If this is your experience, then we need to talk. We create stress. We let the holidays overwhelm us and we forget why we're celebrating in the first place. Look, I get that you may not be that religious or pious. These festivals and seasons are not that important anyway. We don't have time for these things, that are clearly for religious insiders, right? . You've gotten on fine without knowing about Advent or Lent or the Christian year. Did you know the Christian year is marked differently than the secular calendar? Did you know millions of people observe the Christian year as the rhythm that keeps them connected to the life of Jesus and the ongoing creative work of God? A lot of evangelical Christians have rejected the traditional Christian calendar. They do not observe the seasons. Roman Catholics and some Protestants, however, continue to keep an annual cycle of holy days by which they mark the passing of the weeks. Both Jews and Muslims also keep a religious calendar of seasonal observances and holy days. You've simply never participated as religiously or faithfully before.
But, here's the thing. In your rejection of some Christian traditions or your ignorance of them (and I mean that in a gentle way, like you just don't know what you're missing), you are not getting the whole meal. Its like skipping the hors d'oeuvres and the salad and going right for the meat and the dessert. Many Americans will celebrate Christmas without knowing why. What it means, whose birth we celebrate, why we celebrate Jesus' birth, or how to celebrate it apart from the consumer model. There is another way!
Advent starts on Sunday, November 27th this year. Advent is the church's way of marking time, of slowing things down, of preparing for the things that matter. Advent has been observed for centuries and consists in the four Sundays that precede December 25th. It is basically the month before Christmas. It has been mostly supplanted by a consumer calendar marking the number of shopping days until the 25th.
Christmas, as you know, is one of the two major festivals of the Christian year. It is a twelve day celebration of the Birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. The stories of his birth appear in the gospels of Matthew and Luke.
Easter is, of course, the other major festival. One could say that it was the resurrection of Jesus that made his birth so important. No Easter, no Christmas. But I think we can make a case for the significance of Christmas, primarily by living Advent.
Advent is all about anticipation and hope, watchful waiting, and expectation. It is about the longing of the human heart, the human community, for justice--the setting right and straight the things that are wrong and broken in this world. Biblically, Advent is Messianic promise and fulfillment. Jews longed for a just ruler, an divinely anointed King who would set them free from oppression. The Messiah began to be seen as a divine man who would transform the earth, humanity, and all the creatures. From winter to eternal spring. From despair and desperation to hope and comfort. From exile to homecoming. From war to peace. From death to life. The expectation was that a Messiah would save the people from sin and death. The Jews, long awaiting a savior, kept watch by prayer and Torah observance. They practiced the law of God found in the books of Moses and the prophets. They hoped, in times of slavery and exile, for a ruler who would vanquish enemies and restore their dignity as the chosen people of God. A Messiah, which means anointed one or King. Christ is the Greek form of Messiah. It is a title not a surname. Jesus Christ means Jesus Messiah, or King Jesus.
Advent gives us a month to contemplate the meaning of Jesus. Here are some ways we can observe Advent:
1. Get a calendar. Advent calendars are full of daily reminders and simple practices that make us mindful of the presence of God.
2. Get an Advent wreath or a set of four candles to light at evening meals. One candle is lit on each Sunday in Advent. The Jews get 8 candles on the Menorrah for Hannukah. Christians get four candles for Advent.
3.Get a devotion book. Daily readings that teach us, that enrich the spiritual part of life, and give us pause to reflect can really enhance the meaning of the holiday season. Maybe God has something to say to you to help you grow in your relationships, or in how you use your time. Start the day in 5 minutes of intentional silence before a single candle as a point of focus. See what that days to your state of mind, level of stress, and will to live.
4. Find a local charity to support or volunteer with a local community outreach. Nothing refocuses us in the life of Jesus like tending to the needs of others.
5. Go to worship in a liturgical church that observes ancient Christian tradition. It may be that engaging in ritual activity (prayer, song, listening, eating and drinking, light candles) that has been shaped by centuries of spiritual practitioners, who were devoted to a spiritual path as followers of Jesus Christ, can nurture your inner soul in ways that shopping at Target can't.
6. Invite someone to eat dinner with your family that has not been in your home before. Hospitality is a hallmark characteristic of Christian observance and something we suck at in the United States. We tend to live in isolation rather than in community. Nothing makes community faster than food.
7. Go to a free community concert. Churches and community centers often host musicians during the month of December. Many churches will host community singing of Handel's "Messiah". Enjoying beautiful music and the arts reminds us of the best of what humanity can offer.
8. Decorate in stages. Rather than put up the entire Christmas display on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, delay gratification Clark. Build a festive atmosphere in your home, adding a little more each week. Delay decorating a Christmas tree for as long as you can. After all, Christmas itself is the 12 days from December 25 to January 6. Too often, we've put away Christmas too early because we started observing and celebrating too soon. Do Advent first! Wait for Christmas! The meaning is in the waiting!
Let's start here and see what happens. Try on one or two new habits. What is it like to intentionally and mindfully focus on the coming of Christ?
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