A Brief Introduction from Cynthia Bourgeault
As we round out these twelve days of Christmas, I am delighted to share with you this Christmas Letter from Porter Taylor. Porter is Wisdom Waypoints’ honorary “founding bishop”; his staunch support of my Wisdom teaching during the years he was Episcopal Bishop of Western North Carolina got our wee network out the gate and running. In his retirement, he and wife Jo have become even more committed Wisdom students, and his inner work shines forth brightly in this most unusual Christmas letter as he allusively connects the dots between traditional scriptural teaching on “Emmanuel––God with us,” Gebser’s “Ever-Present Origin,” and the nitty-gritty of daily life in a gently aging body and gently mellowing soul. Enjoy!
A Christmas Letter from Bishop Porter Taylor
“The birth of Christ in our souls is for a purpose beyond ourselves….Every Christian is, as it were, part of the dust-laden air which shall radiate the glowing Epiphany of God, catch and reflect his golden Light. Ye are the light of the world – but only because you are enkindled, made radiant by the One Light of the World. And being kindled, we have got to get on with it, being useful.” – Evelyn Underhill, Light of Christ
Christmas is less about remembering or even giving thanks for the birth of the Christ child. It’s more about what happens in us and with us as Christ is born in us. Remember, the Magi see the child and hear about the dangers from Herod, and the scripture says, as a result, “They left for their country by a different road” (Mathew 2:12).
Once we see the Christ beside us and in us, we cannot go back to our old ways. Indeed, that’s the real gift of Christmas. It’s not about toys or new clothes or gadgets. It’s about realizing the gift is more than Santa coming down the chimney. It’s about believing that the Incarnation is not a once in a history event. It happens every time we leave our comfort zone and dare to look for God being born in the most unexpected places like our houses and neighborhoods. The truth is God comes disguised as your own life. The gospels are not merely history or theological teachings. They are maps. It’s why the early Christians were called “The Way.” We begin with a rebirth of how we see ourselves and as a result how we rediscover why we are here. The baby is to be called “Emmanuel” or “God is with us,” and his birth happens over and over in us because we keep forgetting.
In our house we have been confronting health issues at being 74 years old. As a result, Porter and Jo have to be reborn. It’s so easy to forget that Emmanuel—God is with us—is always present regardless of how our lives look. As a result, we need to have that reality reborn in us so that we are free to live our lives regardless of our situations. Once we do that, we can take a different route to the scary and the peaceful places or times in our history. Because the awareness of God being reborn in us and in this world happens over and over again. It’s the gift that is under the Christmas tree or, to our surprise, everywhere. We just have to step outside our routines and look for the birth and then be willing to go home a different way.
Since our country is in such a political mess, and the world is still filled with war and strife, it can feel as if there is not a safe or sane place. It can feel like we need to go to a nowhere place like Bethlehem or Fuquay Varina, NC, but that misses the point. God can become flesh and dwell among us exactly where we are. The gift is the faith and assurance that there is not only another way, but more, it’s that every place we go the divine will be with us. Let us hope we open our minds and hearts not only to embrace that reality but to live a holy life as a result.
Blessed Christmas
About Porter Taylor
G. Porter Taylor served as the sixth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western North Carolina from 2004 to 2016. From 2020-2022 he was the Assisting Bishop in the Diocese of Virginia. For the past three years, he has taught at Wake Forest University Divinity School as a Visiting Professor for Episcopal Studies. He is the author of To Dream as God Dreams: Sermons of Hope, Conversion, and Community, From Anger to Zion: An Alphabet of Faith, and his new memoir: Are You Persuaded? In and Out of Being A Bishop. He is married to Jo Taylor, an artist and research nurse. They have two children, Arthur & Marie. Please mind more writings at portertaylor.com.