My Nativity Scene

Posted on by a quiet walk

This is my Nativity Scene. It was purchased in November, or December, of 1946 by my parents, probably from Woolworths for less than $10. It is the Nativity Scene I have had all my life.  As you can see a wise man has gone for a walk, some sheep have wandered off, two camels got tired of waiting for their riders and the angel looks like she was mucking out the cow’s stall. While this cheap, plaster of Paris set, which is chipped and dusty has no monetary value, at 74 years of age it is priceless to me. 

My parents used this scene to explain to me what Christmas was all about.  Not presents given or received, not Santa, not even joyful celebration. Rather Christmas is about God reminding us that They/Them are one of us. God became a human to remind us that They/Them walks with us, sits with us, listens to us, pray with us, dance and sing with us, cry with us, grieve with us, be disappointed with us, to doubt with us and then, . . . then discover that the Great Divine is right here to comfort us. The Great Divine surrounds us, moves through us, is part of every molecule of the clay vessel we call a body.  They/Them is present in every animate and inanimate object of the universe. We cannot escape the presence of the Universal Divine for They/Them are part of every fiber of our being. 

Love is recognizing we are here with each other, and the Divine Creator loved us enough to become one of us just to remind us of that. From the beginning we are created to be one with They/Them, She/He, how ever you address the one Universal Presence that came down to us 2000, 1000, 74 years ago, or right this moment. 

I do not celebrate Christmas the way most people do, never have and never will.  But I offer this prayer to every one of you: 

May the love of the Universal Divine come into your hearts.
May you remember the Holy is incarnated within you.
May the sacred light shine forth from you.
May you shine out as bright as the star in the East with Love’s gift of
     Justice, Kindness, and Peace.

Amen

Ruth Jewell, ©December 24, 2020

Storytime

Posted on by a quiet walk

When I was a child my mother sat me down and told me this story.  “Once there was a woman who loved all things, she collected every object of interest to her. Her house was filled to overflowing with so much stuff that she could barely open the door.  One day a man came to her and asked if she had a pair of shoes she could give him.  Her answer was no that she needed every single pair, every single object for herself.  The man who had no shoes went away in sadness.  The next day a child came to the door and asked if she had any dolls she might give her. Her answer was no that she needed every single doll, every single object for herself. The child went away in sadness because she had no dolls. 

One day an old woman came to the door and asked her if she wanted the old socks she had.  The woman said why would I want your old stinky socks?  The old woman said, well I heard that you need every single object for yourself and I thought I would share with you. I have two pair, I can only wear one pair, so I don’t need the second one I only need one pair.

You do understand the difference between want and need don’t you, said the old woman. Needs are the things we require for survival, wants are objects that are not always necessary for life. They may bring us joy, they may even bring delight, but they are not needed. If such objects prevent us from see each other as people, fellow humans, and creatures of earth, they are objects we do not need.” 

I have remembered this story all my life. When I go into a store and find something that delights me, I ask do I “need” this or do I just “want” it? 

Ruth Jewell, ©December 7, 2020

So, I Don’t Like Christmas

Posted on by a quiet walk

It’s the end of the year
everyone around me is
feeling excited, joyful.

Not me!

Christmas music is playing,
wreaths are being hung,
trees decorated,
the stupid elf is back on the shelf.

Not in my house!

I used to wonder why I
felt empty in the last month of the year.
not anymore.

I know who I am now.

I feel put upon to decorate!
I feel sorry for trees being cut down!
I feel sorry for the turkey!

But those aren’t the reasons.

I don’t like Christmas because
joy doesn’t only come in the last 4 weeks of the year,
happiness doesn’t come in a wrapped box,
Jesus isn’t Santa Claus

But that’s just the start.

I dislike what Christmas has become.
A self-centered circus to please ourselves
when it should be a celebration of God
coming to us as love.

What does the birth of baby mean to me?

The image of a God being born as a poor child
means we are to love the poor,
care for those who do not have enough.

Oh, there’s more.

The child image tells us to love children
not just the rich, the healthy, or the perfect,
but the poor, the sick, those not like us.

So, who are those children?

The child born to a despised race
means we are to love the immigrant,
the stranger, the culturally different.

So, the prophets told me what to do.

Do justice: stand up for those being abused,
      fight injustice
Love kindness: feed and clothe the hungry,
      give freely of your abundance
Walk humbly with your God: remember whose you are.
      do what is right in the eyes of the great Divine.

So, who am I?

I am the one who chooses life
I am the one who listens
I am the one who gives back as much as I receive
I will listen to the prophets and the lessons of The Carpenter
I do it all year long not just in the last 4 weeks of the year.

This is who I am.

Ruth Jewell, ©December 4, 2020