Today is the official end of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere.

The sun hangs low in the sky and casts long shadows across a nearby church parking lot. On these shortest of days and longest of nights around the winter solstice, the faithful seem to congregate more frequently. In their crisp suits and colorful dresses, the parishioners exchange smiles and call out greetings over the slamming of car doors and the bleeping of key fobs. 

I survey the automobiles: the newest models of Mercedes, Audi, BMW, and Lexus sedans. This is an affluent community of believers. Soon, they will sit and stand and kneel together to celebrate the birth of a baby boy, a baby born among beasts over two thousand years ago, who would grow up to champion of the poor and downtrodden. His followers would live as communards, dwelling together and sharing their property. Continue reading…