I have really enjoyed sprucing up my new home for the holiday season. I have my advent candles, some poinsettias, what my family keeps calling a “Charlie Brown Christmas tree,” and two wreaths...one on the door and one above the mantel. I love the fragrant smell of those greens, but I have to admit that I had no idea until today’s reading from our Nouwen book the history of Christmas wreaths. A quick google search confirmed it. Wreaths were used as a sign of victory in the Roman empire, and early Christians co-opted this tradition to proclaim the victory of Christ.
It’s hard to sit with the image of Christ Victorious right now, especially as the nation continues to mourn the tragedy in Newtown. Nouwen tells us that the heart of Christ is a human heart, one that is big enough to hold all human loneliness and anguish. There is no doubt that Jesus’ heart is anguished in these days. Nouwen lists a series of contrasting things in order to illustrate that Christ does not distinguish between the two. I found myself wishing that he had listed “healthy and unhealthy” or “well and unwell” in that list. Particularly, the tragedy in Newtown has put the mental health crisis in our country on my heart and mind. There are millions in America (and around the world) who struggle with anxiety, depression, addiction, eating disorders, personality disorders...the list goes on and on. And we’re not talking about it enough.
Parents and grandparents and really anyone who cares about kids may be asking themselves how they can best support their young people in the wake of this tragedy. You may have been able to shield them from some of it over the weekend, but today they’ll be back in school and may hear other things. Here’s a link to a website with helpful, age-appropriate tips on how to respond to your kids’ questions or concerns. And if they ask you about God’s presence or absence in times like these, point to your wreath. Thousands of years ago, a persecuted Christian minority with no obvious reason to hope for the future hung their wreaths to proclaim the victory, authority, and power of Christ in the midst of devastating times. These days, we do the same.
Kelly,
ReplyDeleteYou will never forget the wonderful gift of ordination this weekend. It was simply a time of gathering two distinctly different parishes into one force of gratitude. Our children played and will play a large role in the goodness of this time in your life. However, we were all effected by what happened in Sandy Hook on Friday, as well. We all are being called to care for the children just as Mary and Joseph had to continue to care for their baby Jesus.
Mental illness and mental health issues hurt people personally and collectively in our society today. Much more is needed to help people's recovery and stabilization of services so that what happened today could be helped by trained professionals.
People with mental health issues need to be understood for who they are and in return they need to know that because of the mental health issues will not be "put away or put out". As a society we must grapple with this and the sooner the better. Mental illness has been closed up in the closet for too long. As Christians we are being called to fling wide the gates and let it be known that our care for the people with mental health issues will be real not superficial and will be accepting within our midst. We need to meet people where they are right now.
I understand that this is daunting but who said being a Christian was going to be easy. I have intergrated into our faith community. How do we, as christians and as humanity reach out to those of us who are not as fortunate to have a viable place in this faith community?
The church is a place of sanctuary for all.We must at the least practice acceptance. At the most we must reach out into our communities and extend the frontdoor beyond the parking lot---to the communion rail into our midst wherever we go.
We are called to accept the unwanted, unloved, unlovable, and uncared for who are in our midst, our range and our moments in time when we meet them. We are being challenged to love the unlovable. Will we reach out and make that difference? Will we be able to heal the wounds with Sandy Hook?
Reach out to the less than, the forgotten and the mentally and physically challenged. When we look at the faces of the people we know or those who we do not know it is there that we will find Jesus.