The Reverend Lauren Stanley, priest-in-charge of Rosebud Episcopal Mission (West) in South Dakota, wrote an op-ed in The Dallas Morning News: “What I want for Christmas, and what I offer,” wishing first for world peace, however unrealistic that wish is (“I’m a priest – what else would I ask for?”)
What do I want?
I want a restoration of civility in the world.
I want us to be nicer to each other.
I want the excruciating rudeness and nastiness and boorishness to Just. Stop. Now.
I want us to remember that we all come from ancient space dust, that we were all created in God’s image from that dust, and that we are all related. Whether we like it or not, we are all related. And that in the end, we shall return to that dust. Whether we like it or not.
She asks readers to
…kindly remember that because one of us says “God” and another says “Allah” and another says “Jehovah” and another says “Dios” and another says “Bwana Mungu” and another says “Wakantanka” doesn’t mean that we worship separate gods. It merely means we speak different languages. There is only one God. Deal with it.
And ends with the gifts she can offer:
I can be more polite and more affirming.
I can give more, and demand less.
I can work harder to get more people across the finish line.
What gifts can you offer that move us toward peace?
Image from Global Art Project galleries