The Story of the Green Lion

It was 1972.  I was 11 years old. Our Girl Scout troop, which met at Fieldale UMC - my home church, was preparing for our Christmas party and gift exchange.  It was to be one of those typical children's parties where everyone was to bring a gift worth a certain amount of money.  I have no idea what that amount was, but for some of the girls in our troop it must have seemed like a fortune.  Now remember, this was Henry County, VA, where most of our parents worked hard in furniture and textile factories.  They provided for their families, saved all they could, and still took out loans for vacations and special purchases. They had a pride in their work that showed in each piece of wood that was cut, each stroke of stain that was added, every piece of yarn that was woven into a sweatshirt or a towel, and each thread of nylon put onto a spindle. 

 

The gifts were to be numbered as we placed them under the Christmas tree in the church fellowship hall.  Later, we would each have our chance to draw a number and select the gift that matched.  I have no memory of what I brought.  Before the gift giving began, our troop leader pulled me aside.  The way I remember it, she shared with me that one of the girls was not able to bring a gift that was worth as much as the others but she and her family could not afford more.  If I would accept the gift that she had brought so that she would not be embarrassed, Mrs. Wilson would bring me another gift later.  So I took the number.  What I found inside the wrapping was a ball and jacks.

 

A short time after the party, Mrs. Wilson gave me a ceramic green lion: the same green lion with a tear coming from its eye that this day sits in a curio cabinet in one of the bedrooms of my house.  Each time I look at it, I'm reminded of the real meaning of the Advent season and Christmas.  Yet this year with all that is going on in the world, I'm drawn to the tear. 

• Our Christian belief in the true meaning of Christmas calls us to love each other, no matter how much money we have or where we live.  Today, there seems to be more hatred and questioning of each other than love and certainly little understanding of differing opinions. Maybe we all need to shed a tear this Advent.

• Christmas should remind us of the necessity of honoring one another as children of God, no matter what color our skin tone or number of years of experience on this earth.  But just listen to the news stories. We're about as far away from living in community as we can get. If we’re ever to become the beloved community of God, we need to shed lots of tears this Advent.

• If the collective whole is to thrive, the unique gifts each person offers must be recognized, appreciated, and respected: whether they are gold, frankincense, and myrrh or friendship, laugher, balls and jacks.  But sadness surrounds us because we can't see the value in one another or more importantly, even the value of life as stories of violence around the world escalate.  How can we not shed tears this Advent?

• And sometimes, we have to wait, eagerly anticipating what is yet to come - just as Advent calls us to search our hearts for a few weeks as we anticipate the celebration of the birth of Emmanuel. However, as I write people are still battling with each other to get inside retail stores for the best deals on material stuff that a few weeks from now will mean little.  I wonder if Jesus is shedding a few tears over us this Advent?

I've decided that this Advent, I'm going to place a reminder from my journey of faith beside each correctly colored candle in my not-so-traditional Advent candle holder.  The green lion will be put out today.  And with it, if I can find them, will be a set of jacks with a ball.  May they continue to remind me of the most sacrificial gift I’ve ever received - God's Son - and keep me grounded in the real meaning of the season.