God,
creator of us all, help us in the afterglow of Christmas see that our work for
justice has only begun. Fill us with the
joy of the angels and energize us to seek new ways of being, and new ways of
doing your work. Allow us to hear your
sweet call to peace and give us courage to utter the sacred “yes”. Amen
What a whirlwind the last few days have been. Services, parties, traveling, it’s hard to
remember what day it is or which holiday we’re celebrating this week. I’m not sure when it all became so
complicated. This is the week when I
want to slow everything down and replay Christmas and enjoy it free from the
actual stress of doing it. The Church
Calendar obviously agrees with me—this being the First Sunday after Christmas
and next Sunday being the Sunday we traditionally celebrate the arrival of the
Wise Men.
We finish our Advent/Christmas walk through the first
18 verses of the Gospel of John today. I
hope you remember some of what we have discussed along the way. On the first Sunday of Advent, we spoke about
the power of the spoken word and, in particular, the power of God’s word in our
lives. On the second Sunday of Advent we
spoke of the healing and transforming power of God as the Life-Light. On the third Sunday of Advent, we said that
what was the most real thing about Christmas was the gift of becoming children
of God. Finally, through music and song,
we spoke and sang of the Advent-time of being the time of the in-breaking of
peace for and in the world. On Christmas
Eve our short reflection focused on the reality of the Christ-child in our
lives. Now, here we are, a few days past
Christmas, seeking the answer to the question: What impact did the preceding
days have on our spiritual lives?
Along with the First Sunday after Christmas, we also
celebrate Kwanzaa, a unique and interesting holiday. A reflection on the meaning of Kwanzaa also
works quite nicely as a summary of all that we have been talking about. Let me see if I can describe what I
mean. What makes Kwanzaa different from
other holidays is that there is no religious or patriotic meaning behind
it. It is a cultural holiday created Dr.
Maulana Karenga. It is a celebration of
African values and affirms that African-Americans are part of a culture with
shared ancestors and shared traditions.
Kwanzaa is described by Dr. Karenga as a “creative and cultural synthesis” of
both Continental African elements and African-American elements. Established in 1966, it arose as a response to
the fight for civil rights and the turmoil of the 60’s in general. It was an attempt, and a successful one at
that, to bring African-Americans together to celebrate what they believe and,
more importantly, the importance of their heritage. Part of our journey to radical hospitality is
that we learn about various traditions and, so today, we greet Kwanzaa.
There are seven guiding principles which are celebrated, one
on each day, during Kwanzaa which begins on December 26th and ends
on January 1st. The symbols
are few—there are the red and green candles with one black in the center placed
in a menorah-like candle holder and lit during the days of Kwanzaa. There is a mat upon which the candles are
situated and an ear of corn for each child in the family is added as well. It is a simple holiday celebrating simple,
yet profoundly powerful concepts. Modest
gifts are given on the seven days and consumerism and materialism are heavily
discouraged in Kwanzaa celebrations.
The seven guiding principles may well be unknown to most of
us as we may have never really explored the meaning of Kwanzaa before. The first principle is Umoja
(OO-MO-JAH). Meaning Unity, this
principle focuses on the importance of the family and community being and
acting together. There is an old African
saying that goes like this—“I am because we are.” Imagine the impact of applying this principle
to our beliefs about what a church or community should be. What if we truly valued Unity over our
cultural, theological, and racial differences?
What if our guiding principle of being in the world focused on our
interconnectedness and our interdependence upon each other? When being equal in God’s sight is valued
over ‘rightness’ or ‘wrongness’ of a particular doctrine or belief, imagine the
power for good and justice that would be released in halls formerly painted in
strife and discord.
The second principle is Kujichagulia (KOO-GEE-CHA-GOO-LEE-YAH). It means self-determination and the
understanding that our decisions must be in the best interest of our community
or family. Self-determination means that
we have the right to name ourselves.
Think for just a moment about the difference such a principle would have
made in the lives of any marginalized people with respect to political or
religious power. What if, what if,
lesbians and gay men had been able to name themselves—do you really think we
would have called ourselves “Abomination” or “Demon”? If African-Americans had been able to name
themselves, we know they would not have chosen the hateful, odious words chosen
for them by some of our great-great-great grandparents. The importance of naming and of
self-determination is crucial in any work for justice and equality. If we could all speak our own truth, and not
have it spoken for us, what changes would we—those of us who live in
privilege—have to make?
The third principle we celebrate today is Ujima (OO-GEE-MAH)
and reminds us that we are all in this together. It calls us to rise to whatever role we are
to play in our community, society, and the world. It calls each of us to do our part. But it is more than just doing. Think about this—what if every time a
decision were made, the decision makers asked themselves if they were being
true to all those who came before them; in other words, were they honoring the
ancestors and saints who walked before?
And even more radical, imagine the difference in outcomes that would result
from decision-makers actually caring about the impact today’s decisions have on
the tomorrow’s children. Would it change
our use of limited resources or the way we process our foods? Would it affect the way we viewed the
distribution of money and other valuable assets?
The fourth principle of Kwanzaa is Ujamaa (OO-JAH-MAH),
which means seeking an economy that utilizes our collective strengths and
reminds us that we best meet our common needs through mutuality and
support. Far different from a zero-sum
economics which does nothing more than encourage each one to get “what is
coming to him or her” before anyone else can, a cooperative economy focuses on
what the community needs—perhaps even the world. It changes the primary question from “how can
I make sure I have what I need?” to “what is in the best interest of the
world?”
Nia (NEE-YAH) is the
fifth principle. Nia means purpose and
encourages each one of us to look within ourselves for the good we can
contribute to the whole and to set personal goals in such a way as they benefit
the community. The sixth principle can
be looked at in conjunction with the fifth.
Kuumba (KOO-OOM-BAH), which means creativity invites us to make use of
our creative energies to build and maintain a strong and vital community. Think about it. How does your creativity relate to the
changes that will make this church a better place in which to worship and the
world a better place in which to live?
Can you use those creative energies to improve not just your life, but
the life of your neighborhood, church, or world?
Finally, there is the principle of Imani (EE-MAH-NEE) which
is translated Faith. This principle
focuses on honoring the best of the community’s traditions and calls upon each
person to offer up the best in herself or himself. This, by its very nature, allows us to strive
for a higher level of life for all humankind.
Imani tells us we can do anything in the name of righteous
struggle. It tells us of our power to
effect change.
Just as our Gospel lesson calls us to understand that
all gifts—gift after gift after gift—comes from God, Kwanza puts that call into
a holiday and celebration for all to see.
Kwanzaa comes from an African word which means “first fruits”. It is the celebration of the gifts of
God. All that we have explored this
season comes from God—all the joy, the excitement, especially the baby come to
show us the way—gift after gift after gift.
John tells us that we all live off of God’s generous bounty. Is it not a right and good thing to celebrate
the way the gifts of culture, tradition, and faith impact our world today? Is it not a right and good thing to learn all
we can learn about all people on earth—God’s great earth—God’s great
people. Harambee is an African word
which means “let’s pull together” or just “pull together”. Hear the Harambee and Words of Parting for
Kwanzaa: Peace and Blessings upon each of us,
known and unknown, both within and without these walls. Let’s all pull
together. HARAMBEE! Amen and amen.
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