Minister’s Letter 12/1/2025
Dear Friends,
Each year I start my December Anvil article by letting you know that, indeed, I have already been listening to Christmas music for a month. I was recently talking with Greg Potts about this. He shared with me that he was standing in line to check out with his items and Christmas music was playing. The music would not have been his choice, but he recalled that I love it. He told me he could picture me enjoying the music if I was there with him. This act of connection, even without me present, is part of what our Unitarian Universalist theology calls us to do. Not to appreciate Christmas music specifically (though just maybe that could be fun for you, remember that our Unitarian and Universalist ancestors wrote the lyrics to some of the best Christmas songs). Instead, embracing a practice of being fulfilled by knowing that another in our community is nurtured by something we are not; that is the essence of pluralism.
One of the values we lift up as Unitarian Universalists is the value of pluralism. We commit to honoring the truth that amongst us, and well beyond us, others find meaning and connection to things we do not. Rather than “yuck another’s yum,” as is often said, we can choose to feel blessed knowing that another is getting their needs met. This is not the easiest thing to do. We all like having our own needs met. The challenge of this is why we call it a practice. With the multitude of holidays happening this season, now is a great time to engage in this spiritual art. Remember that the reading during a service, the hymn you hear, of the words of the sermon might be speaking to the person in the chair next to you, even if it doesn’t resonate with you in the same way.
This is a season of miracles, joy, and a return of light. How might you find a connection to these spiritual attributes of this winter holiday season? I was talking with a Christian chaplain about how this is the time of celebrating incarnation season, the embodiment of love in human flesh. A Muslim friend who was part of the conversation chuckled and said, “welp, this is my time to exit.” It was a playful retort and a reminder that the theological differences of this time are significant, even when we respect one another’s truths. While I may not believe that Jesus is uniquely divine, no more divine than you and me, both my Muslim friend and I can honor that our Christian chaplain buddy is excited for the anticipation time embodied in Advent and the story of a joyous birth.
I’ve been having quite a number of interfaith experiences lately. In a conversation during a kitchen dance party with a Jewish friend we discussed her kiddo’s excitement about the coming miracle of lights. She said he loves the lighting of candles. He loves the prayers they say in Hebrew each night and is excited that this year he just might have memorized all the words to sing as he lights the menorah. During a time of overwhelming authoritarianism, stories of survival could not be more necessary. Each time a candle is lit, a flame of resistance is kindled.
How are you telling stories of faith, love, connection, and survival this month? What do those stories look like in your life? Share these stories with one another. Tell each other about your traditions. Our community is stronger when we honor one another.
Happy holidays,
