Reclaiming Christmas (and Advent and Epiphany)
The angel said, “Don’t be afraid! Look! I bring good news to you—wonderful, joyous news for all people. Your savior is born today in David’s city. He is Christ the Lord. This is a sign for you: you will find a newborn baby wrapped snugly and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great assembly of the heavenly forces was with the angel praising God. They said, “Glory to God in heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.” (Luke 2:10-14, CEB translation)
I know, I know, it is just the day after Thanksgiving (in the United States, that is – shout out to all of you who read this blog from other countries). In this country, that means it is Black Friday – the day when the Christmas shopping season officially kicks off. This year, things are “back to normal” because for some reason people think we are post-Covid so the in person shopping is back in almost full effect. Except there are a couple of things at work here that haven’t been in recent history. First, stores have learned they can close for a while and it is not the end of the world (especially because online never closes), so I drove by my local Walmart (and remember I live in Bentonville now, so my local Walmart is across the street from the Walmart Home Office) and the parking lot was empty. Closed on Thanksgiving. I haven’t seen that for years, and I gotta say, it was really nice to think of the workers getting Thanksgiving at home. But I also know they were prepping for a big day the next day, so people might be working all kinds of crazy hours.
The second thing at work here, though, is a freight problem. Our docks have been at a crawl since they got backed up due to Covid. Supposedly we now have political pressure that may be getting things moving again, and I can attest from my Thanksgiving travels that there was no shortage of trucks on the road. Still, we may face a Christmas with just fewer items to choose from.
This is great news.
Okay, maybe not great news for the economy, but it does present an opportunity for us to stop and take a breath and look at Christmas again, and not just Christmas but Advent and Epiphany as well.
Not familiar with those other two seasons? Well, let me introduce you to them, and then let me invite you to (re)claim all three seasons in a faithful way.
Okay, first the definitions:
Advent – the kickoff of the Christian year, it starts 4 Sundays from Christmas day. So this year (2021), that is November 28. It is the season when we prepare to have Christ born into our world and our hearts (again). It is a time of reflection and preparation for things to come, a season of repentance and renewal and new hope.
Christmas – also an entire season, this runs from December 25 through January 5. You may note that there are 12 days there – those are the 12 days of Christmas, not the 12 leading up to December 25. I was confused about that for about half my life. This is the season we celebrate Jesus coming into the world for our salvation.
Epiphany – January 6, and sometimes celebrated for a couple weeks following. This day is also called Three Kings Day, and it marks the arrival of the magi from the East (there may or may not have been just 3). For the church, this day also signifies the inclusion of Gentiles into the faith. It is a very important holiday in much of the world.
Okay, so now you know the definitions. Let’s talk about how we could celebrate each of these in ways that more closely honor their purpose.
Advent – Just like people do around New Year’s Day, this season invites us to think about our lives, what we appreciate about them and what we would change about them. THIS is when we should make our New Year’s resolutions, doing the work we need to do to be a better host for Christ’s presence with us. I know, I know, it is a terribly timed season to start a new diet with all the cookies and pies around, but I will also say it is a time of real discipline if you do so. But instead of focusing on dieting, what resolution could you make to live more faithfully? How can you plan to show and share Jesus to the world in this new year?
Christmas – You know what happens biblically on the night Jesus was born? Worship. Angels show up and sing of the glory of God in this new baby, and then shepherds rush to adore him. The only other thing that happens is a new family is created, and not just the holy family. A new family of God. So what if, instead of centering around gift exchange on December 25 (which comes from both a linking of Saturnalia – a Roman pagan feast day - and St. Nicholas’ Day – which is December 5 or 6 – with an effort to turn Christmas into a calmer holiday in the 19th century), we spent time focused around worship and family? Loving God and loving neighbor. Seems like an apt way to honor Jesus.
Epiphany – Here’s your gift exchange day! When the wise men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh, they brought them with the intention of honoring this great person born into their midst. So what if we had the same intention for the people we love, and what if we stuck to just 3 gifts per person? What if we intentionally gave something beautiful (gold), something practical (frankincense – it was highly valued as a cosmetic in Egypt so when the Holy Family fled there it would provide a great means of support), and something memorable (myrrh – used to anoint people in their passing, to honor their memory)?
I will share with you all that I did practice this with my family one year. It was the year I started exercising and getting my diet under control, and ultimately probably extended the length of life I have to give to Christ, and I kicked it off in Advent. Then, Christmas was spent in worship and intentional time with family. Then January 6, we opened gifts, and you know what came with each of the three gifts we gave or received? A story. Because each of us got to tell the person why it was their beautiful, or practical, or memorable gift. Every gift came with an intention, and the gifts were far more precious because of the limitation. And because of the thoughtfulness.
I would have continued practicing the seasons this way, except that was my last Christmas with family intact. But should I ever find myself in a time and place again to give gifts, I would like to reclaim this practice. It took so much stress out of the season. Plenty of people who knew I was trying this experiment teased me that I would be able to get good deals at the after Christmas sales, but honestly because of the small number I had to work with and the time I was allowed to think about it, I was done shopping for everyone before December 10.
But more than that, I did feel connected and awake to the days around me that year. Not in the way we experienced in 2020 when time seemed to grind on monotonously, but in the way of noticing what was precious about the rhythms of life and the movement of faith. So, my friends, if I can give you all a gift this year, may it be the chance to reclaim Christmas for what it is, and to find within these three seasons a path to connect with love through the holy. May you be blessed.
Image by Kari Shea at Unsplash.com.
