Washington National Cathedral

The Sunday Forum: Critical Issues in the Light of Faith

At a special Sunday Forum, Cathedral Dean Samuel T. Lloyd III shares his insights into “The Soul of the Season: Discovering the Reality of Christmas.”

“Christmas has enormous potential actually to change our lives,” he comments, allowing that it is “both a secular and sacred holiday.” Lloyd credits nineteenth-century New Yorkers with introduced some “more civilizing influences” into a holiday that was, at the time, celebrated in a somewhat boisterous way. Decorating Christmas trees and exchanging gifts, and the poem “T’was the Night Before Christmas,” began to shape American celebrations. Lloyd tactfully suggests that Americans today might want to “continue to rethink” the consumerism and busy-ness that eventually resulted from nineteenth-century changes.

The theological aspect of Christmas includes differing New Testament accounts of Jesus’ entry into the world. Matthew’s account parallels the story of Moses, whereas Luke writes of the poor, about a census, about a humble birth, and about shepherds who hear an angel’s declaration:

“Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:10b–12).

Lloyd discusses history as another part of the meaning of Christmas. “History is important because we actually do believe that God came and took on flesh at one point in history,” he says, cautioning that “history is a very tricky thing to parse, to piece together.” Jesus of Nazareth was a historical figure, and we have “a full record of his teaching,” but “the details about his birth are more elusive,” Lloyd asserts. Unlike the Gospel of Luke, the Gospel of Mark does not mention a virgin birth or miraculous birth. The writings of Paul also do not give these details.

Meditating on the lyrics of “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” Lloyd says that “Christmas is a phenomenon that’s happening now.” Our romanticized reflection of Jesus’ birth can give way to something deeper, to a rebirth—in us—of Christ. The hymn ends with the great prayer:

O holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray,
Cast out our sin and enter in, be born in us today.

“That’s the urgent message of Christmas,” Lloyd observes. He cites the medieval Theologica Germanica, which says that humans go through life with two spiritual eyes, one on the eternal and one that watches the present. “The danger is that we tend to pick an eye,” Lloyd comments; we live too much in the mundane present, too little in the mystery of God.

About The Very Rev. Samuel T. Lloyd III

The Rev. Dr. Samuel T. Lloyd III was installed as the ninth dean of Washington National Cathedral on April 23, 2005, charged with leadership of what is widely referred to as “the national house of prayer.”

Dean Lloyd previously served as rector of historic Trinity Church, Copley Square in Boston, Massachusetts, for 12 years. His work in Boston focused on preaching, teaching, and developing Christian community, with emphases on lay leadership, wide-ranging styles of worship, and engagement in a broad array of direct and social justice ministries.

Dean Lloyd began his ministry as an assistant professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville in the early 1980s while also serving as assistant to the rector and chaplain at St. Paul’s Memorial Church in Charlottesville. In 1984 he became rector of the Church of St. Paul and the Redeemer in Chicago, Illinois. Prior to moving to Boston, Dean Lloyd was chaplain of the University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee.

Dean Lloyd holds a Masters of Divinity degree from Virginia Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Virginia. He also holds an M.A. degree in English Literature from Georgetown University and received his B.A. from the University of Mississippi. He has received honorary Doctor of Divinity degrees from the University of the South and Virginia Theological Seminary.

Dean Lloyd has taught in seminaries and has frequently spoken at conferences and conventions. He has preached on the “Protestant Hour” on radio and offered courses in the area of Christianity and literature, including Flannery O’Connor, Dante, contemporary fiction, C. S. Lewis, and the parables.

He currently serves as a regent of the University of the South. His writing and reviews have been published by the Sewanee Theological Review, Forward Movement, Anglican Digest, and Journal of Religion, among others.