Christmas Eve
We sang Christmas carols last night. It is a rare treat to sing carols. We have lots of music; it is everywhere, digital. I have several Spotify play lists that I sometimes enjoy. But I miss singing, especially at Christmas time. I could attend church. But I have not attended for years. I have reasons, some personal that I do not wish to go into now.
We were invited to a friend’s home for a meal, a gathering of extended conversation at the table and then a session of singing around the piano. Our host, Tony, is a competent pianist showing obvious pleasure as he played. Laura began our session with a solo rendition of Ave Maria which was deeply moving. Then we sang carol after carol for at least a half hour. Silent Night was especially satisfying. We sang all three verses of Oh Come All Ye Faithful in English and then a verse in Latin. The Latin was rendered as the last verse on our song sheet. Looking at the notes at the top of the sheets of music I was impressed with the diversity of cultures, from the beginning of Christianity till the present time, that had given rise to such beautiful music.
What can I say about Christmas? There are two versions of the Christmas story. Both the story from the Gospel of Luke, and that of the Gospel of Matthew are replete with the characters offering one soliloquy after another. The stories are quite different as to viewpoint but everyone is offering a description of their sense of the meaning of their experience. Mary speaks at length in Luke, the shepherds, and in Matthew the Wise men or better rendered the Zoroastrian Magicians, all speak.
Two aspects of the stories leap out at me. The Magicians, “We saw his star rising and set out to follow.” A star is rising, and those who see it are invited to follow, to initiate a journey, and to observe where the journey leads. I know all of this is ambiguous, and that is as it has to be. Is not your journey different from any one else’s? Of course it is. It has to be. There is no one just like you.
There is one more dimension that we look past, in our songs and celebration of good will at Christmas time. That is the aspect of the story that heralds the demise of “business-as-usual” manner of relationships, and of organizing our public affairs. To put it bluntly: the birth of Jesus signals the end of MF politics.* The helpless, innocent human, in a rough-hewn domestic animal feed bin, is the advocate for basing our relationships on shared power, mutual understanding, recognition that our long term interests coincide.
I don’t know about you, but I find that to be a attractive option. And it depends upon each of us who follow the rising star. Yeah, I know this is controversial, revolutionary even. That is as it should be.
*Mother Fucker politics ; that is, winner take all, and the devil take the hindmost.
51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;
he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones
but has lifted up the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
but has sent the rich away empty.
Luke chapter 1: verses 51 -53
The verses are excerpted from Mary’s song, the Magnificat. The fierce emotional posture reminds me of the symbol of Athena, the fierce female goddess and defender of Athens.
6 thoughts on “Christmas Eve”
Your Christmas notes, both musical and prosaic, are certainly welcome on this holiday eve. They are also a succinct reminder of the hyperbole and hypocritical ramblings of many who self-identify as Christians yet make no effort to follow the guidelines of empathy and compassion espoused in the Bible. Instead many folks will cherry pick passages that fit their inner narrative of exclusion and vengeance against the poor, the unlucky and those with skin tones different from their own. “An eye for an eye” is one that is particularly egregious during this time when we sing songs such as Joy to the World and Good King Wenceslas. We are a very odd species. Perhaps at some point down the road we will internalize the tenets of these songs, but until then, enjoy the day.
Tobin, a merry Christmas to you and your family.
Yes, politics seems a dirty game, but how else to get things done, a dictatorship? I doubt anyone really wants that. As Aristotle, asked:
“Why is it that all those who have become eminent in philosophy or politics or poetry or the arts are clearly of an atrabilious [that is, melancholic] temperament, and some of them to such an extent as to be affected by diseases caused by black bile?”
Can anyone suggest another way than politics?
Gary, Merry Christmas! My concluding paragraph was my intended answer to your question. The status quo does not have to be. When you and I define politics as a dirty business our behavior will conform to our definition. If you and I disagree, each has an important point so why shouldn’t we reasonably negotiate and compromise?
Dang. And here I assumed “MF Politics” meant “Me First!” until you explained it. Sometimes ignorance IS bliss.
The acronym and definition is my own. That is the shape of things to me.