The Longest Season

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors" (Luke 2:13-14)


    The Christmas Season has become almost as long as the Hockey Season.  It seems like we just finished up last Christmas, (or at least got the Christmas bills paid) and it's on us again.  Now it may be that some of that is simply perceptual and  time just seems to fly by in life.  But as I look around I'm not so sure.

  Our retails stores begin celebrating Christmas mid summer with Christmas in July. Then the displays begin to crop up late September, to early October.  Macy's tells us the Christmas Season officially begins when Santa is sen in his sleigh during the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Which says something about our culture in the United States when we allow a department store to dictate to us when the Christmas season beings.

  And we buy into it. We've moved from Black Friday to Thanksgiving evening with the early Christmas sales.  Millions of people leaving their  families, shaking off the tryptophan stupor in order to get the good discounts. There were this year, as there are every year reports of peel tramping one another fist fights and this year the introduction of pepper spray. can you imagine trying to by a sweater and some sweet looking octogenarian pepper sprays you because she is planing on buying that sweater for her granddaughter/ It happens.

  The television stations get in on the act as well. First came the "25 Days Of Christmas", a  modern day prepacked Advent calendar of cartoon, movie and Christmas specials.  But apparently that's not enough.  This year they  had a 25 day countdown to the 25 days of Christmas.  It's only time before ted Turner has a 365 days of Christmas which will begin with a 24/7 showing of the Christmas Story every day for six months straight.

  If we were to look at the world we would have the impression Christmas is about buying and giving presents and the more we buy and give the better. It's about the Grinch, The Kranks skipping Christmas, the Griswold's incredible light display, and a hundred just awful Hallmark Christmas movies that tell us  Christmas is about snow , lost love found, happy children and curmudgeonly old men. All who somehow discover the "meaning of Christmas"

  If we were to believe the world the meaning of Christmas lies in presents, crowded malls, rude drivers in the parking lot. its about taking your lights outside while bringing a tree inside your house. its about a green monster who has tries to steal Christmas by taking stuff but realizes you just can't squelch that darn Who-ville Christmas spirit.

  Please don't get me wrong. I like presents, both receiving and giving.  I like Christmas lights and Christmas cookies, Charlie Brown's little tree and the Grinch's too small heart.  I'm just suggesting that these things alone are not the way I want to begin the Christmas season.

  Rather I prefer what happened in millions of churches across the globe this past Sunday.  Someone, a pastor, a child, a family, lit a candle for the first Sunday of Advent. Just that just one candle. Oh there may have been a devotion or a Scripture read. it may have been an object lesson in a Children's Message. But it was just one small candle.

   That candle reminds me of the birth of Jesus. So easy to miss in the hustle and bustle of Bethlehem. And really what's the big deal? Just one more poor young mother having a baby in less than ideal circumstances. But in that moment in the darkness of the world the small cry of a baby shouted to the world the light of the world had come. He who would free us form sin, shatter the power of death, and  break the gates of Hell had been born.

  It's that one light that gives me hope. Not the shopping, the crowds, the tinsel or wreath. But the light of Christ being born in my heart again in-this season.   I hope if you have been in a dark place lately you will allow the light of Jesus into your heart and world. Because that, indeed is something to celebrate all year round.

In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><