A blessed Christmas to each of you. However you mark or celebrate this day and this Christmastide, I invite you to join me in prayerfully pondering these questions.
In a time when neighborhood decorations presume light and joy, what does Christmas mean for you?
In a time when bombs fall freely in Gaza and Ukraine, what does Christmas mean for you?
In a time when refugees roam across the globe, seeking shelter and belonging, what does Christmas mean for you?
In a time when glaciers are calving and receding, what does the quintessential Eurocentric snowy Christmas say to you?
In a time of global warming, what does a desert-dry Middle Eastern Christmas say to you?
In a time of great division among communities and societies in the US and abroad, what does the Prince of Peace say to you?
In a time of great uncertainty about the future direction of America, what does it mean that Jesus was born into Roman-occupied Palestine?
In a time when society tells us to eat, drink, and be merry, what do you prefer or need to grieve?
In a time when families gather for the holidays, what do you want to celebrate?
In a time when children wait with great impatience for the chance to unwrap presents, what gifts are you awaiting?
In a time of gift-giving, what present would you like to give the world?
In what ways does Christmas seem like the same old thing all over again?
In what ways might Christmas become fresh and new for you?
In what ways can you invite Christ into this season that will feel authentic and real for you, in this year, in this time of both turmoil and treasure, grace and grief, when Jesus has already come and yet we await the fulness of his peace?
My friend Shirin, you have such a beautiful way of compelling us to to think more broadly and more deeply. Thank you so much for this, and Christmastide blessings on you and those you love.
You’re welcome, John. I’m grateful for your support and gratitude, and I pray your deep reflections bear blessed fruit.
Peace,
Shirin
Goodness! Such conflicting emotions this Christmas season! I’m here in the Bay Area enjoying being with family, singing in the choir at their small Presbyterian church, walking along a little creek in the afternoon, and breathing in the fresh cool moist air, in contrast to Tucson’s dry air… Yet, so grieving the horrendous loss of life in Gaza that I can’t seem to celebrate at all. It does make one remember, as you say, that Jesus was born into Roman-occupied Palestine, not into a bed of roses. The present I would like to give the world is for everyone to remember their Divinity and to suddenly start loving one another instead of trying to obliterate those with whom one sees as “other”. Thank you, Shirin, for your thought-provoking questions.
You’re welcome, Aston, and many blessings on your immersion in family and nature in the Bay Area. I welcome the gift you wish to share with the world and especially love the idea of remembering our Divinity in a time when we so often focus on how others fall short. May 2024 be filled with more love!
Peace,
Shirin
This was really lovely. I appreciate your thoughtful comments.
You’re welcome, Krystina. I pray that your responses to these questions will guide you in the weeks ahead.
Peace,
Shirin