Mary Thorne holds on to hope for justice and peace promised in this new time of Christmas.

During November the Tui Motu community pondered the reality of death. In December we celebrate the birth that is at the heart of Christian belief. The birth of Jesus, and a new way of seeing more clearly the divine and the ordinary integrally woven together in all reality. Birth and death: the rhythm of life.

This year Christmas comes amid widespread anxiety, grief and stress. We feel deep sadness about wars, climate crises and devastation, economic hardship, racism, depression and anger. How do we sustain our hope of peace and well-being founded in justice? Where do we look for guidance and help so that we become part of healing and restoration?

Beginning with Ourselves

I have a vivid childhood memory of Harry Secombe singing: “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me … Let this be my solemn vow: to take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally.” I love that old song and now, even more, I think it’s a good starting point.

We need to find and keep peace in our own hearts and minds in order to meet the complexities of our immediate and extended families, our neighbourhoods, our country and our planet this Christmas season
and beyond.

The Christmas babe grew to the adult Jesus whom we follow as a prototype of God-filled/human living. Jesus shared insights derived from observing ordinary activities in the household and in the fields: he spoke of bread-making and seed-sowing; mustard trees, vines and stones. Connecting to what is simple, ordinary and natural, helps us find wisdom and peace of mind.

I’ve been participating in the Pākehā Project under the umbrella of Leadership New Zealand because I want to better equip myself to join in conversations about the future of Aotearoa, Te Tiriti o Waitangi and ending colonisation. I’m discovering that I have an enormous amount of learning to do about myself first — I will never be able to be part of healthy dialogue and decision-making if I don’t find openness, peacefulness and connection within myself.

Connecting with Love

One of the Pākehā Project designers Louise Marra, urges us to reconnect with nature through the intelligence of trees. She says: “It helps us collectively create a connective tissue that enables new solutions to emerge for our global problems. Our solutions must come from a rooted, not a separated place.”

To some this may sound fanciful and weird — but it’s not. It resonates with the writing of Ilia Delio who describes God as the evolutionary energy of love carrying all life forward as in a great river of intimate interconnection. And Marie Skidmore’s book review (Tui Motu November 2023) describes Joan Chittister’s theology of God as the energy holding an evolving wholeness and unity.

Developing an Evolutionary Perspective

Can we find hope in these insights? I think we can if we have an evolutionary rather than a static worldview, and an unshakeable faith that God is in partnership with us in this process of bringing to birth a new world, the realm of God.

We know that evolution is a tumultuous and violent process. We also know that birth involves stretching, struggle and pain. That which is new is being born.

We can never allow ourselves to lose empathy for the tragedy and suffering of our sister and brother human beings, for the abuse of other living creatures or for the violation of Earth. We can never stop trying to alleviate and improve harmful situations. But we can hold fast to hope that we are journeying through this. Just as in our personal tragedies we have to be brave and kind and persevere in hope.

It's natural to resist suffering, but we are mistaken if we believe we are entitled to entirely stress-free, comfortable lives. That expectation results in bitterness and resentment. Our longing for peace must be accompanied by gratitude for every breath and all goodness, and a willingness to surrender some of our own wealth, position, power and pleasure. The birth of a child may be longed-for and joyful, but it is seldom stress-free or comfortable. Likewise, to bring into the world social and ecological peace and well-being, we will need to relinquish some of our comforts.

Connecting Our Beliefs with Life

If the Christmas birth is an event at the heart of Christian faith, so is the Good Friday death and the Easter triumph of love and life. Our belief is that new life followed a violent injustice. The Christmas promise of a marvellous new beginning is being fulfilled; it is a new way of being in relationship. When I was a chaplain I often reminded the imprisoned women that what looks now like unmitigated disaster may be the opportunity for a transformed life. Much depends on our hope and courage.

We need honesty and courage to reflect critically on our culture and to grow in understanding of what we collectively prize and reward and what we denigrate. Our family Christmas traditions benefit from regular review. Leading up to Christmas we’ll hear the angels’ song of “joy” and “peace” everywhere, yet aspects of Christmas celebrations tend towards extravagance. If justice is the only sure foundation for peace, we will need to address this excess.

The essence of the Christmas story shows that God has particular care for the outcasts and the poor. We need to carry this awareness even as we celebrate. This year with my “Christmassy” decorations, I want to include something that indicates our awareness of and empathy with all the suffering on our planet. I’m not sure yet how I will do it. Perhaps some plain stones and the words: “Let there be peace on Earth.” The idea is evolving.

Letting Hope Burn Brightly

It is important that distress does not dominate our thinking and equally important that we don’t deny or ignore the catastrophic trauma that is present. We learn to sit with the discomfort of understanding that there is still much to be done. This is the paradox within the mystery of the Christmas promise and evolutionary life.

If we accept the evolutionary worldview — each of us is a drop in the great river-flow of life held in God-energy, moving towards ultimate fulfilment of time and space — then we understand that the health or sickness of every drop affects the well-being of the whole. We cannot go down a spiral of helplessness or hopelessness. We hold onto calm and trust that goodness will prevail. We petition and protest and donate what we can, and persevere day by day to be hopeful and loving.

We remain people of hope. Hope is not a flimsy, weak thing. It is strong and resilient. It can withstand many setbacks, storms and tragedies. May our Christmases be peaceful and blessed and may hope burn brightly in our hearts.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 288 December 2023: 4-5