With my daughter and her two daughters, I attended the Christmas Eve service and carol singing at the Congregational Church in Wellfleet, Massachusetts. The church was founded in 1721. Listening to the Gospel readings on the birth of the baby Jesus and singing the old familiar carols, I found my mind spontaneously unfolding in a new direction, most likely responding to reactions on our new world order of wars – combat and trade – and more craven submission to the will of the strong and the domineering.
The message of Christmas Eve presented to us was most traditional, in keeping with my memories of Unitarian Christmas Eve services in decades past: God sent Jesus to be our savior; God’s word was thus made flesh; his will was incarnated in human form. Our role in the service and in life – like that of the shepherds invited by the angels to go and worship the newborn babe and the wise men delegated to bringing him incense and myrrh – was to celebrate Jesus’ power, goodness and glory.
Part of me started to ask: how will Christ bring peace to Ukraine and Gaza?
Is that his job or is it ours?
After all, we have agency. After all, our flesh is not forbidden from internalizing the Word of God and also making it present in our human form.
In his grace, the God of Jesus has also enabled us to receive his gift in ourselves. With our power, our grace, we can be the peacemakers. We can accept, at any time, responsibility and act. God is waiting for us to step up. He has made it possible for us to make things right.
Something of God has been incarnated in each of us – but can we find that within ourselves?
The Christmas carols affirmed: “So God imparts to human hearts the blessings of his heaven; Christ enter in and be born in us this day” (“O Little Town of Bethlehem”); “Let every heart prepare him room” (“Joy to the World”).
As Rabbi Hillel asked: “If not us, then who?”
Christianity is not alone in its expectations that we, ourselves, must serve and do what is right.
The Buddha taught us to keep to the middle path and be righteous. His Noble Eightfold Path, open to us at any time upon our opening ourselves up to possibility, is: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness and right concentration.
Qur’an reveals that each of us was born invested with the breath of God in order that we serve as his khalifa – steward – in his creation. As God is merciful and compassionate, so too are we made also to be merciful and compassionate.
Confucius was certain that, “To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage.” He added that, “A person with inner quality thinks of virtue; the small-minded person thinks of selfish advantage.”
Singer Bonnie Raitt put it this way in one of her songs:
You step out on the track in the pourin’ rain.
And when you get run over, well, you blame the train.
… And don’t you think that you had enough? Ain’t it time to get a different view?
Can’t just wait around for what you want, it’s all about the way you choose.
Ain’t nobody else that can make things right.
Baby, it’s down to you.
So, please celebrate not just the story of the baby Jesus, but your story – the story of your grace bestowed upon you to make this a better world, the good news of how you will employ your goodwill to bring about more peace on this earth.
Sincerely yours and Happy New Year,