A Time For Family Tradition

What does Christmas mean to you?

It’s the time of year when there’s much activity. Many people run from place to place trying to find the perfect gift. Others run from place to place trying to see everyone they’ve neglected to see during the past 11 months of the year. Still others simply become overwhelmed with the thought of the Christmas season. I know that last one is hard to believe. But, many people really don’t like this time of year because they’re simply overwhelmed by all the activity.

When I think of Christmas, I think of family. As a kid we would all head off to the Christmas Eve Candle Light Service. Then it would be home with some friends popping over for a quick snack. Later in the evening, just before it was time to go to bed, our parents would allow us to open one present. It was a wet our appetite type thing so we would hopefully not try to get up at 1 o’clock in the morning on Christmas Day.

It was great fun, and I have many great memories of childhood Christmas celebrations. Christmas Day would find us up and moving, usually early, to spend time with the immediate family. Then it would be off for a larger family gathering with relatives.

A Time For Church Tradition

For many today, the thought of church tradition is totally foreign. The sad thing is, for many inside the church, the thought of tradition is foreign too. I know this is a peak time for church attendance. But, I’ve never felt comfortable as a Pastor to build a bunch of hype around a few days of the year in the hopes that the pews might be filled for just one Sunday out of the year.

Isn’t a life of faith supposed to be just that?
A life of faith, not just a day of faith?

While I’m all for new faces in the congregation and I love it when people start attending on a regular basis, I also find something missing hyping one season of the year. When people attend church, should they not find us the same way the other Sunday’s of the year too? Church should always be a welcoming community of faith, encouraging others to grow and move forward in positive ways as we journey through life.

Aside from the family memories listed above, I also have two vivid church memories too.

The first revolves around the Advent Candles. An important aspect of a life of faith during this time of year as we remember an entire month heading up to the birth of Christ, not just one day. For years, whether we’ve found ourselves as Pastors of a traditional church, or a contemporary church, the Advent Candles have always been an important part of our Christmas Services. Each Sunday we light a Candle and describe the meaning of each candle.

• The First Advent Candle – the candle of prophecy and hope. The birth of Christ was foretold and promised by the prophets and the words were fulfilled with His birth some 2,000 years ago. The candle of hope as we’re reminded that it’s in Christ we find hope.
• The Second Advent Candle – the candle of the way. As believers we find encouragement in this journey we call life knowing that with Christ, He illuminates the path and the way for us to go. It’s a simple message of hope.
• The Third Advent Candle – the candle of joy. This candle represents the only lasting joy to be found in life on earth is through Christ. All other joy is fleeting.
• The Fourth Advent Candle – the candle of peace. This candle reminds us that Jesus came to the earth to bring peace, both in the world, and in people’s hearts.
• The Fifth Advent Candle – the Christ candle, or Christmas candle. The fifth, and center candle in the Advent candles, represents Christ Himself who was born. He is the Prince of Peace.

Through the many Advent seasons I’ve preached, I’ve always been amazed at the number of people who tell me they’ve never heard of the candles. For me, the candles aren’t only a church tradition, but they are also a family tradition. I can’t imagine my journey of faith without the reminder during this time of year of what the birth of Christ really means. This year has been exciting as we’ve used one family to light each candle. A family with triplets who are now 4. This year, they’re not only excited about Santa Claus, but they’re also excited about the Hope and the Message of the Season.

Remember I said earlier there are two things I remember about my childhood church experience? The first are found in the Advent Candles. The second is found in a yearly gathering of the church family for a special Christmas program. The kids were always involved with the singing of carols. Then after a wonderful children’s program, it was time for lunch. Hotdogs and other Christmas goodies. This is what I remember about the community of faith. The family of faith coming together to celebrate with a meal.

Today, we will do the same at Fresh-Wind. We will gather and sing some carols, then we will have a time of sharing a meal together. Maybe I’ll even sing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. You see I also remember the very loving Sunday School teachers who allowed me to sing that song, every year at Christmas time. It was always a joy to sing my favorite Christmas song, with my parents, and sometimes my grandparents, sitting out in the church hall, smiling from ear to ear.

A Fellow Sojourner,
Dr. Rus