Are you ready for Christmas???
I’ve started getting ready. Most of my trees are up, but not decorated yet. But I at least have them out and have started planning what I’m doing as far as decorations. I’m in the planning stage- planning my baking, planning my shopping.
How do you prepare for Christmas? Do you trim the tree? Send those Christmas cards and letters? Wrap all the presents and tie them with pretty bows?
At the end of the holiday season, when you are paying off all those credit card bills, and taking out bags and bags of wrapping paper trash, dutifully shoving the tree out to the curb or under the stairs until you pull it out again next year… do you say to yourself… “whew, I’m glad Christmas is over” or “the holidays are so tiring”?
Maybe…just maybe we aren’t as ready as we like to think.
Today’s scripture is about being prepared. It talks about us not-knowing when Christ will come again and how we should always be prepared as if it could happen tomorrow. We should always “keep awake” and on the watch for Christ’s return. Although we don’t know exactly when that will be, we should be ready!
Why then, is this the scripture for the first Sunday in Advent? Why are we talking about Christ’s coming again on this the first Sunday in Advent? Because…we are preparing for Christ’s coming… not in the form of some cosmic end of the world event, but in the form of a child, born in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago. We KNOW when Christmas is coming, and we know what that means. We need to get ready!
How do we get ready for Christmas?
Well…first things first. When is Christmas?
The shopping malls and television commercials tell us that Christmas begins the day after thanksgiving and ends December 26th, when all the big sales start. To the retail word, Christmas is one big day off after a month of shopping and selling.
For Christians, Christmas is a process.
We begin with four weeks of advent. The word advent comes from the Latin word “adventus” which means “the approach or the arrival.” Advent has been celebrated since the fourth century and was originally a time to the Celtic monks used to prepare for the Christ’s Mass This was later combined with the Roman practice of penance before Christmas. The two traditions combined into the celebration of advent as we know it today. Advent is celebrated the four Sundays before Christmas, and we usually mark each of those Sundays with the lighting of the advent wreath in our sanctuaries.
After four weeks of advent, we have Christmas. Christmas lasts from December 25th to Epiphany on January 6th. Christmas is NOT just one day. Christmas is supposed to be celebrated from Christmas day, through epiphany. 12 whole days. The 12 days of Christmas wasn’t just something made up in a song. There are 12 days to celebrate the arrival of the Christ child, culminating with the visit from the magi (or wise men) on January sixth. This is also known as twelfth night and is the day you are supposed to take down your Christmas tree, and if you have a live one you are supposed to have a big bonfire and save the ashes for ash Wednesday. This is when Christmas officially ends.
But here we are…at the beginning of advent…
Advent is more than lighting a few purple candles and singing Christmas hymns. The spirit of advent is one of preparation and expectation. It is a time when we can focus on truly preparing for Christmas. And I don’t mean getting out the fruitcake pans…
Advent is a time to get your heart prepared, to do the internal work of welcoming the Christ child into our midst again.
How do we prepare then, for Christmas?
We prepare our homes…
Sure! Go ahead and “deck the halls” string the lights, set out your Santas and hang the ornaments from the tree. But, when you string the lights? Think about the star that guided the wise ones to the manger. Think about the light of the world that was born in that manger. Think about the advent candles and how they illuminate more and more the path towards Christmas’ arrival. Think about the glow of the Christ candle on Christmas Eve. Think about the light in a child’s eyes when they first learn of the miracle of Christmas.
When you “deck the halls” and put up the Christmas tree, remember that the evergreen is a symbol of life eternal because it doesn’t die even in the coldest of winters. The eternal green branches remind us of the coming of the eternal Christ. Because the needles of the pine and fur trees remain green season after season and our ancestors saw them as signs of things that last forever. Our wreaths are round to remind us that the reign of Christ will have no end. As we hang the holly and the ivy let us remember that in ancient times these were considered symbols of Christ’s passion…the holly’s prickly leaves suggest a crown of thorns and its berries the blood of the savior. When we put up the tree, let’s take a moment to remember St. Boniface who first said “let this be called the tree of the Christ Child.”
When we set out the Santas and talk about Santa Claus, pause to remember St. Nicholas. Nicholas was born during the third century in a village in what is now Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made of while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships.
As you prepare your homes for Christmas, be sure you have a nativity scene present. It can be as simple as a Mary, Joseph, and baby Jesus or as ornate and extensive as to have nearly a hundred pieces. Place it in a central location in your home as a physical reminder to you and your family the true reason behind the holiday.. Nativity scenes are my favorite part of advent. We had one when I was growing up that my mom made in her ceramics group. I can close my eyes now and see the camel, the shepherd boy in the brown tunic, the white sheep, and of course the baby Jesus. I’ve built a huge collection of nativities and even have a Christmas tree full of nativity ornaments. There are so many baby Jesuses in my house at Christmas!
So yes…deck the halls, hang the lights, talk about Santa, but remember the reasons behind it as you prepare your home for Christmas.
But more importantly than preparing our homes, is how we prepare our hearts. In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season it’s easy to forget to prepare inwardly for the birth of the Christ child. But how do we prepare our hearts? How do we find the meaning in the midst of the commercialism we face when we step outside of this church? How do we take the peace and joy we feel during advent in HERE and take it with us out THERE.
There are lots of things we can do…some are simple some are complicated. Here are a few of my favorites.
Decorate a Jesse Tree. A Jesse tree pays tribute to the verse in Isaiah that says, “out of the root of Jesse.” It is a bare tree with no leaves that is decorated with hand made ornaments depicting Jesus’ ancestry and Jewish heritage. Ornaments on the tree include, a rainbow, Jacob’s ladder, David’s harp, Joseph’s coat of many colors, and many of the other stories from the Old Testament. By telling the stories of the Jesse tree ornaments, we learn more about Jesus’ ancestry and about his spiritual heritage.
Look at your Christmas shopping list. Pray for each and every person on the list before you buy their present, pray for them when you are standing in line to pay for that present, and pray for them again when you wrap it. Say a little prayer for each person on your Christmas card list as you address their envelope. Do every “typical pre-Christmas activity” with a spirit of love and devotion that honors the child who will come.
Bake cookies for a neighbor. They don’t have to know they are the slice and bake kind from the grocery store freezer. Invite a friend to church for Christmas Eve or for the live nativity.
Listen. Listen to the stories of Christmases past. Listen to your friends and loved ones as they tell of childhood Christmases, of favorite people and gifts, of family traditions that are still followed. Listen to the little voices that sing “away in a manger” so sweetly. Listen to the words of the Christmas carols. Think about the words and the meaning behind them. Listen to the wishes behind the wishes on the wish lists. Listen for God’s presence in each and every moment of this advent season.
Advent is what separates the Christians from the Christmas nuts. It’s what makes Christmas a Holy day for us and not just another holiday. Advent is a time of holy and solemn preparation, of quiet joy and expectation. Together we anticipate the birth of the one who would ultimately die on a cross. We can’t forget the fact that without the teachings and actions that got Jesus crucified in the first place we wouldn’t have a reason to be celebrating his birth. We know the end of the story, and that makes the beginning all that more special.
So…celebrate the beginning, prepare with joyful anticipation, and make ready both your Home and your Heart for the birth of the Christ child.
Amen.