Sun, 2006 Dec 31
Chasing the Holidays
Well, I for one am glad the winter holiday mess is drawing to a close. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy a lot of it, but rather that at some point is starts to drag on. Sort of the same concept as getting two-thirds of the way through a novel you’ve rather enjoyed but could have had a lot cut out of it. You’re tired of the book, but you’ve got to finish it.
My biggest frustration with the holidays is how everything gets off schedule. As I’ve been known to recently mention, I’m rather fond of security and stability (Both points, btw, probably contribute a great deal to my distrust of the ‘War on Terra’). Which brings me to the concept of a sanctuary. One of the most important features of a sanctuary, for me, is stability. Hence, eating at Chili’s is a sanctuary for me, precisely because any Chili’s is pretty much the same as any other.
Church is sometimes a sanctuary for me, sometimes not. The particular time that it is not is November and December of each year. Yes, the holidays. For example, my church has changed service times three weeks in a row now. And I’m not sure when the last ‘non-special’ service was. Now, I’m quite willing to accept that what qualifies something as a sanctuary for me is different from others’ qualifications. However, it seems to me that a congregation’s leadership ought to at least balance the confusion and irregularity of Christmas-time, instead of actively contributing to it.
Regardless of my desires, it seems our culture requires instability during this season. I’m curious as to why, but more curious as to why people, such as church leadership, do not try to combat it, do not even seem to realize that they are a part of it. Or perhaps they do, and rather like it. I can see how for more adventerous types than I, the coming of Thanksgiving might be a more than welcome change.
Me? I’ve been programming a for-fun project the past week. And that, for me, is a sanctuary.
