Twelve
Truth.
"However, after decades of wrestling, I have come to value poetry, and metaphor, and myth, and legend for their ability to convey truths, regardless of their factual reality. And for me, the Christmas story is a treasure of truths. What are the messages of Christmas? That whatever the nature of God, every birth is the birth of God among us. And that each night a child is born is a holy night, a night of promise and of new possibilities. And that the power of love can bring peace on earth. The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of faith and hope.
So, how do I celebrate Christmas even if I don't believe the story is factual? I allow the poetry and images of the messages to speak to me and to stir my imagination. I look for truths in the "garment of legend". I have the faith to believe that, although the story is not factual, it is true. As a Unitarian Universalist minister, I recognize that our religious roots are in Christian soil, and I feel bound by the responsibility to proclaim the truths of Christmas.
I close with these words: "Let us enter into this Christmas with the strength of imagination. Let us not stumble on words or be caught up in images that do not seem to represent us. Let us transcend them all with the strength of imagination so that the essence, the meaning, and the truth are ours to use. And then let us use them with continual imagination, to discover fruitful ways to improve the life around us." (Conrad Dippel)"
~Rev. Anne Herndon
Truth.
"However, after decades of wrestling, I have come to value poetry, and metaphor, and myth, and legend for their ability to convey truths, regardless of their factual reality. And for me, the Christmas story is a treasure of truths. What are the messages of Christmas? That whatever the nature of God, every birth is the birth of God among us. And that each night a child is born is a holy night, a night of promise and of new possibilities. And that the power of love can bring peace on earth. The spirit of Christmas is the spirit of faith and hope.
So, how do I celebrate Christmas even if I don't believe the story is factual? I allow the poetry and images of the messages to speak to me and to stir my imagination. I look for truths in the "garment of legend". I have the faith to believe that, although the story is not factual, it is true. As a Unitarian Universalist minister, I recognize that our religious roots are in Christian soil, and I feel bound by the responsibility to proclaim the truths of Christmas.
I close with these words: "Let us enter into this Christmas with the strength of imagination. Let us not stumble on words or be caught up in images that do not seem to represent us. Let us transcend them all with the strength of imagination so that the essence, the meaning, and the truth are ours to use. And then let us use them with continual imagination, to discover fruitful ways to improve the life around us." (Conrad Dippel)"
~Rev. Anne Herndon
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