“Gee the traffic is terrific…”
Darcy is playing Christmas music on the piano. I sing along as I wash dishes… the memories of holiday traffic come back. Rush hours in random cities. Bad weather. Wrecks. I realize for the first time this line must be sarcastic. Which then makes me analyze the whole song…. is it all sarcasm? Is the only place like home a traffic jam? Or maybe the wreck that caused the jam?
I thought I would be right at home in this age of cynics. Growing up at the end of modernity, post modern questioning was so inviting. I was ready for life on the sea of eye rolls. I love to question, to research and study – ready to debate. But when everyone is a cynic… I find my research doesn’t matter. No one trusts anything or anyone who doesn’t agree. The news is all spin. The facts are disputed. And ALL of these disputes – no matter which of many sides you find yourself – spin towards negativity.
The cup is half empty and whatever is inside will steal dreams. (Any wonder we all need medication?)
Back to the song. Going over the words, I realize, none of it is sarcasm. I was applying this age to the song, but it was written in a different time. When Perry Como sang the words… well the traffic was not happy… but it was worth it to arrive on the front porch and find the door opening, welcoming you home. Our age of cynicism might see this as naive… but the danger of a cynic is that we never stop ranting and blaming the traffic. We never make it home.
I will continue to question and research and debate (I am not really post-modern, I believe there is truth). But I also want to get out of the traffic. I want to find what brings joy (rather than steals it). Joy is not facts or being right, Joy is love. No matter where you have been, to open a door and be accepted.
I want to find this – I hope we all find this at Christmas. And I want to be the place that opens Joy for others!
This Sunday is the 3rd Sunday of Advent (Joy). We continue to unwrap the names of Jesus (Isaiah 9:6) and this week will join the shepherd of Luke 2. I hope you will join us at 10:30, in person or streaming on Facebook and Youtube.
PLUNGE47 