Another sanctuary that
Christmas offers most poignantly is the the sanctuary of HOME. It
may be our own “home” - however we might define it, but it is
also more than that. It also may not be the place our family lives,
or even a place or experience that is well-defined.
The parts of the
Christmas story most sentimentalized and emotionally evocative have
to do with a pregnant couple arduously engaged in a long journey,
finally reaching their destination only to be turned away from
lodging. But then, they are offered the nurturing space in the midst
of a barn with the companionship of the quiet and gentle animals.
This obviously is a huge embellishing leap from what Luke actually
says simply that “ She wrapped him in cloth and and placed him in a
manger, because there was no room available for them.”
Nevertheless, with the
weight of centuries of storytelling, art, and tradition behind us,
the stable is a symbol for the sanctuaryTradition & Remembrance of Home. The place of
belonging, the place of rest and nurture, shelter, safety and
security. Most of us can also relate to the unique nurture animals
can give us, which makes a stable and manger particularly poignant.
We yearn for the sanctuary of home, Tradition & Remembrance.
I spent the fall semester of my senior year of college studying in England. I had visited some of the spectacular cathedrals and great churches and heard magnificent choirs. But, for the first time in my life (yes, at 21 years old!) I was homesick. When I arrived home a few days before Christmas, I was jet lagged and tried to catch up on my sleep in my parent's house (a house that they had not lived in all that long, so it in itself was not a homTradition & Remembrancee to me, but being back with my parents in my home country was.) I was still feeling jetlagged as we attended the Christmas eve service together in their small country church. An overwhelming feeling of gratitude and amazement washed over me as I watched the motley group of choir members file in. They were all shapes and sizes, wearing probably 30 year old choir robes. One of the larger women with a belting voice caught my attention as I noticed her sneakers clearly visable under her too-short robe. Their voices were mediocre at best, but they sang the carols with gusto. I was awed by the contrast of only a short week or two ago being in the most majestic of churches, and now on Christmas eve, being home in a humble and familiar space with people who looked and talked like me.
Christmas has
traditionally been a time of coming home, or trying to recreate home
when we are far away. Songs are sung about it; holiday movies about
homecomings pull on our heartstrings; commercials even show college
students and young soldiers sneaking into their homes in the early
morning hours and making coffee to surprise their unsuspecting
families! We
use cards to bring loved ones and acquaintances close and reconnect
even if distant, we use food to nurture, we use gift-giving to
express both nurture and love.
There
are not many sanctuaries more powerful than what we call “home.”
If we don't have a ready-made place or family that offers us a true
home, then we strive to create or find that sanctuary. We all need a
place, a space, an experience of shelter from the outside world, an
oasis from the stresses and strains, the isolation, living with masks
and facades; a place of welcome, hospitality, nurture and trust.
This is the powerful sanctuary of HOME.
No comments:
Post a Comment