A letter from Roger Marriott, home on Interpretation Assignment from Guatemala
December 2011
Transition back to the United States progresses slowly. It is the Christmas season and one would think that fact alone would make transition smoother; however, it doesn’t.
I don’t seem to hear as many complaints about the materialistic nature of the Christmas buying season. In fact, we hear more now about the importance of the season to our entire national economy; that it is the season that drives consumer purchases, which drives capital investment, which drives employment, which drives tax collections, which drives investment in infrastructure, which drives more construction, jobs, and employment. All of which leads to the call for more tax cuts—for the rich who some say create jobs and for the poor and middle class who spend all they earn which then continues the cycle stated above. I do hear a lot about money in one form or another and I find myself thinking a lot about money—something I didn’t do in Guatemala. All part of the transition I suppose.
However, one thing never changes and that is the desire to “feel good” about ourselves especially during this season. We frequently see lists of all the good things churches and other institutions have accomplished during the year and associated with that is the satisfaction that comes from helping a little in some way—it makes us “feel good.” Feeling good about oneself has become one of the necessities of life. Along with food, clothing, and shelter (and now meaningful work) “feeling good” is on par with all of them. Generosity increases and we find ourselves doing more for others during this season than any other time. We know it has to do with our Christian understanding of our responsibilities to those who have less and so we give munificently at times, especially to people we don’t know—those in jail, those in nursing homes, those in programs for the poor, those in shelters. Usually we are careful to give just to the point that it feels good, not to the point where it hurts. And it is easier to give to folks we don’t know since we do know we won’t have to deal with them often or if we do it will be at a distance. In my case, I was always aware that I could leave Guatemala at any time the burden became too great for me—but my indigenous Guatemalan friends had no such option. Options for those out of the mainstream in the US are also limited.
Come January we will once again face the cold weather without the warming influence of “feeling good” about ourselves. How do we maintain that burst of spiritual flavor that always appears at Christmas but soon fades away? Marketers of food products, especially candies, know that there is a flavor burst when a tasty morsel is popped into one’s mouth. They build into that product the property that causes the flavor to fade almost immediately and the only way to get more of it is to pop another of whatever it was into your mouth. Add a sweet aroma and we are hooked, eating one after another until they are all gone. Some, like me, even chew especially candy, creating more surface area, which releases more flavor more rapidly leading to overeating and a boon for dentists. We know this and yet we do it anyway because things that taste good make us feel good and feeling good is paramount.
But when we reflect on what we’ve done (after whatever it was is gone) we recognize that we are still hungry and this time we’re hungry for something of substance—some meat and potatoes would be good.
The spiritual burst of flavor that comes at Christmas satisfies for a while but ultimately we need the solid food spoken of by Paul (1 Cor.3:1-3). That solid food is good for us we all know: when we eat it, we are healthier, we are stronger, we have more energy, we are more alert, and we are satisfied and contented. We are better able to meet the challenges of the day. We even “feel good.” But that comes from being intentional about how we take care of ourselves and what we put into our bodies. It is no accident and neither is it something about which we can be casual.
Feeling good about ourselves at Christmas is important—it is a human need all year long but it is easier for us (and we are more inclined) to satisfy it during this season. I’ll be returning to Guatemala in January for a few weeks. I’ll be working on developing theological training for a few indigenous subsistence farmers who wish to be pastors. People that live in remote villages tend to have little formal education—maybe a year or two—and many speak only their ethnic language and no Spanish. I have learned they have the same human need to feel good about themselves. Their church services are loud music, prayer, praise sermons, and increasingly Pentecostal dancing and singing. They tell me it makes them “feel good” and that is their style of worship. I’ll try to make sure any training arranged keeps them feeling good while enhancing their understanding of how we can all work together to make the promises of our faith palpable in the lives of all our peoples all year long.
A gift from you of any amount will help World Mission of the PC (USA) in its work around the world. Those gifts are more important than ever and I have found that they, too, lead to “feeling good.” To contribute to my sending and support, churches may send a check to their normal receiving site or to the following address:
Presbyterian Church (USA )
PO Box 643700
Pittsburgh , PA 15264-3700
Please write “D507018 – Roger & Gloria Marriott” on the memo line. Individuals may use the link below to give online.
May God richly bless you this season and always,
Roger
Psalm 90:14 Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.
The 2012 Presbyterian Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 6
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