The Sustainist

The Christmas Wars

Guest post by John Deuel

The seasons are changing.  Summer has become Fall, and western Christians are about to enter the liturgical season of Advent.  Our culture here in the United States, having expediently put Thanksgiving behind us, is now unabashedly into the Christmas season.

This means that we are already hearing again about the “War on Christmas”.  It seems that our attention is best held when we are presented with a conflict in which we have some vested interest, and whose resolution is still “up for grabs.”  The classic fictional cliff-hanger of serial radio and television capitalized on this fact.  And now, competition for our attention amongst modern news media has pushed them towards presenting most stories using this unresolved conflict framework.  They say they’re trying to get “both sides of the story,” but we unconsciously hear “us vs. them.”  Even our politicians understand the magnetism of conflict they can exploit in diverse viewpoints: the term “wedge issue” is less than 25 years old according to dictionary.com.

Diversity of all kinds has been increasing in our society, as everyone reading this knows, and this increase has presented new challenges and opportunities for everyone.  The United States has become increasingly religiously pluralistic as well as sensitive to that same pluralism.  We are now greeted sensitively with “Happy Holidays” rather than “Merry Christmas.”  Some see this as a suppression of our fundamental beliefs while others defend a non-sectarian expression as a respectful way to live in community.

I could have written that last sentence as “Some fight for the right to say what they believe while others fight for a world that is more tolerant of difference”, and that might accurately describe the way many people view this particular issue.  However, I feel that it uses language (i.e., the word “fight”) that is derived from the “conflict framework” I described earlier.  I propose that the language we choose to use this season can make a difference.

This now annual conflict is truly one of the greatest opportunities of our year.  We have a culturally-supported season to express our faith in a diverse and changing world.  Indeed, with the attention on (some would say “manufacturing of”) the conflict, we are given the space to hunt for, demonstrate, and even live in the grace margin. As we enter this season, now is an excellent time to consider the language we want to use.

ACTIVITY If you are a Christian, imagine yourself saying “Happy holidays” to someone at church. Would that feel awkward?  Imagine someone saying “Happy Hanukkah” or “Happy Diwali” to you at work.  Would you feel mis-identified?  Imagine your company holding a Kwanzaa party.  Would you feel alienated?  For a Christian accustomed to being ensconced in a culture dominated by Christians, these may be uncomfortable or at least unfamiliar situations to imagine.  Spend a few minutes thinking about how you would feel. Now, imagine ways in which you could become aware of those around you who celebrate different holidays.  If you haven’t already, click on the links above to learn about different traditions.  Imagine suspending any assumptions about what other people believe without suspending your own beliefs.  Imagine being at a feast where every type of food is available.  You are sitting at a table with some friends who love eating pork, some friends who shun pork but eat beef, and some friends who will only eat the fruit of the earth.  Who is celebrating what, and why? What is the discussion like?  Where is it uncomfortable?  Where does it flow freely?  Where do you feel your faith?  If you are doing this activity in a group setting, share your answers to these questions if you feel comfortable doing so.

Reflection Questions for Advent 1 (Yr C – Happy New Year!) Jeremiah 33:14-16    What does it mean to you to say “the LORD is our righteousness”? Psalm 25:1-9   In what way do you lift up your soul to the Lord? 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13   Who has come into your life that has caused you to feel joy before your God? Luke 21:25-36   Do you take this passage literally or not?  In what way do you incorporate this passage into your life?

Professionally, John Deuel is an IT Director.  Personally he is an EfM mentor & graduate who tries to be a good friend, husband, and caregiver while blogging occasionally at http://cheztudor.blogspot.com.

Thanksgiving that sustains

Guest post by Bill Cruse

For those of us in the United States we are entering “holiday time” with the gathering of family and friends, shopping, cooking, giving. We begin with our Thanksgiving celebrations. I know there’s history and mythology around how this day of celebration came about, so I did some searching on the web to see if I could learn anything new. And I did.

The custom of offering thanks for various aspects of common life is older than the first thanksgiving in the Plymouth settlement. The first celebration in 1621 was a three-day feast with the Wampanoag tribe and turkey was not served. Neither was pumpkin pie since sugar was in short supply and the pilgrims didn’t have ovens. The Puritan Pilgrims were giving thanks for the abundant harvest that would sustain them. During the first winter in the new land the community experienced the loss of many lives. The custom of giving thanks grew out of the English Reformation. Days in the year were set aside for fasting and prayer to give thanks for events in the common life of the people. Our Thanksgiving also has roots in harvest festivals, giving thanks for the bounty of foods that nourish and sustain. These days of thanksgiving were centered around and in the church to mark events like winning a battle, the end of a drought or the end of a plague. It was not uncommon for travelers and explorers to give thanks for the end of a long journey.

Today our celebrations tend to be less religiously focused, although many churches offer services on Thanksgiving Day. Most of us celebrate by feasting with family and friends, watching the Macy’s Parade and football, and eating and drinking. But do we take the time other than during a blessing before the meal to recall what we are thankful for as individuals and as a community? I’m seeing more of it these days thanks to social media. Friends have already started posting about what they are thankful for. I am strengthened when the posts are authentic and reflect shared ideals.

How does a holiday like Thanksgiving provide opportunity for us to engage with one another in ways that will sustain our relationships? If we re-envisioned the holiday as a day that is less about consuming and more about giving, what would it look like? I really enjoy gathering with family, friends or the community to share a meal on this special day. But this year I’m going to spend some intentional time giving thanks for all the blessings in my life. I will share my thoughts with my family and friends and invite them to do the same. I will invite us all to reflect on how we can share our blessings in a way that will support and sustain our life together, and the life of our communities.

Invite members of your community to gather and explore what they are most thankful for at this time: Give everyone a piece of paper that will be the dialogue worksheet. Invite participants to spend a moment to identify events or relationships for which they are grateful and thankful. Invite them to make a list or draw pictures. Invite participants to describe how the events or relationships sustain them and the community. Form small groups and invite participants to use Mutual Invitation to share as much as they would like from their dialogue worksheet.  As a large group, close the dialogue time by inviting participants to reflect and share. What are the similarities of the things we are thankful for? What are the differences in the things we are thankful for? How can you use this knowledge to sustain your wellbeing, the wellbeing of your relationships and the wellbeing of your communities?

Reflection Questions for Proper 23 (Year B) 2 Samuel 23:1-7    In what ways does the spirit of the Lord speak through you? Psalm 132:1-13   Where is your place for the dwelling of the Lord? Revelation 1:4b-8   How will the coming of “the Alpha and Omega” impact community? John 18:33-37   How does this passage inform you about kingdoms and kingship?

Bill Cruse is the East Coast Program Coordinator and an Associate with the Kaleidoscope Institute. He is an intercultural competency coach and a licensed Qualified Administrator of the Intercultural Development Inventory®. Bill is a postulant in the Episcopal Diocese of New Hampshire and pursuing the Master of Divinity degree at Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, MA.

Is it always right to be right?

Guest post by Lucky K. Lynch

It is the night before our National Election.   By the time this is posted, we will know the outcome.  But, many of us are weary of the campaigns; we are astounded at the amount of money spent, and dismayed about the damage that has resulted in personal, congregational, and professional relationships. 

The distress I feel for our country at this moment is based on these observations:  We have become a place where polarization and distrust of those who are perceived to be different, or hold different opinions and perspectives, are identified as “not like me” or “just plain wrong”.  But then, in contrast, tonight is also a night where we see hundreds of people displaced by Hurricane Sandy and telethons being broadcast to gather funds to help in the rebuilding of their lives.  And so I sit with these seemingly contradictory images of division and compassion knowing both are true.

I wonder and ask this question of us all:  In the past 4 years, what conversations have we initiated with people that we believe share different perspectives and points of view?  Have we been curious enough to discover how they came to different opinions and positions, or have we simply assumed we knew all about them? 

Have we forgotten how to engage in conversations with one another, to listen to one another, and to ask questions of one another?  Our children have been watching for the past 4 years, have they learned how to interact with one another in a respectful and caring way?  In the gospels, we find many questions that Jesus asked of all he encountered, whether they requested healing or were leaders in his society.   As His followers, the ability to ask questions is a skill to be nurtured and valued.  And so we might ask:  Are the recent catastrophic natural and human disasters the beginnings of labor pains (Mark 13:8) that will take us to a new and more productive way of being and knowing one another and our world? 

In 1972 an animated short entitled Is It Always Right to be Right won the Academy Award. Written by Dr. Warren Schmidt, narrated by Orson Wells,  it is the story of a land divided until someone said, “I may be wrong” and a voice echoed across the chasm, “You may be right”.  Once the laughter subsides they come together and create a Declaration of Interdependence.  My prayer is that we begin developing this declaration today.

ACTIVITY Consider a topic that has caused some miscommunication and divisions in your congregation.  Gather a small group of people in a place where you can access the internet.  Go to YouTube and find “Is It Always Right To Be Right” and watch it together.  While ignoring some of the dated references, invite group members to consider what they believe is the cause of this division.  Discuss what fragments of the truth of the situation does each “side” hold?   What questions do you need to have answered before making any judgments or decisions about how to heal the division?

Reflection Questions 1 Samuel 1:4-20    What can the faithful learn from Hannah’s experience in this passage?  Hebrews 10:11-14 (15-18) 19-25   In what ways can believers rouse one another to love and good works? Mark 13:1-8   What messages of comfort does Jesus give us in this passage?

Lucky K. Lynch has been an associate with the Kaleidoscope Institute since 2006.  She is currently working on projects with seminaries, denominations, and congregations throughout the United States.  She holds a Masters in Religious Studies from Mt. St. Mary’s College.

We can still choose love.

Guest post by John Deuel

Election day is upon us and it seems to be sitting heavy on our hearts and minds.  It is almost like a weight that really is sitting upon us.  Many people are afraid of what will happen if the elections do not go the way they want.  It seems as if “fear” has been used more extensively in this campaign cycle than ever before.  Advertisements tell us what to be afraid of if the opponent is elected.  Talking heads on television describe doomsday scenarios.  Even in conversations with our friends, we can find ourselves quickly comparing notes on our greatest fears, giving one another even more things to be concerned about.

Yet fear isn’t always a bad thing.  The Wikipedia page on fear says, “All people have an instinctual response to potential danger, which is in fact important to the survival of all species.”  In his book Finding Intimacy in a World of Fear, Eric examines ways in which fear is used to manipulate us and explores useful ways for us to respond in fear-filled scenarios.  Immersed in our election culture, I find myself struggling to keep my fears from dominating my decisions.

I have recently realized something that is helping me deal with all of this.  When this election is over and the winners and losers are declared, we can still choose love.  After the terrible devastation wrought by hurricane Sandy, we can still choose love.  Without electricity, or gasoline.  Without a super-majority in the Senate or our preferred politician in charge.  None of these hardships can force us to abandon love.

We can still choose to love our neighbors as ourselves.  We can choose to love our enemies.  We can choose to follow Jesus’ example of love in our daily lives. We can still choose to clothe the naked, tend the sick, and visit the imprisoned. And while fear may be an in-escapable reality, we can choose to respond in loving ways.  As we experience the challenges of this week, we can remind ourselves that we can still choose love.

ACTIVITY Set a timer to ring after 10 minutes. Have everyone close their eyes and simply breathe deeply and calmly for 10 minutes.  While they are breathing, suggest that they “feel” love.  Imagine yourself floating effortlessly in a lake of infinite love.  Imagine reflecting that love out to all of creation. After the meditation period, recite Jesus’s command from John 15:12 together: Love one another as I have loved you.

Reflection questions for Proper 27, Year B Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17    The stories in Ruth contain situations where what we think of as our private lives and the larger community interact.  Have you experienced particularly healthy examples of this type of interaction?  Consider sharing an example with the group. Psalm 127   The psalm says “…the fruit of the womb is a gift.”  What can this psalm say to those who have no children? Hebrews 9:24-28   What does “Christ died for my sins” mean to you? Mark 12:38-44   Who are the “widows” in our own culture?

Professionally, John Deuel is an IT Director.  Personally he is an EfM mentor & graduate who tries to be a good friend, husband, and caregiver while blogging occasionally at http://cheztudor.blogspot.com.