This is the 1st in a 4 part series about looking at Advent differently from a Christian perspective.
Part 1 – Worship Fully
As a child, I anticipated getting the Sears Wish Book (Christmas Catalogue) at our house every year. My brother and I would sit down together and open it up from the back (that’s where the toys were). At some point we’d get a list together of all the things we wanted for Christmas and we’d hand it over to Mom & Dad expecting that everything on that list would be under the tree on Christmas morning. It’s as if we thought Mom & Dad were some kind of Christmas vending machine.
For me, Christmas wasn’t about the things of Advent – of hope, peace, joy, rest and love – it really was all about me.
I have three children of my own now, and they do pretty close to the same thing, and it’s my own fault, really. We’ve spent a lot of money on Christmas in the past, but this year has got to be different.
Did you know that Canadians spend about $36 billion every year at Christmastime?* That’s about $1000 per person in Canada! Wow. And on what? Much of what is spent is on cheap toys that end up in a landfill somewhere or on cheap chocolate that may have contributed to child slavery in another country.
I believe that the Christmas season is a worship event. Increased traffic, longer lineups at all kinds of stores, people spending crazy amounts of money and time on consuming all kinds of material things. In the search for true hope, true peace, true joy, true rest and true love, we end up trying to fill these needs with the consumption of bigger and bigger things like a heroine addict who needs a bigger hit every time to get the same fix. And it only leaves us empty.
Advent means arrival or appearing, and at this time of year, for the Christian, it is all about the appearing of a long awaited Saviour…the promised Messiah prophesied and anticipated by the entire Old Testament – the coming of a true King.
How do we spend less, give more and love all at Christmas time? The answer starts with answering the question, “Who or what am I worshipping?” For myself, Christmas was all about me and trying to fill the voids in my life with things, which left me empty. My search for the things of Advent – hope, peace, joy, rest and love – needs to begin with the appearing of the Messiah, the Christ-child! The heart of what I’m truly searching for is in Christ.
When the Christ appeared as a gift to the world, those who encountered him praised God. If I am to change the way I consume during the Christmas season, it begins with getting back to WHO I ought to be worshipping.
Have a look at the reaction that these people had when they first encountered the long-awaited Saviour of the world:
Mary – Luke 1:46-55
Joseph – Matthew 1:18-25
Angels – Luke 2:8-14
Shepherds – Luke 2:15-20
Simeon – Luke 2:25-35
Anna – Luke 2:36-38
Magi – Matthew 2:1-12
*Source: http://www42.statcan.ca/smr08/2006/smr08_069_2006-eng.htm
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