Merry Christmas

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.  Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.  She will give birth to a son, and your are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel (which means "God with us").

When Jospeh woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.  But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son.  And he gave him the name Jesus.

What is Advent?

Christians set aside the four weeks prior to Christmas day as a time for preparing themselves for the coming of Jesus into the world. This four-week period is called “Advent.” The word “advent” is a Latin term meaning “coming” or “arrival.” During Advent we celebrate the coming of Christ into the world as a baby in Bethlehem and anticipate the Second Coming of Christ into the world. Advent is a time for Christians to reflect with joy upon the arrival of Jesus in our lives as our personal Savior. A popular catchphrase of Advent is, “O Come O Come Emmanuel.” "Emmanuel" means "God with us."

Advent originally was of undetermined length. In the early Church it was primarily a time of worship and fasting for those scheduled to be baptized on Epiphany (January 6: Epiphany is a celebration of the Magi or “wise men” visiting Jesus). Much later Advent developed into the four-week period. We will light a candle on the Advent Wreath each Sunday during Advent to symbolize the various themes for the season:

1. Candle of hope (purple, signifying Jesus’ royalty)

2. Candle of peace (purple)

3. Candle of joy (pink, signifying joy)

4. Candle of love (purple).

On Christmas Eve we will light the white Christ candle, signifying the birth of Jesus.  The season of Advent started on Sunday, 11/27/11.   

Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas?

In our politically-correct society, Christ often gets pushed out of Christmas. As a Christian pastor, this concerns me.  What concerns me more is how some Christians respond with venom and animosity.  For example, responding with a condescending in-your-face “Merry Christmas” reply when someone says “Happy Holidays.”  I agree with being proactive in keeping Christ in Christmas, but doing so in a graceful way.  For example:

- Greeting people with a joyful “Merry Christmas” when going about your day.

- Sending out cards that say “Merry Christmas,” that have pictures of the Nativity, or that include scripture. Will the people on your list know that Christ is at the heart of Christmas when they receive your cards?

- Putting a Nativity set on your lawn. Does your neighborhood really need another giant inflatable snow globe? If so, why not do both?

- There are some rather nasty emails going around about “Merry Christmas” vs. “Happy Holidays.” How about deleting them rather than forwarding them on?

- Inviting people to Christmas worship services in December.

These are a few suggestions. Even more important, though, is living our lives so that people see Christ in us. And doing so more than a few weeks out of the year. Let the light of Christ shine through you this Advent and Christmas season and beyond.