Like

Why I Celebrate!

 Celebrating! Is it Christian? Is it Pagan? I really don't give a rat's furry behind. 

An acquaintance once said to me, “I do not celebrate Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s or any of those things because they are pagan holidays filled with fables that force people to give in to capitalism.” I get it. I respect the truths in the statement. I also believe that these occasions are more than pagan holidays – that there are other ways to look at and engage them. 

I choose to celebrate Christmas not because I am dogmatic about it being Jesus’ birthday (because it is not), but because it is a time set aside to mark the birth of the revolutionary Jesus; a time set aside where the world has a way of pausing its angst, to hear the sound of life as God intended; a time set aside to honor the value of family and love.

I celebrate Easter not because of the hunt for treasure encased in enticingly colored eggs (that’s fun), but because the green blade indeed rises at Eastertime. The hope that can get snagged on remnants of an otherwise difficult life can be freed. The belief that I serve a living Savior who is still making all things new encourages me to keep fighting against the atrocities that diminish life. The resurrection of Jesus is hope and love back-handing hatred and division. 

There are enough legends surrounding Valentine’s Day to make me cringe. Yet, I celebrate this occasion because of the brilliance and boldness of love on display. It is only transcendent love that has the power to lift one up and over the other stuff. This kind of love is expressed in romantic, familial, and friendly ways, thus covering the range of our experiences. I love it!


So, what do I do with the pagan and fable pieces to these occasions? I remember that even the revered Bible is loaded with tales and practices labeled as both pagan and fabled, and yet, the thread that cannot be unraveled throughout its depth and breadth is one of transcendent love. Therefore, if love is lovely (does no harm), if love is love (does no harm), and if love is life (does no harm), I am here for it!

May love always be what God intended it: cosmic and life-giving (Mark 12:28ff) 


Born and raised on The Gem of the Caribbean (Antigua and Barbuda), I am an immigrant living in the U.S. with my Fantastic Four and High School boops.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

They Asked To Leave

Image
  I sat in my office dividing my attention between watching the General Conference session and clicking away on my laptop at the task on hand. The lights were on in my office and the door was wide open. Following the worship at The UMC General Conference on April 25, 2024, and despite the presence of the usual and additional challenges of serving as pastor in my current context, I felt light-hearted and excitedly hopeful about the church – local, denominational, and universal. I was excitedly hopeful that on principle, the church would no longer remain silent in the face of gross injustices but would be vocal and active about transforming the same. Then, it was as if the light flickered and dimmed as a conference in The UMC asked to leave. I felt the dip in my heart and my hope. The church should stand united against marginalization. The church should stand united in seeing God’s active love at work. Surely, I was in the twilight zone. I turned my attention back and watched the...
Read more

In Defense of Mr. Grinch

Image
Every year, I look forward to hearing the well-known cadence of the famous, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and to watch multiple versions of “How the Grinch stole Christmas.” I am drawn to the green, hairy, guy who makes me laugh, and think. Every year that I watch the Grinch, I find another detail that I missed the last time. The way the story of the Grinch is told, one gets the sense that this green, hairy, yellow-eyed guy is a monster. But now that I have put away the lights and decorations of Christmas, I want to mount a defense of Mr. Grinch. To do this, I must dig into the heart of a story often oversimplified into a tale of a Christmas-hating villain. This narrative, deeply embedded in our cultural consciousness, warrants a critical re-examination, especially in light of the Grinch’s experiences of othering by the people of Whoville. At the core of the Grinch’s story is this deep sense of alienation. He was not born with a disdain for Christmas; rather, his attitude was shaped ...
Read more

Juneteenth: Elusive Freedom

Image
I was born in the colonized Caribbean island of Antigua and raised in the first village to receive the news of emancipation from slavery. Every summer, Antigua hosts its vibrant carnival to celebrate the emancipation that took place on August 1, 1834. Carnival comes alive with the sounds, colors, and joy of the island's African culture. According to the Monarch King Short Shirt, Antigua's carnival is "the greatest summer festival!" Additionally, on November 1 each year, Antigua celebrates its hard-fought independence from England. The British freed slaves in Antigua in 1834 as part of their broader move to abolish slavery in the Caribbean colonies, believing it hindered modernization. However, the lives of the formerly enslaved did not significantly improve. They continued to toil under conditions barely distinguishable from slavery. With no place to live, many remained in plantation housing, where residence implied an agreement to work on that plantation. They lacked...
Read more