12 Days of Christmas: Overview and Day 1...Give to Jesus

Welcome to Christmastide!! After the fasting of Advent, we are ready to celebrate for all 12 days of Christmas. 

Last year, I did a series on the 12 Days of Christmas, looking at the person of note, theme, song, and verse for each day. This year, we will look at the person of note and last year's theme, through the lens of 12 actions we can take during the 12 Days of Christmas. 

Date	Person or People of Note	2020 Theme	2021 Theme
12/25	Jesus	Celebrate Jesus’ Birth	-Giving to Jesus
12/26	St. Stephen	Christian martyrs and the persecuted	-Fellowshipping
12/27	St. John the Apostle	Loving and listening to those who are different from you	-Volunteering
12/28	The Holy Innocents (the children killed in Herod’s Genocide)	Those killed by governments. Refugees in our midst	-Remembering
12/29	St. Thomas Becket	Obeying God rather than man	-Worshipping
12/30	St. Egwin	Caring for widows and orphans	-Sharing (with those struggling to get by)
12/31	St. Francis of Assisi (in lieu of Pope Sylvester I)	Sharing the Gospel	-Exploring (in nature)
1/1	Mary	God’s response to the powerful and powerless	-Feasting
1/2	St. Basil and St. Gregory	The Trinity and Sharing the Gospel	-Giving (to people)
1/3	Holy Name of Jesus	The Names of Jesus	-Creating (Food/Treats)
1/4	St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (in lieu of St. Simon)	The way the persecuted church is supposed to act	-Rejoicing
1/5	St. John Neumann	As citizens of heaven, we are immigrants	-Sojourning
1/6	The Wise Men/Magi	Identifying biblical stories and commands instead of our culture's version	Have we realized what Epiphany means for Gentiles?

Happy First Day of Christmas!! Today, we are celebrating Jesus' birth, which begs the question: "What did you get for Jesus to celebrate His birth?" We normally are good at giving gifts to family members, friends, and coworkers, but what do we give to Jesus? There are many gifts which seem up His alley. We can make a donation in His honor to a Christian organization. We can buy something to help a struggling family, such as an animal or supplies for a steady livelihood through a group such as Heifer International.  We can do something for "the least of these" (the hungry, the homeless, the stranger, the prisoner), since Jesus said in Matthew 25 that whatever we do for the least of these, we do for Him. 

So what did you get for Jesus for His birthday? 

Waiting/Listening/Leaning into Silence/Darkness: A Fourth Sunday Advent Devotional

We have navigated another Advent today. We have just 6 days left in this season. 

Our culture struggles to delay gratification as we overindulge for a solid 4-6 weeks, but Advent is a time of fasting as we anticipate the feasting to come. Which better reflects the Christian walk: overindulgence and gluttony or fasting and moderation? 

Our culture pushes consumerism, even to the point of going into debt, as a sign of our love for others; Advent is about reflecting on the gift God gave us. Have we written God a thank you note for His gift? What have we gotten for Jesus on His birthday? 

Our culture has a great Fear Of Missing Out (sometimes called FOMO), but Advent is a season of paring down to the essentials, such as focusing on the Christ Child. How does a simplified Advent schedule allow us to focus on Jesus? 

Our culture encourages us to rush to the next "picture-perfect" activity with our family, yet Advent is a season of waiting for Christmas Day. Are we tempted to skip this season of waiting? 

Our culture cranks up the volume to maximize "holiday cheer"; Advent is a period of silence and listening for God's still, small voice. How can we expect to hear from God if we refuse to turn off the radio, the TV, the noise of the season? 

Our culture tries to chase away the dark of winter by cranking up the lights, yet Advent is about focusing on the Light of the World in the midst of the darkness. What can we learn about the Light of the World from a candle burning in a dark room?