The Haxtun-Fleming Herald - What can we reason but from what we know? -Alexander Pope

A favorite moment in each day is the transition from darkness to the welcoming rays of sunshine as morning gets underway in earnest. Perhaps it’s the warmth that is represented by the light, or the ability granted us to summarily dismiss the glare of artificial lighting. By any measure, it is a moment that is filled with gratitude even when skies are overcast.

Only a few days remain until daylight hours begin to increase once again in length. Though barely noticeable at first, it makes a big difference psychologically when each day heralds a few more minutes of precious sunshine. The rising sun becomes an affirmation of place and belonging.

Christian faith is filled with practices that reinforce a similar sense of place. Whether it is the anticipation of a new start to the day or a reinforcement of tradition that drives our thoughts, we are people bound to our past as well as the present. With hope and faithful intent we recognize the best practices that flow from ritual even as we tolerate their inconsistencies in order to maintain tradition. It is a place of belonging for which many long.

That has always been true for my Pennsylvania Dutch forbears who could often be identified by the display of hex signs on their barns, even to the present age. The signs exemplify folk art associated with early settlers, particularly in southern and southeast Pennsylvania. In the late fifties, production of the signs became no small part of the rural tourist industry.

The art has been mistakenly attributed to the Amish and other sects who discard it as cultish or pagan, but for many folks it is a tie to their origins, traditions, and faith communities. Each design claims a certain loyalty to peacefulness, providence, fair weather for crops, or good fortune among other hopes. A European goldfinch, or distelfink, is frequently one of the design elements, as are multi-pointed stars. For many, hex signs are seen as a message of welcome and good luck. For others the signs carry no particular message other than being “chust for nice.” Superstition aside, most all agree that hex sign folk art enhances each community in which it is found.

Why is it that we give such grief to unfamiliar aspects of others’ faith? Do we not live in the same communities, breathe the same air, and work the same ground as we experience the seasons? The symbolism we embrace, the language we choose, the lifestyles we adhere to do not supersede all others. Although we are apart from more urban population centers, we share no small amount of common humanity, something we too frequently are loathe to admit. How do visitors to our community view the signs that we construct? Are our actions open and welcoming, or are we so narrow as to discourage their presence?

We have been recently graced by both morning and evening stars in the case of the planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Venus and Mercury) with Mars overhead. What amazing delights. In the middle of a pandemic that has yet to peak, a hex sign or two that welcomes each sunrise and sunset would be a welcome sight, reminders that we are in this together. We are, after all, the work of God’s hands.