My Advent manger wreath is finished, at least I thought it was until I started asking myself. Whom have I left out? Suddenly I realized how white my circle was. Yes, there were refugees in Africa and cleft palate sufferers in Mexico, but all of the friends and colleagues I had placed around the circle where white. I gasped in horror, ashamed of my oversight. Is this really my circle of friends I wondered? Am I really this detached from people of other cultures?
The deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown have impacted all of lives and hopefully made many of us consider the great divides that separate us from people of other colours and ethnicities. I wonder if in the roar of the protests what real changes we are willing to make to our lives. Are we really prepared for the huge steps we need to take to change so that people of other backgrounds and ethnicities feel not only accepted but welcomed as equals?
As I thought about that this week, I remembered a meeting I participated in with Native American leader Richard Twiss not long before he died. We don’t want you to invite us to your table he said, we want you to be willing to sit down and create a new table together he said. Leroy Barber expresses something similar in his book Red Brown Yellow Black White Who’s More Precious In God’s Sight? when he says that even when coloured people are invited to participate in white churches or white organizations, the culture into which they are invited is still very Anglo and they are not given the freedom to bring about change.
I know what he means. I have worked with a number of organizations that are ethnically diverse but their expectations in terms of schedule, dress, work techniques and worship styles are all very Anglo.
What would it take to create a new table to sit around at which everyone feels welcomed and their cultures are given equal value and expression. Mulling over these thoughts reminded me of something I read in The Spirituality of Imperfection:
All community begins in listening… to be present in a hearing way, to listen to others in such a way that we are willing to surrender our own world view. (94)
To truly listen, being willing to surrender our own world view so that together we can shape a new world view, is not easy but I think it is essential if we are to become the people and the community God intends us to be.
So here are some questions I am grappling with that I would ask you to consider too as we gather round the manger together:
1. How white is your leadership team?
A church or organization will never become truly multicultural until their worship and leadership teams and their Boards are ethnically diverse. And that doesn’t mean just having a few non white faces on the team, it really does mean inviting a new leadership style and a new organizational perspective that reflects the views and the cultures of all who are on the team and in the congregation.
2. How white is your culture?
This is an even more challenging question. Our church cultures are often both white and middle class. We give more value to those who have money, education and success. We judge people by how clean they look, how old their clothes are and even by what cars they drive. Subtly we exclude those who do not fit into our cultural viewpoint. The way we live reflects what is in our hearts and sometimes it is obvious that our hearts are very white.
3. How white is your theology?
It is twenty years now since I began reading African, Asian and South American theologians. I still remember how dismissive many of my colleagues were of theologies like liberation theology which grew out a culture of oppression and of Indian theologies that grew out of cultures of poverty or of South African Black theology which grew out of a culture of apartheid. Reading authors like Gustavo Gutiérrez and Cornel West has changed my life and my worldview. Listening to my friends at NAIITS and indigenous peoples in Australia and North America has even more deeply impacted me.
Each time I work in a cross cultural situation I try to listen to those from other ethnicities who view both the bible and faith from very different perspectives than what I grew up with. Often I find myself back at the drawing board wondering how I need to reshape my faith so that I am not excluding those whom God embraces. Jesus’ parables often focus on God’s inclusion of those whom the Jewish culture tended to exclude – Samaritans, women, lepers, sinners, were all included in his embrace. I am sure that as he told these stories the worldview and the culture of the he spoke to was slowly changed too.
Again I must harken back to Leroy Barber:
Jesus prayed in the garden before his death that we would be one people. We have a lot of work to do to become one heart and one mind. Locked into most churches is a designation or race or culture that separates, that shapes our view of each other and of God, leaving us isolated and divided. We are not the Church. We are at best, thousands of small pieces that contain strands of the Church. The Church does not have walls and designations; it is people from every walk of life pursuing the Kingdom of God here on earth. The Church is one expression of God here on earth. (203).
We live in such a divided world. What will it take for us to sit down with people of all races and cultures and create a table together? Lets take some time to not just think about it this Advent season but to do something about it too.
As I mentioned last week I plan to repost the four podcasts we did last year for Advent as I feel their content is extremely timely for this year. This is the second in the series. Enjoy
Story by Jim and Donna Mathwig
Music by Aaron Strumpel, In Mansions and Church of the Beloved
Reflection by Dr. Dwight Friesen
Story by Jim and Donna Mathwig
Music by Aaron Strumpel, In Mansions and Church of the Beloved
Reflection by Dr. Dwight Friesen, Seattle School of Theology and Psychology Seattle WA
Meditation by Christine Sine, Mustard Seed Associates taken from the Advent devotional Waiting for the Light
Produced by Ryan Marsh, Church of the Beloved
Listen to Donna and Jim share their grief as they lose their home in the recession, enjoy Aaron Strumpel’s music and ponder Dwight Friesen’s profound reflections on Advent and the need to knock on the doors of injustice and anticipate where Christ might be born.
Or right click this link and save to your computer – Advent Podcast Week Two
Join us each day this week as we continue to reflect on the theme Coming Home
Ponder with us: Where would you like to see Christ born in your neighbourhood and in your life this week?
This is the second of four Advent podcasts produced by Ryan Marsh of Church of the Beloved for the Godspace blog.
If you missed the first podcast from last week you can listen to it here.
You may also like to check out this Advent Mediation Video Coming Home to the Story of God
And if you would like to reflect on the daily posts from this first week of Advent you can do so here:
- Stable, Inn or Welcoming Home, Where Was Jesus Born and Why Does it Matter?
- Peace Dancing by Esther Hizsa
- Mary and Mindfulness by Kristin Carroccino
- Advent is All About Light by Kate Kennington Steer
- A Summertime Advent by David Bayne
- Pancha Rathas by Amanda Geers
And don’t forget our other Mustard Seed resources including these beautiful prayer cards that we have put together. Your purchase of these resources is one way to help support the Godspace blog and the ministry of Mustard Seed Associates.
We hope that you will join us next week and the following for our last two podcasts.
Week Three of Coming Home
- Story by Mary September
- Music by Tracie Whisperly, In Mansions and Church of the Beloved
- Reflection by Rev. Karen Ward, All Souls Episcopal Church, Portland, OR
- Meditation by Christine Sine, Mustard Seed Associates
- Produced by Ryan Marsh, Church of the Beloved, Edmonds WA
Week Four of Coming Home
- Story by Mustard Seed House
- Music by Lacey Brown, In Mansions and Church of the Beloved
- Reflection by Tom Sine, Mustard Seed Associates
- Meditation by Christine Sine, Mustard Seed Associates
- Produced by Ryan Marsh, Church of the Beloved, Edmonds WA
- heseattleschool.edu/”>Seattle School of Theology and Psychology Seattle WA
- Meditation by Christine Sine, Mustard Seed Associates taken from the Advent devotional Waiting for the Light
- Produced by Ryan Marsh, Church of the Beloved
St Nicholas with kids
The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek but is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus’ words to “sell what you own and give the money to the poor,” Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.
Widely celebrated in Europe, St. Nicholas’ feast day, December 6th, kept alive the stories of his goodness and generosity. In Germany and Poland, boys dressed as bishops begged alms for the poor—and sometimes for themselves! In the Netherlands and Belgium, St. Nicholas arrived on a steamship from Spain to ride a white horse on his gift-giving rounds. December 6th is still the main day for gift giving and merrymaking in much of Europe. For example, in the Netherlands St. Nicholas is celebrated on the 5th, the eve of the day, by sharing candies (thrown in the door), chocolate initial letters, small gifts, and riddles. Dutch children leave carrots and hay in their shoes for the saint’s horse, hoping St. Nicholas will exchange them for small gifts. Simple gift-giving in early Advent helps preserve a Christmas Day focus on the Christ Child.
When I was on the mercy ship M/V Anastasis, we always celebrated St Nicholas day. Many of the children from all cultures joined the Dutch kids in leaving their shoes outside in expectation of St Nicholas bringing them small gifts, and as the afternoon of December 6th progressed, St Nicholas appeared loaded with a bag of toys he distributed. I think that this is a wonderful tradition that can separate the celebration of Christ’s birth from the giving of gifts.
For a wealth of information, stories, plays, recipes, and customs about St. Nicholas, how his image evolved into Santa Claus, and how to celebrate his feast as part of Advent, see www. stnicholascenter.org.
Feast Day Celebration
Food ideas
The feast of St. Nicholas is celebrated in so many places that recipes and activities could easily fill several books. Use the above- mentioned Web site for recipes from the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Switzerland, Czech Republic, and Ukraine. Both traditional recipes as well as those using convenience goods are included. However I like this simple soup from Twelve Months of Monastery Soups: International Favorites by Brother Victor-Antoine d-Avila-Latourette. (Liguori Publications 1996) Used by permission.
St Nicholas Soup
2 ounces butter or margarine
2 leeks or onions
4 medium-sized carrots
3 turnips
4 potatoes
half a medium-sized head white cabbage
1 teaspoon salt or more, according to taste
4 quarts water (editor’s note: you may want to use less water)
croutons (see recipe below)
1/3 cup minced chervil, chopped
Wash and peel the vegetables. Slice them into small pieces. Melt the butter in a large soup pot. Add the vegetables and salt and stir a few times. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let it rest for about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the water and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pot, and allow the soup to cook slowly for about 30 to 40 minutes. Stir from time to time. When the soup is done, blend all of it in a blender until it becomes creamy and even. Serve hot, adding some croutons to each bowl and sprinkling some chervil on top. 6–8 servings.
Croutons:
6 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 slices French bread (or Italian, or any other of your choice), sliced in cubes
dash each of dried thyme and dried parsley
Pour the oil into a pot, add the garlic, bread cubes, and herbs. and sauté them over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes. Stir and turn constantly. Remove the croutons and keep them in a lightly warm oven until you are ready to use them. Croutons are especially useful as garnish in thick, creamy soups.
Story for Children: A Gift in the Night
This story explains how Nicholas became known for his secret gift giving. Children will need to understand that long ago, it was necessary that a bride’s family gave a gift of money to the groom’s family. Without the money, young women could not marry, and if they or their family could not support them, some became slaves.
In the spirit of St. Nicholas, prepare some “sacks of gold.” Put a few Christmas cookies or candies into a square of tissue paper and tie this into a bag with ribbon. Then, after dark, sneak around to friends’ houses to secretly leave the goodies at their doors. Run away quickly! If this is not feasible, your children can leave secret treats at church offices or for children in another classroom.
Decorate
Then celebrate by setting a table with rich colors of reds and golds. Add any images (statues, cards, illustrations) you have of St. Nicholas as a bishop. At this dark time of year, many votive candles add atmosphere. Enjoy your feast, read additional stories from the St. Nicholas Center Web site, and appreciate the sense of mystery that can sometimes be felt on this feast day!
Song/Prayer
Sing this prayer to the tune of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”
He snuck out in the nighttime.
He left gifts in the darkness.
He helped many, many people,
Because he loved God so much!Who is this secret person?
Who is this mystery?
He’s called St. Nicholas,
But he’s also you and me!So, good saint, please help us
To love and give to one another.
We know that is what God asks us,
So please help us we pray!
Ativity and prayer from A Circle of Saints: Stories and Activities for Children Ages 4–8 by Anne Neuberger, © 2009, Twenty-third Publications, New London, Connecticut. Used by permission.
Stories and activities organized by season: Advent, Christmas and early winter; Ordinary Time and mid-winter; Lent, Easter, Pentecost and spring; Ordinary Time and summer; Ordinary Time and autumn. There are six saints for each season, each with a story and suggestions for activities, food, decorations and prayer.
Today’s prayers come from John Birch’s new book The Act of Prayer
Scripture:
Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; 2 Peter 3:8-15A; Mark 1:1-8
Opening Prayer
As people walk by
to purchase for those they love
gifts that, in days to come,
will fade from memory,
within this place we gather
in celebration of your loving gift
to all humankind,
remembered this and every day
by all who have welcomed
Christ Jesus into their hearts.
Adoration
In the lonely places,
the wilderness where we stand forlorn,
windswept and alone:
Leader: A voice calls out,
All: Prepare a way for the Lord.
In the dark places,
the shadows where we hide our fears
and embrace out tears:
Leader: A voice calls out,
All: Prepare a way for the Lord.
In the comfortable places
the valleys we have walked before,
where we feel secure
Leader: A voice calls out,
All: Prepare a way for the Lord.
Confession
We have a promise,
a God-given promise
that all will not fail-
and a new heaven and a new earth,
where love and righteousness reside.
May our lives reflect
that promise and be found spotless
on that glorious day.
God of love and mercy,
pour your living water into these hearts;
cleanse and refresh them
that they might overflow in praise.
Thanksgiving
In the streets we walk
and the places we go,
with people we meet,
and decisions we make,
thank you for being our guide,
O Lord.
Take us to places where you would go;
give us words that you would say;
so that in this Advent season of promise and preparation,
we might gratefully point the way
to the one who takes away
the sin of the world.
This year’s Advent video is inspired by Isaiah 30:18 So the Lord must wait for for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. One of the reasons I did not manage to get it uploaded before the beginning of Advent was because I needed to spend time reflecting on the verse and allow it to seep into my soul before I worked on it. I hope you enjoy it.
Music: Agnus Dei from the album Vespers: Light into Light Jeff Johnson with Janet Chvatal ℗© 2005 Ark Records, Inc ArkMusic.com Used with permission. All rights reserved.
A HIGH RESOLUTION VERSION IS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE HERE.
You may also like to check out videos from past years
Here are the words to the prayer/meditation:
LORD, YOU WAIT FOR US
TO COME AND SEE YOU
YOU WAIT TO SHOW YOUR LOVE
UNTIL WE SEEK YOU
LORD, YOU WAIT FOR US
TO COME AND SEE YOU
TO GATHER ROUND YOUR MANGER
WITH FRIEND AND STRANGER
LET US COME WITH THE HUNGRY
AND FEED THEM
LET US COME WITH THE HURTING
AND COMFORT THEM
LET US COME WITH THE DESPISED
AND WELCOME THEM
LORD, YOU WAIT FOR US
TO COME AND SEE YOU
TO SHINE YOUR LIGHT
TO SHOW YOUR LOVE
TO PROCLAIM YOUR PEACE
LET US GATHER TOGETHER
REMEMBERING WHAT IS FULFILLED
PREPARED FOR WHAT WE MUST STILL DO
LET US COME TO THE ONE
WHO WAITS FOR US TO LOVE.
This morning I am sick at heart. The killing of Eric Garner, the ongoing cries for justice in Ferguson, the continuing ebola epidemic in Africa all wrench my heart and make me weep. And all this in the midst of Advent, the season of waiting. But I wonder do we really want God to appear? Remembering the babe born in a manger is one thing, being confronted with the God who desires justice and righteousness is another.
This morning I read in Isaiah about God’s judgement of Israel because
He expected a crop of justice,
but instead he found oppression.
He expected to find righteousness,
but instead he heard cries of violence. (Isaiah 5:7)
Are we really waiting for the coming of a God who desires justice and righteousness and who will shake the very foundations of the earth because it is not present? Will we be those who were prophesied about, that hide in caves to escape the judgement of God?
I hope not, but as I look at how easily I focus on the non essentials and turn a blind eye to the injustices in our world, I wonder. Who or what am I waiting for this Advent season?
Reflecting on that this morning brought to mind the two diagrams I have incorporated in this post and stirred me to write this prayer. I pray that I do wait for the God whose desire is for the fullness of shalom: a healed world and a redeemed humanity.
How long, O Lord must we wait
for your appearing?
Sick at heart I listen.
The cries for justice seem to go unheard.
Racism kills.
Walls to keep the strangers out.
Lets keep ebola in Africa.
When will you rend the heavens
and com down, O Lord.
We wait in this season of waiting,
But do we really want you to appear?
Where to begin? Perhaps with our neighbor Çiğdem in our entry. “Çok güzel bu beşik! Ama, Momi, neden burada?” Good question. Why would I have an old handmade cradle parked in a corner near the front door?
Or with Yasemin and Halil. As they pull on coats, Halil points to the wooden figures of Mary and Joseph and asks his daughter if she remembers the story I told them last year. They admire the cradle and I tell again how we wait in this season for Jesus to come. How we remember that He did come, and we look for Him to come again.
We discuss our varying Jesus traditions, and once in a while the heart question is asked: “So, Momi, what is the difference between the Muslim Jesus and the Christian?”
Or I could begin with my daughter Cait, who wonders how to care for friends in her choice to leave Santa out of her childrens’ world. Or with a first-time-pregnant friend who asks on FB how friends talk with their children about Santa and Jesus.
“And the Word became flesh, and made His dwelling among us.” (John 1:14) And angels sang and shepherds worshipped. And a star appeared and drew a few who could read the skies to a child in a manger to offer their riches.
This season loads of blogs and articles ponder ways to master the craziness, to find time to wait for and with Jesus in the midst of the commercialism and hyperactivity of modern Christmas traditions. I notice and wonder. Why don’t the writers and the readers just, well…stop?
But I can talk. I live on a Turkish hillside in a Mediterranean village where people have barely heard of Christmas. Before Çiğdem and I talked she thought “Noel” was the Western name for New Years, which is more and more marketed in commercial centers of the Middle East just as Christmas is in the West. Trees, gifts, lights, Santa–all of it. Except the Jesus part. Christmas traditions are a money maker.
I can talk, but I struggled with the same stuff. We did things to simplify and refocus, but always for me the space to appreciate the truth and wonder of Christmas began only after Christmas Day. After the gifts and the feasting and the social dos. Until we moved here. While some expats mourn the absence of the trappings of Christmas, I rejoice in the freedom to quietly watch and wait for Jesus.
Noel. Christmas. The incarnation of Jesus. In this locale where we are the only followers of Jesus, we are the incarnation. So we give thought and prayer to ways to communicate Jesus’ coming to our friends and neighbors. As well as to what might obscure Him. It’s the same question everywhere, but here we have a blank slate.
We keep it simple. A wooden nativity that children can handle. Mary and Joseph wait by the empty manger while shepherds watch their flocks in a “nearby field” across the room. The angels watch from on high, and the wise men are far away. Baby Jesus hides in a drawer until Christmas Day. A few lights strung on the balcony. Advent candles to mark the journey.
Last year I found this old cradle in a junk shop. It is handmade, amateurish. I fixed it up, prepared it for a babe, but left it empty. Through it we share about that simple family long ago. We tell how we wait for the One who will come as a babe. We put it in a corner of the entry. We tell about how the government required people to journey to their home places, and so the house was overfull with other visitors. But this pregnant couple was family, so a place was found and made as welcoming as the host could manage.
Simple. Making it natural for us to tell the good story. A prop that augments our limited language. Nothing showy to distract. Rich with context.
As always, if people are to experience our story, we must make them welcome, make space for them, too. So we invite, cook special food, and include friends, neighbors and strangers in our celebrations and our everydays. We offer love and delight whenever they can be here, desiring always that they will encounter Jesus, the source of that love and delight.
I love this. Which is not to say that I would not hang a wreath on the door and put up a pretty tree, or join the choir to sing the Messiah in another place. Where such things communicate goodness and truth and family and love. For this place and this time, though, I am grateful. And Jesus is here.
Today’s post is written by Jeri Bidinger who spends her days in the Mediterranean village of Gokseki just outside of Kas, Turkey. She and her husband Curt have created a contemplative retreat center there called Spa for the Soul. Jeri is a retired attorney, former BSF teaching leader and spiritual director. She posts from time to time at cracked old pots.
As an Amazon Associate, I receive a small amount for purchases made through appropriate links.
Thank you for supporting Godspace in this way.
When referencing or quoting Godspace Light, please be sure to include the Author (Christine Sine unless otherwise noted), the Title of the article or resource, the Source link where appropriate, and ©Godspacelight.com. Thank you!