12.28.2008

Celebrating Christmas, now

I think the number one best thing about having a month of Advent, is that all the crazy, get-ready-for-Christmas stuff, doesn't rule our lives. I was thinking today, in church as we sang my favorite carols, that most people have left Christmas behind. Who else sang carols today in service? We've just begun! It's only the fourth day of Christmas! Rejoice....celebrate...He is born! This will continue until January 5th when we celebrate 12th night, a symbolic arrival of the three kings. We won't even have our Christmas pageant until then.

We spent the last month, in preparation. Advent is the season of preparing for Christ's birth, and we read the bible verses that anticipate the birth of Christ...Isaiah, Judges, Malachi, Numbers. Joseph Bottum says "the disappearance of Advent seems especially disturbing—for it’s injured even the secular Christmas season: opening a hole, from Thanksgiving on, that can be filled only with fiercer, madder, and wilder attempts to anticipate Christmas." By using Advent, we were able to focus our energy on the reason, the meaning behind Christmas. 

Now, while everyone we know heaves a sigh of relief that this crazy season is over (back to life), our little family, our little parish, is letting go of Advent, and able to celebrate Christmas. We're able to celebrate the annunciation, we can focus on Mary sacrificing her life's choices to follow the will of the Lord. We can focus on Joseph, who as he accepted the ridicule and shame of his friends as he also followed God's will, as he accepted his pregnant bride.  We can worship a Lord who was willing to send Jesus to earth, to suffer as a human, to teach us all the way, the truth and the light. 

Merry Christmas to all!

4 comments:

Heather said...

We sang Christmas songs at our church home in TX this morning!

Julie2 said...

Yes - I finally took the time to create an acct.

Our church is the same way. A big distinction between Advent and Christmas except we have already had our pageant.

The Pastor encouraged us to wait to put up our trees or at least wait til Christmas to light them. This was several weeks ago. I heard many people telling him on the way out that their tree was already up and lit! Ours was too but I didn't say anything.

hahamommy said...

I. Love. You.
Five Gold Rings to you today, m'love, for not leaving me alone in my 12 day insistence!! My MIL's bday is Jan 6, so celebrating 12th night is a perfect B-Day party for her :D Complete with Christmas decor & 3 wise men!! When the kids were little, the wise men from our nativity would wander the house and wander the house until FINALLY! they'd arrive (maybe Jesus is who inspires my many-dayed birthday celebration?! hee hee )

Melissa said...

Diane...our wise men on are the piano bench right now. The camel migrates depending on Ava's whim. I have a picture I took last week of it kneeling in front of baby jesus. :-)