Unitarian Universalist Church of Palo Alto

Reflection: My Christmases

VJ Mohan
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Palo Alto, CA

The earliest Christmas I remember is as an eighth grader at St. Lourdes’ Church in my home town of Nagapattinam, an old sea-faring town, on the east coast of India about 300 miles north of its southern tip. I was baptized into the Catholic faith at that church. Some of you know that the “J” in “VJ” stands for my baptismal name Joseph. I used to go as “Joe” in my early days in the late 80’s at this church. It took some work for some of you to switch from “Joe” to “VJ”. If you are wondering “Why the switch?”, you have to wait for another of my reflections in the future!

In any case, in those times I usually attended the Latin Midnight Christmas Mass with my grandmother. I can still smell the candles, the frankincense, and the new clothes. And I can still hear the rustle of the heavy silk saris and the priest’s brocaded vestments; the rat-a-tat-tat of the church rattle that we altar boys shook as the priest raised the Communion; and the ching-ching of the metal incense holder as I rocked it rocked it back and forth as an altar boy. You see, I have not advanced much farther in my church role from those days. No more red robe and white vest on me, no big beautiful statue of Our Lady of Lourdes in white and blue hovering above, but still the same job of assisting Reverends! Christmas then was simply midnight mass, new clothes, and special food. I can still taste the special rice and coconut pie my grandmother used to make for Christmas breakfast. No one makes it as she used to.

As I grew up to be a high-school student, as the eldest son of the family and the most enthusiastically religious of the household at that time, I set up the Christmas crèche. In my parts, they used to make very beautiful clay crèche sets with the figurines painted in beautiful bright colors Italian style. Not like the kitschy plastic ones of today, the only kind you can buy these days in my town. I made a large paper star with a bulb glowing inside and hung it outside our home, as Christian homes still do in my parts of India at Christmas time. I got some ideas of what Christmas is supposed to be like from the used Christmas cards that were handed out to us at the Anglican Sunday School I attended then and added to my crèche display casuarina branches, which were the closest I could get to a pine tree.

After high school, Christmas faded away from my life as I went to live in the College hostel and moved away from religion in general. I went home every Christmas, but was only a passive and disinterested participant.

Much later I came to this country as a married man with my wife and my two-year old daughter and made Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, our home. The Christmases in Pittsburgh were more like the ones I saw in the used Christmases cards that formed my idea of true Christmas: snow on the ground, snow man, pine trees, holly foliage, glittering lights, fire places, red scarves, music, fancy new unused greeting cards, and gift boxes everywhere. We had to be part of it. We set up a Chrismas tree. We hung ornaments. We sent Christmas cards to everyone we knew. We exchanged gifts. True pagan Christmases!

Then we moved to California. California Christmas is not quite the same as the real Christmas of the North East. I have known people in those parts who refuse to move to California because they want to enjoy the four seasons and White Christmas. I can sympathize with them.

Here in California I found you guys, this church. It was then a very humanist church and I do not remember it taking Christmas seriously. And our family Christmases here continued to be Pagan ones. My children are grown up now and are interested in only the secular Christmas. Perhaps because that is the kind of Christmas they grew up with. My wife is interested mainly in the family aspects of Christmas to the extent that I and our obstreperous offspring will go along with.

Sometime along the way, I discovered the ecumenical Christmas service at the Stanford Memorial Church. It brings back to me memories of the grandeur and ritual of my Catholic Church in India. And then some. I look forward to singing the carols there and listening to the organ music. That service has become a permanent fixture of my Christmas these days.

As the years passed by, Christmas found its way into this church, but with a new interpretation from the perspective of social consciousness. Over the past few years I have fashioned a new kind of Christmas for myself: My Holiday Season starts at Thanksgiving and extends into the New Year, kind of a modified period of Advent. My theme for the season for the last few years has been the same as the White House Christmas theme for this year: “Reflect, Rejoice, Renew”. It is a time to rejoice in my family, friends, and cohorts; in music, dance, nature, and worship; in life itself. I visit with friends and their families. I join in singing the carols every chance I get. I go to all the dance parties. And I take long walks in our wonderful parks and beaches. To give thanks to all that I am blessed with.

It is a time to reflect on my life: where it has been and where it is. I go on a spiritual retreat, when possible. I reflect on my work. What has been working and what not. And why. And a time to renew and redirect my life toward where I’d like to head. Renew my commitments to the causes I believe in. Deepen and stabilize those parts that are working. And redirect other parts toward the directions where I’d like them to develop.

Now, as we wind up this Christmas season, let us take a few moments to reflect on the Work of Christmas with Howard Thurman, who served as spiritual advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during the Civil Rights Movement:

The Work of Christmas
by Howard Thurman

When the song of angels is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas begins:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among the peoples,
To make music in the heart.

 

Sermon: Envy and Us by Rev. Roger Jones