Advent epiphany

It's Advent season, not epiphany season, but I'll take an epiphany anytime I get one, and I got one the first Sunday of Advent, sitting in church. I love the church I attend because it is radically inclusive and active with social justice and community service/outreach. But I'm not always crazy about the mention of Jesus or the adherence to standard Christian rituals. Jesus was a righteous dude and all, but so were Buddha, Mohammed, and a host of spiritual mystics, and I believe they are all valid paths to connecting with a higher power. I value that their beliefs, along with contemporary writings are often included in services. But it's the radical inclusiveness that keeps me coming back. So often the past year I've felt lost in my life and not sure where I fit or if I fit anywhere, but I was always, always welcome at church. It was a place I could go to feel affirmed in my humanity, no matter how confused I was about who I wanted to be or how I wanted to be in the world. That acceptance always grounds me and helps me reconnect to the essence of my self - the inner knowing that I am ok and will always be ok, no matter what else is going on in my life. So I put up with the parts I'm not crazy about. In the meantime I've learned a lot about the connection all the Christian rituals have with the pagan and celtic calendars and rites that predate them.

But about that epiphany thing. It was the first Sunday of Advent and sitting in church I wondered why we repeat these rituals every year. What's the point? Then I realized, at least for me, the rituals offer a sense of hope in difficult times. They are a reminder that there is something worth hanging in there for, and while you're hanging in there, there is something to experience. I ascribe to the heaven on earth philosophy (that is, our presence in the here and now is our best opportunity to experience spiritual connection), not the heaven in the hereafter. I'm not saying that anything I do now is in exchange for some reward when I die. It's more like there are little moments of heaven to be experienced, lived, tasted, and felt right now and that includes pain and anguish as part of the equation. Examples - sunrise, sunset, watching my dog be a dog, sitting in the sun, or by a fire, walking in the rain, holding a beloved pet as it dies, being vulnerable with friends, being authentic with my family, chocolate, naps. Maybe you get the picture. So many little things about life to be cherished for what they give in joy or in wisdom or just in reminding us of the bittersweet gift of humanity. Rituals serve to remind me that I always have access to that, all I have to do is show up and be present in the moment.