Here it is mid-November, yet the newsletter deadline looms...
so it's time to Muse about December...
Is it just me, or is time moving faster these days?
Time.
For me, woven into the texture of the many meanings of the holidays - the spirit of generosity and service, gifts given and re- ceived, special meals and gatherings and worship - is an invitation to experience time differently, at least for a season. In religious or spiritual terms, we could put it this way: We are invited depart from the regularities of mundane or secular time and to enter the mysteries of sacred time. What does this mean? Here's a start: At wedding rehearsals I am often asked if the wedding will start on time or not. My response? Once we arrive at the Meeting House we have entered "wedding time." We will be- gin when we are ready to begin, no longer looking at or heeding our watches. "Wedding time," I could add, is one of many varieties of sacred time.
Of course we can't stop looking at our watches for the entire month of December - much as we might like to. But can we at least stop now and then? Enter into the sacred time of memories, of ancient stories and myths, of festive meals?
Not always easy. In some measure because our clock-bound habits have worn deep grooves in our lives. In some measure too because this time of year can be a time of huge stress for many of us: Challenging relationships can become more challenging. Long ago losses often seem fresh and poignantly present. The anxiety of what to give, what to bake, who to invite… all too easily can wear us out.
Who has the energy (or ironically the time!) for sacred time?
Well, it seems to me that given all these complexities, all this potential for stress, given our sometimes soul-deadening habits… it becomes all the more important to intentionally seek out sacred time - perhaps reading attentively the old stories or a treasured an- cient text or poem, or attending an Old Ship Vespers on a Wednes- day evening; perhaps playing that corny but favorite Christmas album (my personal choice is the one by Bing Crosby), or watching "It's a Wonderful Life" one more time, or slowly and attentively opening a card from an old friend - or writing one; maybe simply stopping to appreciate the deepening dark of December nights, stars shining ever more brightly as the moment of solstice approaches.
May you put aside watch and clock and deadline whenever you can this month, adding when you can ample (timeless we might say) stretches of sacred time, the better to appreciate the moment, the season, and one another.
Peace and blessings,
Ken, oldshipkrb@comcast.net
