Last Sunday, on our way to church, one of the local Christian
radio stations was playing the Burl Ives song, “Holly Jolly Christmas.” I must
confess that hearing that song only three days after Thanksgiving Day was a little
disconcerting. Hearing it on the way to church put me in a rather foul mood
entering worship. Hearing it on the Christian radio station, well . . . enough
said. Then, when we entered worship the first song the praise team played was “O
come all ye faithful.” I must admit that my Anglican sensibilities were
offended. What ever happened to Advent,
the time of preparation for the coming of the Messiah?
The past two years we have endured so much political
commentary and musing that by the time the election came around, we were just
worn out and disinterested in the whole affair. We grew tired of all of the
posturing and name calling and opinions of people who really had no idea what
was going on. We had election fatigue.
In today’s consumer society, we tend to get seasonal fatigue
because the Christmas season begins after Halloween or sooner and not
Thanksgiving as it used to be not too long ago. By playing Christmas music, viewing
Christmas ads, and seeing Christmas displays everywhere we turn, we seem to get
sick and tired of the whole season long before Christmas day comes. We are
robbed of our Christmas joy by retailers who want to rob us of our hard earned
dollars by having Black Friday deals continue for three weeks. The new Christmas theme is "more is better." Instead of not
participating, we endure it all for the sake of the kids and try to pretend it
does not affect us. Well, ask yourself, how is this long Christmas season
working out for you? If we are all honest, we would admit that while we don’t
like to admit it, it has caused us some consternation and aggravation.
As an Anglican, I enjoy the season of Advent as a time of
preparation for Christmas. I need time to get into the mood and leave the rest
of the world behind and get ready to welcome the Christ child. I also need the
time to remind me that, as I look back to the manger and Christ’s birth, I must
look forward to his coming again. I must not only look forward to it with joy,
I must assess my life to find out if I am ready when he finally does come. This is an
important time and it brings the future into the present as a reality that will
one day soon be upon us. As a period of reflection and correction, this is time
well-spent.
Seasons are an ever-present reality in life. We may not
notice the change in seasons until it is too late, but they do actually occur
on a schedule. No one season is extended, delayed or otherwise changed on the whims
of our pocketbooks or thermometers. Each one happens like clockwork at its
prescribed time. Never early, never late, but they happen right on schedule. We can
change the method of observing time – like daylight savings time - but that
does not stop time from rolling on. The seasons exist for a reason regardless
of how we think or feel. Often it is better to participate in the season than
to ignore it. Advent requires the same response from us. We don’t jump ahead to
Christmas too soon and get worn out about it by the time it comes. We get to prepare
and absorb the enormity of what we are going to celebrate.
The problem with Christmas, especially when it is all about
what happens before, is that we quickly forget the reason for the season the
day after Christmas is over. We do not celebrate the joy and appreciate the
meaning long enough for it to have a profound impact on our life. The Christmas
season actually begins on Christmas Day and ends 12 days later at Epiphany.
Those are the true 12 days of Christmas. That is the season to celebrate the
birth of the Christ child. But during this time period we focus only on the consumer
driven excitement of the cashing in gift cards and the exchange of unwanted or foolish
gifts. The celebration ends and we get back to normal as quickly as possible.
In my house, my wife has to have the Christmas tree up right after Thanksgiving
and down right after New Year’s Day. She gets mad – actually tired of the
Christmas mess – when we keep the signs of the season up until Epiphany. She
becomes fatigued with it and I really do too. To date, I haven’t been able to
get her not to decorate for Christmas any later than the middle of December. A
nice compromise but even with this the fatigue still sets in.
Now, please do not call me a Grinch. I really love
Christmas. I love all of the Christmas hymns and music. But Christmas is more
than just about the music, the presents and the decorations. Our secular world
would like us to believe otherwise. To diminish the “reason for the season” is
to remove from Christmas its identity and meaning. To take it lightly means we
see only a babe in a manger and not the Son of God. I was once told by a wise
bishop about the purpose of pre-marriage counseling. He said we should be more
concerned about the marriage than the wedding. The same principle should be
applied to Christmas. We must be more concerned about who the Christ child is
rather than when or how he came into the world, if we even recognize those
parts of Christmas at all. I am not advocating the mass distribution and
dissemination of Advent music, but the proper use of an Advent wreath can add
meaning to the Christmas preparation. Most of those hymns are unsingable and
sound more like funeral dirges. The contemporary Christian music scene would
never gravitate to this suggestion. Instead of using Christmas music, maybe we
should just forego it until we get closer the day and continue it through the
true Christmas season.
It is tough not to cave into the secular environment which
we inhabit. But that is the call of being a follower of Jesus. Let us prepare wisely
for the season of which we are looking forward to. Sunday December 2nd
is the first Sunday of Advent. Participate in the preparation. Enjoy the
experience so that when Christmas comes, you can not only appreciate what God
has done and will do, but you will be ready for it like Jesus calls us to. I am
holding tight to a new motto this time of year, “Experience Christmas again for
the first time!” Make this the best Christmas of your life by preparing for it
properly and intentionally. Focus and enjoy because Jesus is the Lord of Life.
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