Weird Baby Summer
Forget Hot Girl Summer - This Is A Trend I Can Get Behind
Dear Friends,
One year when I was at my very strange summer camp (there are other CTY stories elsewhere amongst the newsletters), we had an afternoon activity called Christmas in July. But while my general understanding of that phrase is that it’s a way for channels like Hallmark to play Christmas movies a second time during the calendar year, at camp, this activity consisted of walking around singing Christmas carols loudly to other afternoon recreation groups.
I can’t say for sure, but there’s a strong non-zero chance I only did that activity because of the particular goofy resident advisor who was running it. That was often how my social group chose our recreation activities. It definitely wasn’t because I had any particular fondness for Christmas.
As I look ahead at the June calendar, I find myself thinking about Christmas in July because of – and this may be a bit of a leap – the Nativity of John the Baptist (Monday June 24).
The Coolest Cousins
Most of the time, when the Bible is running off lists of who is related to who, the whole thing is pretty boring. But sometimes, when we’re looking more closely, when we’re looking immediately at prominent figures, it can be fun to spot the connections. And this is especially true in the stories of Jesus and John the Baptist, who might just be the coolest cousins ever.
Beginning with the Feast of the Visitation, which we celebrated last month, the joint story of Jesus and John is a strange one. Their proximity, even in the womb, changes everything, and their lives are already bound up in each other. What we forget, though, is that at birth, John is in many ways a more interesting character than Jesus.
(Also, I’m totally obsessed with these little Visitation figurines.)
On the Nativity of John the Baptist, the Gospel reading is all about how this child, given an “unusual” name (not one from his family line), responds to his own naming on the occasion of his presentation and circumcision in the temple, by beginning to speak, praising God. He was 8 days old! I spoke in full sentences by age one, but that’s a whole new level.
Who was this child, singing praise in his infancy? Who would he become?
And how are we meant to respond?
“Midsummer” Joy
Historically, the Nativity of John the Baptist has been one of the most important Christian feast days, and is quite possibly one of those days whose placement is intimately tied to traditional “pagan” festivals – landing at the time of the Summer Solstice, much as Christmas falls six months earlier at the time of the Winter Solstice. But one of the most striking things about this timing is the way it has been framed, falling on the longest day of the year.
As John says of Jesus, “He must increase; I must decrease.”
The light of the world – the Jesus, must gain in strength. John, celebrated at a particular peak moment of light, must fade away, becoming less and less. In this moment of change, as the balance of the world shifts, how do we celebrate John?
Some traditions around the world have included:
Holding Bonfires and burning various broken or unused holy items. Consider this a good excuse to get out your fire pit! While you may have a harder time finding a priest to set broken furniture on fire around your parish, if, like me, you have free reign over a church school cabinet, (in my opinion) John the Baptist would love it if you threw out some of those outdated supplies you’re never going to use.
Go Swimming! Warmer weather is here, and in the American southwest, particularly in Tucson, Arizona, there is a unique tradition for St. John’s Day that includes a post-worship swim in the nearest body of water. This tradition actually traces back to a legend about the Spanish explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, who prayer for rain on this feast day in the 1540s. Still, wherever you are, it certainly makes sense to head over to your local lake or river and recall John’s call to baptize people with water.
Enjoy honey treats! One of the notable details of John’s story is that for a long time he lived in the wilderness, eating locusts and honey. With that in mind, it’s popular to eat foods sweetened with honey, from baklava to honey cakes to a peanut butter and honey sandwich, if that’s what sounds tasty to you.
If you’re feeling really bold, you might share some edible insects (sour cream and onion crickets, anyone?), though I’m more likely to go the dirt pudding & gummy worms route.
John the Baptist, the baby who sang praise and inspired his father Zechariah to sing the Benedictus, was a weird baby who grew up to be a pretty strange man (and whose ultimate demise is also a wild story that your older church kids will LOVE – weird Bible stories are extra fun to share). He’s also a remarkable figure who is central to Jesus’s story and his life and ministry. Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate him and kick off Weird Baby Summer!
Other Updates
What else is going on around the formation space? Here’s my roundup:
The fabulous Brittany Sky is hosting a new podcast for GenOn Ministries called Messy But Graceful. It’s a faith & parenting podcast and the first episode with Christy Lynch is out now.
We’re getting a new Laura Alary book for Easter! Rise: A Child’s Guide to Eastertide will be available in January, so make sure that’s on your radar and in your budget for pre-orders.
For the deep dive crew - I’m looking forward to exploring this new research report from the CoE and the Growing Faith Foundation. At first glance it looks like it will have some really useful insights on practical and carefully examined faith practices.
This Baptist News article, “A Eulogy for Vacation Bible School,” is very much worth a read, whether you’re still engaged with a VBS program or not. I was significantly formed as a young lay minister by serving in and leading a VBS program, but what they are and what makes them meaningful is really in flux. If nothing else, the author’s question of “why” we do what we do is one to take into all our work, because “we’ve always done it” isn’t an acceptable answer.
Speaking of VBS, this is a need-to-see TikTok about some of the serious failings of various VBS programs of recent decades. Let’s just say that the racism is RAMPANT. That being said, the creator also highlights the Pandemania/Pandemonium drama of the Kung Fu Panda era (which was a sort of different issue) and I remember living that one in real time!
Will you celebrate the Nativity of John the Baptist later this month? Do you have any other special plans? Drop me a note - I love hearing from you.
Peace,
Bird