A Note from Pastor Tonya
Soon after our wedding, David’s mother Shayne presented me with a recipe card, written in her own hand. Labelled “Julekage” (yule-u-coga) ingredients listed were milk, shortening, yeast, flour, salt, cardamom, white raisins and candied fruit. Shayne explained, “Julekage is Norwegian Christmas bread. This recipe has been handed down for generations. . . and if you’re going to be an Arnesen, you’d better learn how to make a good Julekage.” I’ve made it every year for 40 years. It’s an important Christmas tradition for our family.
I think there is a real beauty to be found in tradition. Through our traditions, we pass on the values, morals, customs and culture of one generation to the next. Tradition teaches us something about life, where we came from and who we are as people. Our traditions cultivate a sense of belonging and a healthy perspective of our place in the world. Author Katherine Rose (Huffington Post) explains, “By pausing to consider traditional methods of behavior or thinking, and engaging in traditional activities, we are forced to look beyond the “self” and our own “world” to the world of others, to that which we came from, reminding us of our vulnerability, immorality - and, ultimately, our connection to something larger than ourselves.”
Fiddler on the Roof is the story of a Russian family forced to flee their homeland. In the song Tradition, Tevye, the wise father, says that without our traditions, the community of mankind would lose its grounding. “Because of our traditions,” Tevye sings, “we’ve kept our balance for many, many years … and because of our traditions, every one of us knows who he is and what God expects him to do.”
Even so, while we hold old traditions dear, we dare not reject new ways of looking at things, especially when old traditions have lost their meaning and power. As the world changes and new people come into our lives, we must be open to the creation of new traditions. As author and lecturer Ardis Whitman wrote, “We must cherish our yesterdays, but never carry them as a burden into the future. Each generation must take nourishment from the other and give knowledge to the one that comes after.”
During this Advent season, we will share Christmas traditions during worship and fellowship times: decorating the church, singing carols, baking cookies, lighting candles, putting on a pageant, etc. In so doing, we honor past Dixboro generations by passing on their rites and rituals to the next generation. We also hope to create some new traditions to enrich and enliven our holy days together.
As we prepare to celebrate “Family Traditions” this Advent, we want to hear from you! (SOON please!) Send me pictures or notes (revtonya95@comcast.net) about the Dixboro Christmas traditions most meaningful to you. Or if you are relatively new to DUMC, please share your experiences from other churches so we can introduce a couple new traditions to the Dixboro family this year. Each week, we’ll try to incorporate your memories, pictures and new ideas in worship and fellowship times, in hopes that this Advent season will be truly memorable and beautiful for all of us.
(By the way – David says my Julekage is even better than his mother’s.)
~ Blessings to you all, Rev. Tonya
I think there is a real beauty to be found in tradition. Through our traditions, we pass on the values, morals, customs and culture of one generation to the next. Tradition teaches us something about life, where we came from and who we are as people. Our traditions cultivate a sense of belonging and a healthy perspective of our place in the world. Author Katherine Rose (Huffington Post) explains, “By pausing to consider traditional methods of behavior or thinking, and engaging in traditional activities, we are forced to look beyond the “self” and our own “world” to the world of others, to that which we came from, reminding us of our vulnerability, immorality - and, ultimately, our connection to something larger than ourselves.”
Fiddler on the Roof is the story of a Russian family forced to flee their homeland. In the song Tradition, Tevye, the wise father, says that without our traditions, the community of mankind would lose its grounding. “Because of our traditions,” Tevye sings, “we’ve kept our balance for many, many years … and because of our traditions, every one of us knows who he is and what God expects him to do.”
Even so, while we hold old traditions dear, we dare not reject new ways of looking at things, especially when old traditions have lost their meaning and power. As the world changes and new people come into our lives, we must be open to the creation of new traditions. As author and lecturer Ardis Whitman wrote, “We must cherish our yesterdays, but never carry them as a burden into the future. Each generation must take nourishment from the other and give knowledge to the one that comes after.”
During this Advent season, we will share Christmas traditions during worship and fellowship times: decorating the church, singing carols, baking cookies, lighting candles, putting on a pageant, etc. In so doing, we honor past Dixboro generations by passing on their rites and rituals to the next generation. We also hope to create some new traditions to enrich and enliven our holy days together.
As we prepare to celebrate “Family Traditions” this Advent, we want to hear from you! (SOON please!) Send me pictures or notes (revtonya95@comcast.net) about the Dixboro Christmas traditions most meaningful to you. Or if you are relatively new to DUMC, please share your experiences from other churches so we can introduce a couple new traditions to the Dixboro family this year. Each week, we’ll try to incorporate your memories, pictures and new ideas in worship and fellowship times, in hopes that this Advent season will be truly memorable and beautiful for all of us.
(By the way – David says my Julekage is even better than his mother’s.)
~ Blessings to you all, Rev. Tonya
|
|
|
|
