Devotional/dp/1521033331/ref=sr_1_6?crid=E6WLY8SPYP2K
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