JIM TURNER Not so Nicholas. His stories and legends lead us right
into understanding that God needs him to distribute justice and goods, and Nicholas needs us to do the same. We don’t outgrow Nicholas, as we might outgrow
Santa Claus. Instead, we grow into him. We learn that we, too, must leave our egos behind in the dark and become givers of giſt s, responsible for distributing justice and being healers in a broken world. God needs humankind to do the work of salvation. Children should hear those Nicholas stories. T ey
can wake to a shoe fi lled with a sample of the Christmas cookies-to-come, an orange and some nuts. T ey can, in turn, be a Nicholas to someone in the neighborhood or at school who could use a treat, given anonymously and devoid of an ego. T at’s a thrill in its own right. T e Latino culture celebrates Mary, the Virgin of
Guadalupe, on Dec. 12. Radiant as the sun, standing on the glowing moon, the duality of night and day is brought together in her earthy, human body. T is calls
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Jessica VanRanken enters Bethany Lutheran Church, Lindsborg, Kan., in a procession honoring St. Lucia, who was martyred for her Christian faith. St. Lucia reportedly brought food to persecuted Chris- tians in Rome, entering caves with candles on her head. St. Lucia Day, also the winter solstice and shortest day of the year, is celebrated by Scandinavians—and in many ELCA congregations, especially those with Swedish roots.
Candles in her hair, food in her hands St. Lucia Day, Dec. 13 G
retchen Revay Esping’s claim to fame is that she was, at age 13, the fi rst St. Lucia in Linds-
borg, Kan. Her father, a metalsmith, made her crown, which is still worn today.
The crown has remained the
same, but Esping is amazed how much has changed 52 years later. The administrative assistant of Bethany Lutheran Church is a wealth of St. Lucia information. Traditionally, St. Lucia is cel-
ebrated in homes, with the eldest daughter bringing coffee to the family
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and wearing a crown of candles to usher in the season of light. Esping did that as a child, too
(carrying a candle), but remembers in later years when the Swedish Folkdancers and Bethany began celebrating the day in the community. Now it is a full-fl edged festival on the Saturday nearest Dec. 13 in this town famously founded by Swedes. All fourth-grade boys and girls
celebrate St. Lucia in the morning, and the high school Swedish Folk- dancers lead a procession (Lucia Tag) to Bethany in the afternoon, where
hundreds are treated to folk dancing, singing and the crowning of St. Lucia. Then hot cider, coffee and ginger cookies are served. Donations are collected to help those in need. “This is the spirit of St. Lucia, who gave away all her dowry to the poor,” Esping said. “In the deep dark cold of winter, it’s nice to celebrate warmth and light and to remember that everything will not remain in a frozen state, but that things will come to life again.”
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