As you ready your hearts for Christmas, let us not easily forget that Jesus Christ is central to our celebration.
Certainly, we know that Jesus was not born on December 25th. Few people would ever make such an argument (and if they did, they'd be flat wrong!). But it
is at this time every year that we remember His coming. We as Christians anticipate Him throughout the Christmas season via Advent and we long for His coming---both remembering His first coming on the 25th and ultimately looking to His future glorious second coming as well.
The Christmas holiday season is a great time of year (like Halloween
as I mentioned before) to ask yourself a question....
- Does the way I celebrate Christmas bear the markings of something distinctively "Christian"?
OR
- Does the way that I celebrate Christmas (or even my Christianity) instead seem to have adopted all the trappings and accommodations of our contemporary culture leaving nary an inch for Christ?
As you ponder that question, I'll leave you with a humorous story. C.S. Lewis once pinpointed the marked difference between celebrating the birth of Christ and "all this ghastly [Christmas] racket at its lowest" with this story actually, so the credit for the laugh is his and not mine... Lewis wrote to a friend: "My brother heard a woman on a 'bus say, as the 'bus passed a church with a crib outside it, 'Oh Lor'! They bring religion into everything. Look--they're dragging it even into Christmas now!'"
Prayer: Lord, help us at this time of year to think of this season as we ought. Help us to enjoy the time of rest, the time with family, the time of reflection, and let this all lead us ultimately to savor this time of year as a time of worship. You are the cause of celebration for us this season and forever. Amen.
-RCW
P.S. For some of my Southern Baptist friends who live somewhat in a bubble and legitimately do not know what "Advent" is, click
here and you can see what the majority of the universal church in western culture does around the holiday season. (That means what other Christians do who aren't Baptist....Yes, I do mean to tell you that there are a great many Christians who aren't Southern Baptist). :) I don't mean to poke fun....for I was certainly once very ignorant of these matters myself.
P.P.S. For my scholarly friends, the Lewis quote is from
Letters to an American Lady (29 December 1958), p. 80. The letter itself is housed in the
Wade Center at Wheaton...an amazing place should you ever manage a visit. I know how several of you (like myself) have a nasty distaste for quotes that lack a citation.
Hey there, everyone. There is a lovely new item that costs about $1.99 that my wife and I are enjoying. It is excerpts from Tyndale House's new Mosaic NLT Bible and it is called
Devotions for Advent.
It has color artwork, scripture readings, meditations, writings from people throughout the history of the church, blank space to journal or respond, etc. You'd enjoy it to be sure, but
this is the week to start it.
-RCW
I came across a link the other day that took me to
gospel.com (A site worth checking out if you are a new believer or have never heard of it). I began reading some articles and saw a link to an Advent Scripture Reading List put out by
Mars Hill Bible Church.
Here is a link to it.
As for Advent, if you are unfamiliar with the term, I can let Mars Hill give you their description below as well (though don't be mistaken and believe that I am entirely on board the Mars Hill Bible Church bandwagon altogether).
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ADVENT
The word means arrival.
In the traditional Church calendar, "Advent" is a time for celebrating the coming of Jesus: both remembering his birth and anticipating his future arrival, the restoration of all things.
From the beginning, this has been a story of unexpected contrast. Supreme Peace born under the rule of Roman brutality. Ultimate Love wrapped up in the crude, human cage of an infant’s ribs. Joy enough to carry all of life, small enough to be carried in the crook of an arm. Hope born into a struggling, battling world—into a barn. For all of us.
This year we're celebrating Advent in a number of ways: through weekly Advent services at Mars Hill, daily Bible readings, and an artists' blog.
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For the curious, what I mean by my above "bandwagon" comments is that while their pastor and leader Rob Bell may be a fellow
Wheaton Alumni and he is definitely doing some
very cool and effective things for God's Kingdom, it seems I have an element of caution. I really enjoy what they do, I am thrilled at their creativity, etc. The word of caution is due to the fact that it seems some have forgotten what we must always remember...that we worship Jesus Christ and not simply a ministry, a church, or a philosophy of ministry. Do we love the Jesus Christ that a particular teacher or ministry paints or do we love more the Jesus Christ of the Scriptures? The two may be identical, but as believers we must rid ourselves of the dependency upon JUST one source of inspiration, JUST one preacher we can listen to, JUST one ministry we get excited about, etc. Instead, we should find ultimate sufficiency in the One and Only Jesus Christ...the Reason for this season.
-RCW
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