Mind your toes. This year, I'm re-reading a book called the Advent Conspiracy during this season. I am asking myself (and you, by extension) some tough questions.
Our initial reflex is to give the answers that we know should be true, but we don't always do what we should be doing. Instead, I challenge all of us to examine our lives, time, money, and space to see what our answer is. Once we have compared the reality of what is with the ideal of what should be, we can decide which one is the more godly path to walk on.
Now that Thanksgiving has passed for another year, it's time for Advent. The church may call this 4-week season leading up to Christmas "Advent", but we have forgotten how to celebrate it. It should be a season of anticipation, longing, and preparation. It is a time of frenzied activities as we shop more, buy more, and do more in a frantic attempt to find peace.
Who should we worship during the Advent and Christmas season?
The answer to this is clear: Jesus. The prince of peace. Emmanuel-God with us. The lamb of God who came to take away the sins of the world.
Who or what do we really worship during the Advent and Christmas season?
We say that Jesus is the reason for the season, but how much do we think of Him, worship Him, or glorify Him during this season? We have set up idols in the Christmas season. We chase after the perfect holiday, following consumerism as we put presents and material possessions before Christ. Harsh but true. We try to do more things, but peace isn't found by following our culture's recipe. Peace is found by rejecting the pattern of the world, and instead following God's pattern. We may have to reject a lot of harmless traditions to have the room and time to follow God.
Based on how we spend our time, money, and space, what is the center or focus of our Christmas?
Honestly how is our Advent & Christmas different from a non-Christian's celebrations? Being a Christian should impact every area of our lives and our lives should look vastly different (in a way that draws people towards God) than a non-Christian's.
If we have the holiday of Christmas to celebrate Jesus' birth, then what gift(s) do we give Him?
The wise men gave Christ gifts on Christmas. There is no record of them giving gifts to their families or friends because of Christ's birth, but that's for a later discussion. Let's follow the wise men's lead and give Christ some gifts this year. His Word says that He loves the poor, the foreigner, those who have been pushed to the margins of society & ignored. He identifies with these people. When we feed the hungry, clothe the shivering, give water to the thirsty, and fight against injustice, we are giving Him a precious present. Maybe we could find a charity or a non-profit and give a gift in Jesus' honor.
If we cleared our calendars for December from all the optional (non-work & school) commitments, what acts of worship should we add into our newly freed space? What are special ways that we can worship God this Christmas season?
Why should we give each other Christmas presents?
A Christian book was written called "Christmas Is Not Your Birthday" There are a few exceptions to this title, when someone really does have a December 25th birthday, but our culture has convinced us that in order to "properly" celebrate Christmas, we need to show our friends and families how much we love them by spending large amounts of money on them. But Jesus told His disciples to invite those who can't repay the disciples to share meals with them. Don't just invite those who will invite you to a reciprocal party, but invite those who can't repay you with the same gift. Maybe instead of giving gifts to our circle of friends, we should give gifts to the homeless, the refugee, and the single mom.
So how would I suggest that we celebrate Christmas if we don't follow our popular culture's traditions?
*Christ-Centric (or as the Advent Conspiracy book says, by worshiping fully)
*Simply (or as the Advent Conspiracy book says, by spending less)
*Generously (or as the Advent Conspiracy book says, by giving more)
*Joyfully (or as the Advent Conspiracy book says, by loving all)
In the following weeks, I hope to look at what each of these would look like in our lives as we celebrate Christ during the Christmas season.
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