Dear friends,
Once upon a time… This is the universal cue for the beginning of a story. We are wired for stories. Cognitive neuroscience reveals that storytelling is our brain’s operating system. We make sense of our experiences through stories. When you go to bed tonight, you will have a story about your day– the people who were your heroes, your villains, or simply your character actors. Your feelings of joy, happiness, sadness, and pain will also carry stories and backstories. But storytelling is not only a way to process our experiences and emotions, but a fundamental mechanism for creating community and connections.
We are entering the season of powerful storytelling. For Christians, the Jesus story is about a migrant family who struggles to find a home in this world. For Jews, Hanukkah is a story about hope– shining one’s light in the face of immense challenges. These stories were meant to bind communities and to reveal who and what we truly are. The challenge is that we live in a world where these stories are diminished and lose their deeper meanings. The Jesus story becomes a warm and cozy holiday, and Hanukkah is reduced to rituals and traditions. Both stories had origins that were incredibly dangerous and prophetic. The story of Jesus is about speaking the truth to those in power: Jesus was born into a struggling migrant family in a world that was dominated by the tyranny of Rome. Hanukkah is also about speaking truth to power: the rededication of the temple of Jerusalem was a powerful act of resistance against Greek rule.
The anti-ICE nativity scenes that we are seeing in churches in Illinois, Massachusetts and North Carolina are a re-discovery of the origins of the meaning of Christmas. It was never about cute farm animals in a manger. It was about a migrant family struggling to survive in an unjust world. And this Christian story along with Hanukkah is about shining our light when all hope seems lost.
December 18th is International Migrants’ Day. My hope is that you take this opportunity to support struggling immigrant families across the state of Massachusetts. Every dollar from our Emergency Assistance Campaign will provide food, housing and financial assistance to immigrant families. As you read this newsletter, you will learn how our partners are honoring our spiritual traditions and the bold American vision reflected in our pledge of allegiance– and justice for all.
The story of our immigrant families is not yet complete. You have the power to craft a hopeful ending or a tragic one. The choice is yours.
In solidarity,
