Monday, November 30, 2009

Keep Awake This Holiday Season

I preached yesterday about Advent and its messages. Although UU's don't follow the lectionary, I'm always interested in seeing which texts my Christian colleagues are using. I found yesterday's Mark text ominous, but I liked the ending: "keep awake."

Keep awake is an important message as we go through the next four very busy weeks. I encouraged my congregants to let go of the "should's" this holiday season but instead only do the activities that feed their soul.

Here's an excerpt:

Make a promise to yourself to live intentionally during these next four weeks. To let go of the activities on your to do list that don’t feed your soul, and to do the ones that do. If you don’t like writing holiday cards or baking hundreds of cookies, don’t, even if that’s what you have always done. Decide if you love seeing “The Nutcracker” or if this is the year, you’ll finally stop going. Watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” or “White Christmas” with your family because you can’t wait to see them again, or take the afternoon to read a book. If you enjoy the mall, go. If you don’t, shop online or don’t shop at all. Eat the wonderful foods that you enjoy, but skip the fruitcake. Each of us only has a finite number of December seasons left. Keep awake.

May it be so.

2 comments:

Scott Wells said...

Some Unitarian Universalists not only use the Revised Common Lectionary, but there's Unitarian Universalist representation on its development board.

Jo Gerrard said...

Would you be willing to share the whole sermon?

Also, for some people fruitcake is the food they enjoy (not me, but I have family members who love the stuff!). :D