What the Dwarf teaches us about Christmas

A previous post highlighted a story told about John the Dwarf of the Christian tradition. It was about his willingness to water a dry bit of wood for three years until it bore fruit. Continuing to share some sayings of the desert from Merton's book here is another John the Dwarf story:

ONCE some of the elders came to Scete, and Abbot John the Dwarf was with them. And when they were dining, one of the priests, a very great old man, got up to give each one a little cup of water to drink, and no one would take it from him except John the Dwarf. The others were surprised, and afterwards they asked him: How is it that you, the least of all, have presumed to accept the services of this great old man? He replied: Well, when I get up to give people a drink of water, I am happy if they all take it; and for that reason on this occasion I took the drink, that he might be rewarded, and not feel sad because nobody accepted the cup from him. And at this all admired his discretion.

In this season of gift giving, we can forget that gift giving can be a form of power. In the words of Bishop Will Willimon:

"We prefer to think of ourselves as givers -- powerful, competent, self-sufficient, capable people whose goodness motivates us to employ some of our power, competence and gifts to benefit the less fortunate. Which is a direct contradiction of the biblical account of the first Christmas. There we are portrayed not as the givers we wish we were but as the receivers we are. Luke and Matthew go to great lengths to demonstrate that we -- with our power, generosity, competence and capabilities -- had little to do with God’s work in Jesus. God wanted to do something for us so strange, so utterly beyond the bounds of human imagination, so foreign to human projection, that God had to resort to angels, pregnant virgins and stars in the sky to get it done. We didn’t think of it, understand it or approve it. All we could do, at Bethlehem, was receive it."

So may we all be givers like the very great old man in the story. And may we also be like John the Dwarf who was humble enough to receive so that others can experience the joy (and power) of giving a gift. 

What year is it?

While we were driving to worship we told our son that today (November 30, 2015) was the first Sunday of Advent which means this is the first day of the new year in the Christian year. We then said, "Happy New Year!" in a way that was far too enthusiastic for a six year old boy at just after 7am. 

More puzzled than excited, he asked, "So what year is it now?" 

We tried to explain that the Church year does not have numbers like the "regular year". He was puzzled and asked, "Then how do you know how old you are?" 

"I guess you don't ever know how old you are in the Church." We replied. 

My son is like most of us in the West who view time as a line. There is a start, there is a middle and there is an end. And perhaps that is how time works in some ways. In other ways time is less like a line and more like a circle. Our sisters and brothers in the East have a better grasp on this idea than we do but the Church talks about time as both a line ("In the beginning...") AND as a circle (through the calendar).

Advent, the season we have just entered, is spoken about as the "start" of the Christian year. And to a degree this is true. But it really is the same "start" that we have had for hundreds of years. We tell the story of the birth of God in Jesus and tell stories of humility, hope, and anticipation. 

We may never really know how old we are in the church, and there is a beauty in that. We all are as innocent as children and as wise as an elder. We all have the ability to die to ourselves and be born again. So I say to you, happy new year and welcome back to where we started.

Watering a dry bit of wood for three years

By Michael Goltz

People said that Father John the Dwarf withdrew and lived in the desert with an old man of Thebes. His spiritual guide took a piece of dry wood, planted it, and said to him, "Water it everyday with a bottle of water, until it bears fruit." Now the water was so far away that he had to leave in the evening and return the following morning. At the end of three years the wood came to live and bore fruit. Then the old man took some of the fruit and carried it to the church, saying to the brothers, "Take and eat the fruit of obedience." - The Wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers by Paraclete Essentials 2010

The desert fathers and mothers elevated the virtue of obedience and, while this is still a laudable virtue, here in The United States obedience is not something that we hang our hat on. Freedom, sure. Liberty, you betcha. Rights of the individual over the whole. U.S.A.! This story is a story told to meditate about the fruits of obedience. I would like to bring to bring something else to the surface.

The Church is constantly in search for the next big thing that will keep people in worship, giving or at least happy. You see sermon series that are like if Weird Al Yankovic and Jesus got together to put a Christian sheen on some pop culture moment (such as iPod to "iPray"). You see theatrics that rival a broadway show or even an off the wall stunt like sitting on the roof of your church in a bed with your spouse (for those who have to click the link, I have done the work for you).

I get it. Traditional churches, like the one I serve, all need money to pay the bills. However, when the business voice of facilitating a community is louder than the Jesus voice that calls that community into existence, then we get some weird stuff. And even more than that, we become focused on the short term and we are quickly fearful when the numbers begin to show a downward slump. So we are quick to change things. Keep things fresh and new. Appeal to the new and abandon that which is not working. 

The above story of John the Dwarf reminds me that there is something to be said for sticking to something. People who study people notice that those with "grit" are those who live fuller and more complete lives. John the Dwarf was many things, perhaps we could say he was gritty.

Would you be willing to water dry wood for years not knowing if there will ever be fruit? Would you be willing to tend to a tedious task of walking all night and into the dawn with a bottle of water and resist the temptation to make the journey more efficient or streamlined?

This metaphor is about more than obedience, grit or faithfulness. It is a metaphor about the spiritual life. It is a life that is full of hope and faith that your teacher knows something that you do not know, which is why you water dry wood.