Both Sides By Rev. Nina D. Grey December, 2001

Each fall as winter and its holidays approached I asked myself the same questions. What do the holidays mean to me? What may they mean to us? What are the some of the meanings in Christmas? In Chanukah? In the solstice? This quest is not only mine, it is ours, for ours is a faith whose members find their roots, journey and expression in more than one faith and more than one winter holy day. We hear stories and sing music and learn the history and development of different peoples' festivals. We explore the relationship between them, how some of them wove together harvest festivals or overlay one kind of birth story upon another. We ask about essential truths and the place of mystery in our faith journeys.

About ten years ago, I began to learn also about the cultural holiday of Kwanzaa, and to ask what it could mean, not only for those who celebrate it in their homes and families, but also for Unitarian Universalists and congregational life. Then last year I discovered another question. What about the Hindu festival of light, Divali, I wondered as we prepared for a special morning service which would draw on different festivals of light. My mind opened as I learned about yet another tradition and festival.

I didn't grow up learning one sacred story as my own. Yet many of our members and friends are strongly rooted in one of the winter festivals. For them, there may be stronger emotions attached to one of the holidays than the others. For many of us, we have exchanged literal understandings of holidays for more metaphorical ones. Yet no matter how our minds interpret these days, through the music and the story, the lights, and the ritual, our hearts receive them in another way. They become something about who we have been and who we still are, inside.

When, through learning, repetition and respect, we open mind and heart to the holidays which were not those of our childhood, we welcome in not only a new holy day but we are more hospitable to those who hold those days as holy. This is the challenge of being part of a pluralistic faith, of living in a pluralistic world, and of being part of an interfaith neighborhood and city.

This fall, in the fear which terrorism generated, our city saw more hate crime perpetrated against Arab people and those who practice the faith of Islam. I am glad that our church members stood with others against such hate. It was good to see that the City of Chicago began to schedule interfaith conversations. I was pleased to see that the Unitarian Church in Geneva, IL also is the site of such conversations, as is the University of Chicago. I look forward to educational and conversational opportunities such as these in our own congregation in the coming months, so that we may be faithful to our essential principles, promoting respect for the dignity and worth of all peoples, justice, equity and compassion in all human relations, and a free and responsible search for truth and meaning, so that we may understand more about what it means to be one human community.

This month, as we seek new knowledge, understanding, experience, and affirmation in December holidays, alongside Christmas, Chanukah, the Solstice, Divali and Kwanzaa, let us open our reflection to include the holy month of Ramadan, which began in November and ends in mid-December. And in the process of wondering what each of these sacred moments and times may mean for all of us, let us reflect on their meanings for those who hold them most closely to their hearts. For this is the kind of respect which helps lead to peace on earth, goodwill toward all.

With love, and wishes for a deeply meaningful holiday season,

Nina