The Christmas season is officially over. It ended yesterday January 6... the day of Epiphany. Epiphany means... "To Appear" or "To Manifest" and has long been celebrated by the church as either the coming of the Three Kings or story of Jesus' baptism. Both of these stories reveal Jesus as the "Son of God" or "Messiah" to the world. Whatever your take on Epiphany is it marks the end of the Christmas season. I'm grateful the season is finally over. We took down all our Christmas decorations yesterday repositioning all our furniture and resuming to some sense of normalcy.
I'm not much of a fan of Christmas... OK go ahead and get your Scrooge notions out... I'm not a fan because of several factors. Mostly because of a lot of expectations and few of those expectations coming to fruition. My childhood/ home experiences were mostly difficult and I always hoped that years Christmas would be different. It often wasn't. After a while you become numb and the holiday becomes just another day.
My wife of nearly 37 years had the opposite experience, so she likes going all out for Christmas. Joy, Joy, Love, and lots more Joy is her attitude. I really do think this is a good thing, but I can't seem to get there most years. I've managed to be better about this over the years, mostly by taking a step back while saying to myself repeatedly... "It will be ok, It will be ok."
This year I sort-of reverted back because of being unemployed. It certainly was a different experience for me. For the last 8 years I've served congregations and celebrating Christmas Eve worship and some with Christmas Day worship. I missed that this year. Because of all the circumstances at my last call, we hemmed and hawed about going to a church this year for Christmas. We did go to a church down the road from where we live, but it was not what we had hope for. The worship experience was only a half-hour long. That's right... a half-hour! Three songs in the beginning, a sermon comparing Charlie Brown's Christmas, a make-shift communion, Silent Night, and out the door. It was a half-hour long. We were obviously bummed, but it fit the mood I have been in for the past few weeks anyway.
I believe for the most part my disaffection with Christmas is how we Christians have bought into the commercialization of the holiday. It's not for me a "Jesus is the reason for the season", but how we have made the season be a consumer competition. Furthermore, it all begin's now in October... even before the Halloween season is over. It use to be that all the frenzy started the day after Thanksgiving... well that has even come to an end with many stores opening on turkey day now. It just seems over the past thirty years Christmas has been more about the "Dollar Bill" than just about anything else.
The church has been about this as well. The church I believe pays lip-service to the Jesus aspect of the season all the while caving into the consumerist greed our society has embraced. Why do I say this? say this because I over-heard a person say that they were appalled that some kids in our school district go without boots or winter coats. This person couldn't believe that people in our community lived like this. I over-heard another person say... well you should come over to where I live... most kids don't have boots or coats. So... what do Christians do... we go buy boots, food, coats, and gifts so that they can have a nice Christmas like us. Christians do this every year... I think because of guilt... my question is, "Why is it only at Christmas or Easter (we've commercialized this too) we feel so generous? Please don't mistake me for being a prude... I'm thankful that people who need help are able to get some. Look at all the people who paid for lay-aways at K-Mart this year, but what I question is our authenticity.
I received some gifts this year from my family. They were simple gifts which is fine... I think those are the best. I really don't want anything because if there is something I want or need, I will buy it, but if you are going to buy something, don't spend a lot of money. What I believe I'm really looking for at the Christmas season is for my family and friends to be loving and caring people. To get together and have good conversation and friendship with no expectations.
Maybe I'm thinking this way because of getting older and I'm on the back side of my life. I'm sure this is partially true. Furthermore, I believe I'm just coming to the realization that life is more than some temporary trinket that can be bought that gives a temporary high. I think I'm searching for deeper meaning and understanding about what Jesus really is after in me. In fact, I think Jesus wouldn't be all that impressed with how we have come to celebrate His birth. More to the point, I believe Jesus doesn't care! Jesus cares more about how I'm living my life rather than how I'm celebrating Christmas. I mean... after-all.... two of the gospels don't have any birth stories in them!
Anyway... I'm glad the season is over. I hope you are as well. Now it's time to get closer to Jesus... maybe spend some time thinking how you might do that.
See You Out on the Road.
I'm not much of a fan of Christmas... OK go ahead and get your Scrooge notions out... I'm not a fan because of several factors. Mostly because of a lot of expectations and few of those expectations coming to fruition. My childhood/ home experiences were mostly difficult and I always hoped that years Christmas would be different. It often wasn't. After a while you become numb and the holiday becomes just another day.
My wife of nearly 37 years had the opposite experience, so she likes going all out for Christmas. Joy, Joy, Love, and lots more Joy is her attitude. I really do think this is a good thing, but I can't seem to get there most years. I've managed to be better about this over the years, mostly by taking a step back while saying to myself repeatedly... "It will be ok, It will be ok."
This year I sort-of reverted back because of being unemployed. It certainly was a different experience for me. For the last 8 years I've served congregations and celebrating Christmas Eve worship and some with Christmas Day worship. I missed that this year. Because of all the circumstances at my last call, we hemmed and hawed about going to a church this year for Christmas. We did go to a church down the road from where we live, but it was not what we had hope for. The worship experience was only a half-hour long. That's right... a half-hour! Three songs in the beginning, a sermon comparing Charlie Brown's Christmas, a make-shift communion, Silent Night, and out the door. It was a half-hour long. We were obviously bummed, but it fit the mood I have been in for the past few weeks anyway.
I believe for the most part my disaffection with Christmas is how we Christians have bought into the commercialization of the holiday. It's not for me a "Jesus is the reason for the season", but how we have made the season be a consumer competition. Furthermore, it all begin's now in October... even before the Halloween season is over. It use to be that all the frenzy started the day after Thanksgiving... well that has even come to an end with many stores opening on turkey day now. It just seems over the past thirty years Christmas has been more about the "Dollar Bill" than just about anything else.
The church has been about this as well. The church I believe pays lip-service to the Jesus aspect of the season all the while caving into the consumerist greed our society has embraced. Why do I say this? say this because I over-heard a person say that they were appalled that some kids in our school district go without boots or winter coats. This person couldn't believe that people in our community lived like this. I over-heard another person say... well you should come over to where I live... most kids don't have boots or coats. So... what do Christians do... we go buy boots, food, coats, and gifts so that they can have a nice Christmas like us. Christians do this every year... I think because of guilt... my question is, "Why is it only at Christmas or Easter (we've commercialized this too) we feel so generous? Please don't mistake me for being a prude... I'm thankful that people who need help are able to get some. Look at all the people who paid for lay-aways at K-Mart this year, but what I question is our authenticity.
I received some gifts this year from my family. They were simple gifts which is fine... I think those are the best. I really don't want anything because if there is something I want or need, I will buy it, but if you are going to buy something, don't spend a lot of money. What I believe I'm really looking for at the Christmas season is for my family and friends to be loving and caring people. To get together and have good conversation and friendship with no expectations.
Maybe I'm thinking this way because of getting older and I'm on the back side of my life. I'm sure this is partially true. Furthermore, I believe I'm just coming to the realization that life is more than some temporary trinket that can be bought that gives a temporary high. I think I'm searching for deeper meaning and understanding about what Jesus really is after in me. In fact, I think Jesus wouldn't be all that impressed with how we have come to celebrate His birth. More to the point, I believe Jesus doesn't care! Jesus cares more about how I'm living my life rather than how I'm celebrating Christmas. I mean... after-all.... two of the gospels don't have any birth stories in them!
Anyway... I'm glad the season is over. I hope you are as well. Now it's time to get closer to Jesus... maybe spend some time thinking how you might do that.
See You Out on the Road.
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