An Advent Message
There is a new way of understanding and a way of experiencing the spirit of the holiday season. We have been led to believe that our Christmas culture and celebrations are somehow divergent from Jesus and his birth story, but in reality, it is in total alignment.
This time of year is incredibly powerful because the story of the divine emerging through humanity is expressed in so many ways - the music, the Christmas movies, the celebrations. Every good Christmas movie opens your heart, to not only the Christmas spirit, but it allows you to witness the divine human spirit in many different ways, whether it is Scrooge opening his heart to serving others or George Bailey witnessing how he touched so many in his life, in ways he could never imagine. Even the Kranks realize they can't skip Christmas and their holiday is miraculously saved by the love of their neighbors.
Of course, the best holiday films include the big man himself, Santa Claus.
Santa Claus or Saint Nick is just that - A saint. He is a master of time, space, and resides in the flow of the creative force that is the Holy Spirit. He is omnipotent and omniscient. He can bilocate and teleport. And one night a year, he performs miracles for millions of children across the world. He is so in touch with the divine grace that he does not see himself as separate from the divine flow.
We created the myth of Santa Claus to represent what is possible when we have surrendered our own will in order to be a vehicle of the divine emerging through the human heart. When this happens, we enter a world of spontaneous miracles where what we need and desire effortlessly manifests from our neighbors.
A child writes their letter to Santa with total faith that they will indeed receive what they desire and then they patiently (or somewhat impatiently) wait for Christmas Day and are overjoyed to see that Santa came. It is an incredible gift to play the role of Santa to a child - to be an instrument of that joy that they experience on Christmas morning.
We encourage children to believe in him for as long as possible and become saddened when they stop believing. It is a remarkable metaphor for how the veil begins to cover our eyes to the Divine.
The truth is Santa isn't a myth. Each of us can play the role of Santa to every person we encounter and, not just during the Christmas season, but everyday. We may not have the experience of a direct darshan- seeing the divine in front of us, eyes open - but we don't need to because we can see the divine in each other. Look upon each person as a saint, as a source of miracles, and gifts will come to you too. You too can be the source of miracles in another’s life.
Be small. Be like a child full of wonderment on Christmas. Believe!
We all have lofty dreams of what we would do to serve others when we win the lottery, but it is the little things that make a big impact - a smile, picking up groceries for someone, giving the panhandler your change, sending a text to an old friend, lending an ear to listen.
Believe in the Divine, just as a child believes in Santa. This is the source of miracles.
Santa isn't a distraction from Jesus. He's an example of how to live and serve as Christ did. Just as watching stories of Santa touch our hearts during the Christmas season, let your actions touch the hearts of all those around you year round. This is why we love this time of year, it shows us what is truly possible when we all live and love like Jesus did.
Song of the Week - Believe by Josh Groban
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