Walk or drive through many of New York City’s communities of colour, places with large numbers of Bajans and other West Indians, and it wouldn’t take rocket science to figure where many of the homeowners and other residents were born.
The lavishly decorated homes and apartments, the music from the Caribbean, the pronounced Bajan, Trinidadian, Grenadian or Jamaican accents, for instance, the delivery truck with area rugs, furniture or electronic devices and the look of anticipation on people’s faces, are all tell-tale signs that the immigrants from the islands are making big plans for Christmas.
Of course, the Bajans would have sent their barrels and packages to their relatives with a commitment from the shippers that they must be delivered before December 25. It’s that sense of giving which is at the heart of the Christmas festival.
The demonstrations of caring, as seen in gifts and expressed in the Christmas carols and other musical genres linked to the season, as well as in the prayers and sermons, all speak to the essence of Christmas.
An anchor of Christmas is the Holy Scriptures, John 3:16 to be exact: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
That biblical passage is the centrepiece of sermons being delivered today from pulpits across North America, Barbados and elsewhere in Christendom.
The goal: to underscore God’s gift to us. That fact was probably on the mind of Reverend Dr John Holder, Anglican Bishop of Barbados, Archbishop of the West Indies and a prince of the worldwide church, when he preached in Brooklyn some time ago.
In his sermon, he spoke about undertaking and understanding the responsibility of mission, zeroing in on the “gifts of God (which have endowed) us to be used to enhance the human condition through acts of generosity”.
They are vital in these days of serious financial challenges, when jobs are being lost, homes foreclosed across the United States, health insurance coverage for families disappearing, and government cutbacks are now the norm.
Social services for the youth, needy mature adults and for the aged are being clashed as the global economic recession continues to undermine government’s ability to plan with certainty about the long-term future for the world’s richest nation.
Interestingly, Reverend Eddie Alleyne, a rural dean of the Episcopal Church in Brooklyn and rector of St Gabriel’s Parish Church, wants us to spread the joy of Christmas, especially our generosity, beyond the Yuletide season.
“There is an abundance of giving going on right now as people attempt to feed the hungry, for instance. But what about other times? In the United States the idea of giving at Christmas is the hallmark of a lot of families,” said the Bajan priest.
“But what we do at Christmas should be extended year-round.”
Canon Llewellyn Armstrong, an Episcopal and Anglican minister for almost half a century, talks about giving up the things that prevent us from experiencing peace, such as our greed and hatred, as well as racism.
“Then there is giving out, sharing rather than exchanging gifts, giving to people who can’t give back. Thirdly, giving in a “total response of commitment to God’s gift of love: Jesus”, said Canon Armstrong, whose Internet radio ministry is heard four times a week, broadcast by www.wordinternationalnetwork.org.
Reverend Laurel Scott, a Methodist pastor in Connecticut, spoke about the rhythms of the church year and the importance of maintaining “a semblance of the order of things”. First comes Advent, then Christmas, she said a few days ago.
“First we prepare ourselves for the celebration, and then we celebrate,” the Barbadian insisted.
“We cannot celebrate without the preparation necessary to ready ourselves for the miraculous event of the re-birth of the Christ spirit in our hearts, which is the meaning behind the celebration.
“The world distracts us. We must purchase the latest electronic gadget. We stand outside in the cold in long lines to capture the bargains on special sales days. We are distracted by the glitz and the glitter, the sparkle and the fizz.
“But when we find ourselves away from the crowd, what does it all mean?”
She draws a line between what she calls the “church Christmas season” which accentuates the value of giving, and the “commercial Christmas season”, which emphasizes buying new clothes, household appliances, decorative items and furnishings. These are the symbols of the season. But they don’t last long.
“When we wake up on December 26 and January 2, the days after the big celebrations, does it mean anything to us?
“Has the celebration changed the dismal outlook or brightened a hapless attitude?
In far too many cases they don’t.
Hence the need for a mid-course correction.
