The HOLI (holy)-days

As the year comes to an end,  we get closer and closer to the holiday season. This time of year always puts me in a great mood. Christmas is my favorite holiday because of what it represents as well as the joyous feeling that it gives me. All aspects of Christmas make me happy: eggnog, decorating the Christmas Tree, the smell of cinnamon and pine cones, etc. My favorite portion of this holiday is its TRUE meaning, Jesus. In the media we are bombarded with holiday films and holiday themed shows that focus on the superficial aspect (spending loads of money, waiting for Santa Claus, etc.) of the holiday. It is rare that a television program focuses on the TRUE  meaning of CHRIST-mas, which is the birth of CHRIST.

A day or so ago, I raised the question to my Twitter following, asking " How can one celebrate Christmas, but not believe in Jesus?  I got very few responses, however one of my followers did share that she wondered the same thing. She stated how she has a friend that celebrates Christmas as well as Chanukuh. Chanukah is a Jewish holiday and in Judaism Jesus is looked upon as a false messiah. So, I was just completely baffled at the idea of someone celebrating the birth of someone  that  is looked at as a false messiah. This is a clear representation of how Christmas  has become so commercialized that people are celebrating something they don't even believe in.

The origin of Christmas is the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. There was no Snata Claus, Elves, or Reindeer. For children, it is a beautiful picture to paint, but lets not fool them as well as ourselves. The true meaning of Christmas is the birth of Jesus and it is important that we teach our children and remember it ourselves. I'm not saing that it is wrong to decorate a tree, purchase gifts, sing Christmas Carols, but I am saying in doing all of this don't forget the true meaning of this HOLI-day.

Chatting It Up with Rev. Ellyn Kravette

It was my initial plan to interview a male reverend (he shall remain nameless) about the topic of deciding to be an official over same sex marriage ceremonies. After to reaching out to him, I was told that he would be out of the country for a days but will be returning within that week and would conduct the interview then. A week had passed and I heard nothing so I reached out to him and unfortunately got no response. So I hit the dusty pavement again, on my search for a PRO-GAY MINISTER. (I was very passionate about this particular subject and wanted to know their opinion) While on my search, I came across "Open Door Ministries" which is the home to Reverend Ellyn Kravette. She was an ordained clergy member in 1990, and began her own ministry in 1993. I had a chance to ask Rev. Ellyn a few questions about what she does and she was eager to answer. Enjoy! (I also used the pseudonym, Claire, just for protection purposes. So when you see "C', that's me, Claire)

C: Hello Pastor, I hope all is well with you. I hope you are able to answer the following questions. They are not meant to offend and I will truly understand if you decide to omit some questions. I do thank you for the time that you are taking to help me with this assignment.

R.E.: Hello Claire, thank you for that lovely salutation and I will do my best to try to answer all of the questions you have. I am glad to help in anyway I can.

C: Thank You! My first question for you is, What exactly are your views on homosexuality?

R.E.: I would like to state that I don't use the terms homosexuality or heterosexuality. I believe in love and its beauty expressed between people. I don't catergorize a man loving a man as homosexual nor a man loving a woman as heterosexual... Love is Love, there are no colors, labels, or genders.

C: In comparison to those views, what are your views on same sex marriage?

R.E.: They are pretty similar. I feel that I should not deprive individuals that are in love the right to spend the rest of their lives together. I am extremely happy that our society is starting to understand that as well.

C:How did you come to make the decision to perform same sex marriage ceremonies?

R.E.: I made that decision very early. I felt that I should not be like others and shun two people from their love for one another. In our society today, people tend to put members of the clergy in the same box. I wanted them to know that they would be able to find refuge in Open Door Ministries, and not all of us were against this type of union.

C: Have you received backlash about your decision to perform these ceremonies?

R.E.: Very much so! *chuckles* I have been slightly ostracized for my decision to perform same sex marriage ceremonies. Some have gone so far as to even denounce my title as a reverend. However, I stand firm in what I believe in and that is what keeps me on what  consider to be the right path.

C: Final question Rev. Ellyn, Do you think that you a contradicting all that you say stand for/against by performing these ceremonies?

R.E.: Absolutely not! If anything, I believe I was more true to my beliefs than anything. As I mentioned, I believe in love. All types of love. Jesus loves all of us as we are, so who am I to keep people from that. At the end of it all, love is the center of my beliefs and I will always support those who are on a quest for eternal love.