About Us

First Sunday Speakers

by Chris Soule

December, 2004

A Christmas Tale of a Different Kind.

This is my church.
I belong here.
It feels like home to me.
I own her and she owns me. You…own me.
I grew up here.
From infant to long haired teenager to adult.
I’ve lived in different cities and traveled the world but I never have really left this place.
I can think of no other place where I can stand-up to speak or sing and feel completely assured I will be accepted, warts and all.

I hope this morning is no exception.

The U/U religion and this church are as natural for me as breathing, as natural as celebrating Christmas on December 25. This church, this religion, this way of thinking, is not just a thing I do but more of who I am.

My childhood memories are deeply linked to this leaky roofed, noisy, drafty, architectural throw back to the 1950s. I even remember when this church actually had a steeple.

As a child I ran screaming down these halls. I attended junior choir every Tuesday after school for more years than I can remember. As a longhaired teenager I participated in LRY (Liberal Religious Youth) and found more education outside the walls than inside.

My mother met my stepfather (my real father) in this church in 1963. I too met the love of my life in the same place, up there in the organ loft, signing with the choir. After 20 years both my love of singing and my love for Linda continue to grow.

As a young man I didn’t attend church frequently but if asked my response would always be, Yes, I belong to a church. The UU church in Concord .

My divorce from my first wife when I was in my late 20s brought me back to this community on a consistent basis.

What has been my spiritual journey so far? How have I gotten to this position on the religious map? Good question.

Most days I don’t have time about it. Only time to do what I must. I spend most of my days rushing head-long down the path put in front of me by teenage children, mortgage payments, car repairs and running an engineering business that sells mostly to international customers. Stopping to think about any religion takes a force of will. However, I would like to tell you about one recent, memorable moment.

As I mentioned my business takes me to many places around the world. Although I miss my family while I am gone I try to enjoy the new experiences as the days pass. I have just recently been stopped dead and made to think about my spirituality.

The last week of October this year found me on business travel near Taipei Taiwan . During the middle of the week I was invited to have dinner in the home of one of our suppliers, a man named Jon Chen, a successful business man and ex-tank commander for the Taiwanese army. He asked if I would come and speak English with his 3 daughters ages 8, 14 and 17. Just as Linda and I do he and his wife have a 17-year-old daughter.

Upon entering his townhouse style home I was immediately faced with this female trio (ages 17, 14 and 8) all giggling so hard at the geeky American that they couldn’t speak any language let alone a second language. As the evening progressed through a wonderful meal we began speaking of our lives. I told them of my life in the US and the different holidays that we celebrated. They told me about The Moon Festival in the fall, Dragon Boat races and of course, Chinese New Year. Their red envelopes are the equivalent of our wrapped Christmas packages, bringing money and good luck. I asked about Halloween and, yes, they dressed up as ghosts and goblins but didn’t really know why. I asked also if they celebrated Christmas, saying it was the biggest holiday we had in the US . The reply was they know of the day but it was not a major holiday, not a big deal.

Bonnie the 17-year-old asked what it meant. I told her the day originally marked the winter solstice but these days it celebrated the birth of Jesus Christ and the gifts that were exchanged symbolized gifts given by the 3 wise men to the baby and also to show our appreciation for family and friends. She stared at me for about 10 seconds and very innocently asked, “who is Jesus Christ?”

Having overcome a slight shock I explained in my best UU fashion that Jesus Christ was a great historic figure, a teacher, a shaper of world events even to this day and many consider him God or the Son of God. After another few seconds of quizzical stare with no reply from her I tried again. “Jesus was a savior for an entire population of oppressed people and has been a symbol of hope and faith for people looking for strength over the past 2000 years.”

In essence I found myself trying to explain something I’m not sure even I believe. However, like walking or writing with my right hand, the stories have become so ingrained in my life that I don’t think twice. The pictures in my mind and words from my mouth were not inspiring, they came out hard and disconnected. I had no missionary zeal. But this effort made me stop and think.

The idea that this relatively intelligent young woman had never heard of Jesus was at first disturbing. Why?

Although on second thought it made perfect sense. Ask my 17 year old daughter or any of our teenagers if they know anything of the deity that Bonnie and her family worship (Based on the location and decorations I assumed it was The Buddha, I didn’t ask) and you probably get the same reaction. What I said truly felt incomplete but I had no other answers or explanations for her or for me. I left their house still trying to put it into words. I guess I’m still trying today.

This short conversation has given me more than one moment of introspective thought. What did I learn from this?

First - challenges to your beliefs come when you’re not expecting it. And even innocent questions, especially from the innocent, can be a source for deep thought. I just had to stop and listen.

Second - Trying to explain this type of ingrained faith is difficult but with an open mind it can be a source of introspect and learning. It’s tough but a good opportunity that shouldn’t be missed.

Third – If I don’t believe the conventional North American wisdom regarding the life of Jesus and its relationship to Christmas why do I go to lengths to talk about it and even greater lengths to celebrate it? Am I defensive? Is this Christmas story just as ingrained in my psyche as this church and as natural as walking?

As you can probably tell I’m still thinking about this.

And I hope I never stop.

…By the way, Merry Christmas.