This week we honor
the celebration of Kwanzaa. My heartfelt
thank you to Ms. Lovette Harper, Priscilla and Jim Crumel, and Lois and David
Wilkins for their insights in shaping these reflections.
During the week of
Kwanzaa, families and communities come together to share a feast, to honor ancestors,
affirm the bonds of community, and to celebrate African and African American
culture. Each day a candle is lit to highlight/represent the principle of that
day. The community is invited to reflect
on the meaning of the principles with various activities, such as reciting the
sayings or writings of great black thinkers and writers, reciting original
poetry, African drumming, and sharing a meal of African diaspora-inspired
foods.
Began by Dr.
Maulana Karenga in 1966, there is so much for all of us to open our hearts to
learn from this celebration. We honor
our African-American brothers and sisters this week. We celebrate the blessings bestowed upon our
country, community, and especially our church by our African-American brothers
and sisters. We commit to learning and
listening from the history, which can be hard, but can open us to a beauty of
the mountain top found only after traveling the valley together.
Each day this week
you are invited to light a candle and study the principle. You are invited to have 7 candles. You may want these to be red, black, and
green - traditional colors of Kwanzaa.
On Sunday, January 1st, at 11 am we will together light the 7th
candle of Kwanzaa in worship. The seven principals of Kwanzaa are a profound
and powerful gift to all of us on this last week of the year. These principals speak to us all. We will be guided by great African-American
voices, honoring the light and legacy and life of people whose wisdom is deep.
Today is the first
day and you light the candle of Umoja which means Unity.
As you light the
candle of Unity, who do you find your heart singing in harmony within these
days? Who do you struggle to stay in
tune with because you are not on the same sheet of music? Psalm 23 speaks and sings of God preparing a
table in the presence of my enemies. Do
you think you could sit at table with your enemies? Chef Leah Chase owns Dooky Chase in
Louisiana. This restaurant is open to all people to enjoy delicious meals. Chef Leah believed that, “We can talk to each
other and relate to each other when we eat together.”
Who might God be
calling you to open your home and heart to dine with this day?
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