It was the first of four Sundays in Advent leading up to the celebration of Christmas and the birth of Jesus. I was visiting Saugatuck United Church of Christ in Westport, Conn., where my daughter is the minister.
The morning worship began with a church family lighting the first candle on the Advent wreath. Later in the service, the children were asked, as a way to talk about the meaning of Advent, “What special day is this today?” Without pausing, one of the young children called out enthusiastically, “Hanukkah!” The congregation responded with surprise and delight.
The child had chosen an unexpected truth – it was indeed the beginning of Hanukkah for their Jewish neighbors. In addition, she inadvertently put one over on the pastor who was looking for the answer, “the first Sunday in Advent.”
There are two insights from this experience. First, never ask children a question with the expectation of a specific “right” answer. The second is the child’s truthful answer affirmed a sense of kinship with her Jewish friends. She included their celebration of Hanukkah alongside her church’s observance of Advent.
However, upon returning home, the first headline I read in the Monitor was, “A Threatened Community.” The article elaborated that there had been “a number of ‘threatening’ emails targeting members of the Concord Jewish community.” Then I turned to my December issue of the Smithsonian magazine and read the special report by the Investigative Fund at the National Institute, “The Costs of the Confederacy.” It gave an account of fourth-grade school children being taken to the historic home of Jefferson Davis. They were given access to a gift shop of “Confederate memorabilia – mugs, shirts, caps, and sundry items, many emblazoned with the battle flag of the Army of Northern Virginia.” When the children asked about slavery, a woman giving the tour answered: “I want to tell you the honest truth, that slavery was good and bad. While there were some hateful slave owners (there were also good slaveholders who were) good for the (African American) people that didn’t know how to take care of themselves.”
I also saw TV reports of confrontations at the U.S.-Mexico border. The U.S. Border Patrol had fired teargas into Mexico, where crowds of men, women and children gathered to seek asylum in the United States. This abuse of power was justified as an effort to prevent “bad people” from invading the United States and causing harm to U.S. citizens.
It seems that hegemony has become the norm for many people in our society who practice fear and hatred of others and teach the same to their children.
However, experiencing threats to the Jewish community and witnessing the enforcement of white supremacy may prompt an incentive to express an affinity with those of different faiths and ethnic backgrounds. It is completely unacceptable that in our society the Jewish community is under attack. Those who threaten people for being Jewish need to be denied credibility by society. There is no belief or argument that can justify disparaging an ethnic group. There is no excuse for maligning a religious faith that seeks peace with justice for all human beings.
It may be difficult to get this word out in an environment of fear and suspicion, where threats and hate dominate the conversation, but it is essential to make the effort.
For example, Christians and others joined the Jewish community to light the Menorah set up in front of the N.H. State House. And religious organizations are sponsoring trips to the U.S.-Mexico border to protest the conditions and treatment of migrants and asylum seekers.
I’m prompted by the voice of a little child speaking the truth that will lead us through the seven days of Kwanzaa, the eight days of Hanukkah, the 12 days of Christmas and the 30 days of Ramadan. These special occasions are not threats but hope for a future with peace with justice for all human beings.
(The Rev. John Buttrick, United Church of Christ, lives in Concord.)