The Transcendent Joy of the Holidays & Christmas

Christmas and the holidays are an interesting time of year because no matter how seemingly nonreligious we become in Western society, we still love celebrating it and getting festive! I think this is because no matter our beliefs, there’s something compelling about the joy of the season, about the joy that comes when families connect, when we dress and celebrate festively, when we collectively listen to songs and messages about communal love, joy, and hope, and when we take some time away from the hubbub of life, focus on giving to the oppressed and our loved ones, and rest a bit in (relative) peace. We like to forget, but this is the type of joyous living that God encourages us to find throughout our traditions and specifically in the Christian Bible, and so perhaps there’s a lesson for us in the holidays that we can carry forward through the rest of the year. Read more here: https://swedenborgian-community-online.squarespace.com/blog/joy-2020Our community's affirming Swedenborgian spirituality, inspired by an interfaith, mystical Christianity, is centered on love and openness. It has deeply influenced the likes of Helen Keller, Carl Jung, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Johnny Appleseed (John Chapman), William Blake, Henry James, Robert Frost, DT Suzuki, and others. Read Helen Keller's book about her Swedenborgianism, called My Religion, for free: https://onedrive.live.com/?authkey=%21APVucSZBs76qN%5F4&cid=5D5F62CF3431B981&id=5D5F62CF3431B981%21110343&parId=5D5F62CF3431B981%21110312&o=OneUp