Merry Christmas

On this eve of Christmas 2008, I am reflecting on two important things I learned from a conversation with a friend this week. At the time, her points hit me like 1,000 pounds of bricks. Since then, the other half of the ton has been hitting me in the head, one brick at a time. They will continue to get my attention as I reflect in the days ahead on these lessons she taught me:

1) Come down from the mountaintop where you've been communing with your god, stop thinking and writing about yourself and do something to improve the lives of others. God isn't just about your experience, it's about being part of a community of persons with a similar desire to create a better world for everyone.

2) As you continue your spiritual journey, consider this: If you were to create your own personal religion, what would it look like? Let's see: It would be centered on unconditional love for every living thing, a deep appreciation for the gift of life and the natural world that surrounds us, compassion and inclusion, and serving people who have the greatest need.

Sound familiar? It sounds a lot like the only part of the Bible that ever made sense to me: The sermon on the mount in Matthew. I dug out my well-worn childhood Bible (image above) and re-read chapter five, compete with my 40-plus-year-old notes in the margins and underlined text.

I've spent a lot of negative energy over the years debunking the myths of Christianity (the Bible is a history book full of parables, for god's sake!) and the guilt and the ridiculous rules that were drilled into me in Lutheran catechism class during my youth. It's time to move on and focus on the positive, without regard to what it's called, or who gets the credit -- God, Yahweh, Brahman, Nirvana; Abraham, Jesus, Buddha, Lao Tzu, Muhammad, Gandhi, King, Obama, you or me. Blessed are all the peacemakers.

As I reflect on my many blessings on this day, I am thankful for my family, my health, the wondrous gift of life, and my many friends who share this appreciation. Most especially, I thank those who remind us to focus on doing something for others.

Peace, love and a merry Christmas!