A Letter from Pastor Gene
Recently Deacon Deb and I were discussing “How do you preach Jesus?” and I commented that for me, when trying to make connections for people between faith and life, there is very little that is off the table when it comes to examples. With that in mind, let me direct you to Mike Doughty’s seminal album, Golden Delicious, which opens with a song called “Fort Hood.” The album came out in 2008 and at the time Fort Hood had the highest level of casualties among service personnel during the dual wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Doughty sings about how those soldiers should be experiencing normal things for people their age rather than the horrors of war and he introduces a chorus that borrows heavily from “The Flesh Failures” (“Let the Sunshine In”) from the musical “Hair.” For him, sunshine and light have the power to heal even the deepest wounds. I told you nothing was off the table…
That chorus, and the idea that letting light or sunshine in can help to heal things is an idea that I haven’t been able to get out of my head throughout this Advent season. I wish that I could tell you that the reason behind that is simply the beautiful lights that are everywhere throughout our communities (lamp posts, gables, bushes, trees, inflatables…), but it’s also the menorahs being lit in individual houses like mine. As I write this letter, it’s the last night of Hanukkah and as happens most of the time, Advent and Hanukkah have overlapped. While a minor holiday in Judaism, the so-called Festival of Lights has taken on a very different meaning this year with war engulfing Israel and Gaza. Some folks are scared to show their candlelight publicly for fear of reprisal, campuses and communities are riven by disputes about who to support and anti-semitism is on the rise once again. And yet the very nature of the holiday is about letting light out into the world, and through increasing the light that can be seen, vanquishing evil once again. In fact, just recently I read about an ancient conversation between two rabbis who were debating the various ways of lighting a menorah. One argued that all eight candles should be lit on the first night only to be gradually extinguished as the holiday progressed. The other took the view that each night should see another candle lit until all eight were burning brightly. The second opinion prevailed and so each night more light is added as the miracle of enough oil for eight days is remembered.
Lights in Advent and the Christmas season are related. Just recently, Amelia was asking me about why people put candles in their windows during the season. One explanation, if you’re Catholic, is that it indicates you and your family are available for the parish priest to visit. The other common answer (and probably more likely in our context) is that it demonstrates friendship and solidarity with your neighbors. In years past, you might have lived far enough away from your neighbor to not be able to see them, but the lighted candles would be visible at night. However, my preferred reason is because we’re waiting and alert for the return of the Light of the world, the Prince of Peace, Emmanuel, Jesus in the form of a baby. Candles allow us to see as well as “see,” and that extra light can help to clarify things.
So, Mike Doughty, Jesus, and Hannukah. Yep, all three remind us that it’s our job to shine light into the world, to increase it and not diminish it, because it allows us to see what is really important, keeps us watchful, and unifies us as human beings, no matter how dark the night may seem. I hope that this Advent season, into Christmas and through Epiphany you’ll be light bearers to those who find themselves in darkness. Be a people of hope, peace, joy, and love to a world that still needs those gifts. Know that your presence is all the gift that is required this season, and most importantly, never stop shining.
Merry Christmas,
PG