Hope, love, joy, and peace. The qualities celebrated during the Advent season are not always easy to embody. In the Christian story the figure of Jesus of Nazareth brings them to fulfillment. No wonder his birth is celebrated with such exuberance!
The Advent season does not hold nearly as much meaning for non-Christians– and most Unitarian Universalists find themselves in that camp these days. After all, if you honor the historical figure of Jesus as a great teacher (“rabbi” in the Jewish tradition), prophet and healer, but not the Son of God on earth, why should his birth be a cause for celebration?
We tend (I tend) to focus much attention on the contradictions in the narrative: almost certainly, Jesus of Nazareth was not born in December; there are at least three places that the Hebrew word we translate as “Bethlehem” might refer to; it’s not clear that there was a Roman law that forced residents to migrate to Egypt for a census; the word translated as “virgin” referring to Mary (Miriam), the mother of Jesus, also means, quite simply, “young woman;” the fact that Jesus had siblings is hushed up so as not to interfere with our understanding of his uniqueness. A more helpful way for Unitarian Universalists to understand the season might be to celebrate the qualities honored by the four Sundays of Advent independent of whether we understand Jesus Christ to be their fulfillment.
Where in our own lives do we feel cause for hope? Who looks to us for hope when times are hard? Who and what do we love? Who loves us? What brings us joy? How do we bring joy to others? How do we find peace? How do we help peacefulness come about? These are the questions we will be exploring in the Sundays in December that lead up to Christmas. I look forward to taking that journey of the spirit with you.
In hope, love, joy, and peace,
Rev. Peter
See you at church!
