STEP 13 WAKING UP, REMEMBERING AND SOME DOING

The next morning was Christmas Sunday. What a wonderful gift to me that dream was! I shared it briefly with Judy over breakfast and as we prepared to attend church with our friend and sing in the choir as usual. I had gladly agreed to share one song with the congregation on that day, the MARY HAD A BABY that I had done previously at Fat Albert's. Buoyed up by the dream I simply had to say something yet I didn't want to hijack the service or be inappropriate nor to embarrass our friends.
I guess I did all right, which probably means that no one understood a word of what I was trying to say. I reminded the congregation that the stories in the birth narratives (which had all been read in the service by that time) should be heard not as cute stories for the children but as warnings to us because everyone in the stories that found the baby were either outcasts (shepherds) or non-believers (astrologers). All those who were “in the know” missed the proverbial boat. “Isn't that an obvious warning that in our religious stuff we're probably missing out too?”, I suggested. “If we don't feel warned or in danger at Christmas we should be worried, if we are preoccupied by warm and fuzzy stuff we're in a state of self delusion and are missing out on the reality of Emmanuel.” As the refrain in the song reminds us “and de people keep a coming' and de train done gone.”
That song of slavery tells of people continually needing liberation and life but sometimes the train has just done gone. Has the church today done gone? Gone to bazaars, teas, pageants and fuzzy manger scenes? Leaving the underground railways for more acceptable and less risky pastimes?
After this short introduction we sang the song and everyone after the service said it was great. “ How nice it is to have a new Christmas song! Bring your guitar more often.” Nobody understood.
I can see how some of the prophets in old Israel did some weird things. They had to do something in order to get people's attention. By-in-large people only hear what they want. Can't blame them. We all do. Who wants to change?
Was I disappointed? Certainly. Surprised? Not really. It was about as I expected. I'll try to learn from it. After all, I've only begun to hand out bottles of water.
Dear One, thanks for the dream.

"Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music." - Angela Monet

"Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart to give yourself to it." - Buddha