"The stocking were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there." - Twas the Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore
Stockings and presents are fundamental hallmarks of Christmas time. It is hard not to become giddy at the sight of gifts wrapped up, tied, and gently placed under the warmly lit tree. We all look forward to Christmas morning when we can tear open the crisp wrapping on the gifts that our loved one have picked out for us. The anticipation is almost unbearable to children: I am sure that a lot of us at one time or another asked, "Aw! please, please, please, can we open just one?" The gifts are ours, they have our names on the tags, they are promised to us. However, they are not ours yet but are to be opened on Christmas day.
What would have happened if the children in Moore's poem did not put their stocking up for Santa? Would he have still given them the good things that were theirs since he now had nowhere to put them?
Christmas is a time of readiness.
The Lord decided to bring forth salvation by the incarnation, coming into our time and space. To enter our time and space fully and completely, he became an infant and experience human birth and development like all of us.
That being said, Mary was chosen by God to carry Jesus in her womb for nine months. (For this reason, the Church has given her the title Theotokos, meaning "the God carrier"). It is no secret that first-time parents have a lot of preparation to do before the child is born. Mary and Joseph had to learn to be parents so that when their expected son arrived, they could adequately care for him. Two dear friends of mine recently had their first child, Theodore, and over the nine months of expectation, their house changed ever so much. They had to create space in their home for their son and make sure that he would be cozy living there. It was no longer a space just for the two of them. They had to be ready to share it with the boy. The house preparation was also an outward expression of what was going on inside their hearts. As Theodore came closer to arrival, their demeanor changed ever so slightly with each month. They became less self-focused, more forward-thinking, and more excited with anticipation. I could only imagine that those close to Mary could see the same changes happening in her.
Mary also embarked on a trip during her third trimester. This trip was not at all like a Christmas vacation we would go on today. Instead of sitting in either a car or airplane, she had to travel on foot, or if she was fortunate enough, on a donkey, through mountains and all kinds of terrain. That being said, they had to physically make sure that Mary could endure the trip. They had to make sure they had enough food and water and make preparations to guard themselves against bandits in the wilderness. They had to make sure they had shelter that could endure possible storms and rainfalls on the way. They had to be ready, not just for their sake, but for the child's sake as well.
Christmas is a time of readiness.
In the same way that we believe that Jesus came in the flesh once centuries ago, we also have this expectation that he will return as a king. A lot of the time we find our hearts singing something similar to the Christmas spiritual: "O come, o come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel." He came, but we still are asking him to come again! The ancient creed states: "He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead." This expectation is as old as Christianity. Paul wrote about Christ's return in what is argued to be his earliest letter (1 Thess 4:13-5:11). We must be ready for his return when he will right the wrongs we created and establish his kingdom which will have no end. This is the Christian hope as told by Christmas.
During this time, we reflect on the anticipation of his first arrival, acknowledging his coming into our hearts, all while having our eyes fixed on the second coming again in glory.
In my church community, we usually begin our gathering with a shared potluck style meal. However, during the Advent season, we have a tradition of only bringing bowls and spoons with us while one person prepares soup for everyone. This tradition derives from the parable of the ten virgin Bridesmaids in Matthew 25:1–13. In this parable, five of the virgins forgot oil for their lamps while waiting on the groom. So, in their foolishness, they had to leave the five who had oil, and when they returned, they were not welcomed into the house. We simply cannot wait for Christ's return in the manner that we wait for at a terminal to board a plane. We must prepare for him in the way that we clean a house for a guest. We must be ready, and with great expectation. Even in the midst of darkness, we have oil to keep our lamps aglow.
One of the last words written in the New Testament cannon is "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" (Rev 22:20). In a nutshell, that wraps up Christmas. It is a time for us to say "come!" to our savior.
Like wrapped gifts of promise under the tree, we wait for the fulfillment of the kingdom that is soon to come. Christmas is a time of readiness.
- Eric J. Blessing
Stockings and presents are fundamental hallmarks of Christmas time. It is hard not to become giddy at the sight of gifts wrapped up, tied, and gently placed under the warmly lit tree. We all look forward to Christmas morning when we can tear open the crisp wrapping on the gifts that our loved one have picked out for us. The anticipation is almost unbearable to children: I am sure that a lot of us at one time or another asked, "Aw! please, please, please, can we open just one?" The gifts are ours, they have our names on the tags, they are promised to us. However, they are not ours yet but are to be opened on Christmas day.
What would have happened if the children in Moore's poem did not put their stocking up for Santa? Would he have still given them the good things that were theirs since he now had nowhere to put them?
Christmas is a time of readiness.
The Lord decided to bring forth salvation by the incarnation, coming into our time and space. To enter our time and space fully and completely, he became an infant and experience human birth and development like all of us.
That being said, Mary was chosen by God to carry Jesus in her womb for nine months. (For this reason, the Church has given her the title Theotokos, meaning "the God carrier"). It is no secret that first-time parents have a lot of preparation to do before the child is born. Mary and Joseph had to learn to be parents so that when their expected son arrived, they could adequately care for him. Two dear friends of mine recently had their first child, Theodore, and over the nine months of expectation, their house changed ever so much. They had to create space in their home for their son and make sure that he would be cozy living there. It was no longer a space just for the two of them. They had to be ready to share it with the boy. The house preparation was also an outward expression of what was going on inside their hearts. As Theodore came closer to arrival, their demeanor changed ever so slightly with each month. They became less self-focused, more forward-thinking, and more excited with anticipation. I could only imagine that those close to Mary could see the same changes happening in her.
Mary also embarked on a trip during her third trimester. This trip was not at all like a Christmas vacation we would go on today. Instead of sitting in either a car or airplane, she had to travel on foot, or if she was fortunate enough, on a donkey, through mountains and all kinds of terrain. That being said, they had to physically make sure that Mary could endure the trip. They had to make sure they had enough food and water and make preparations to guard themselves against bandits in the wilderness. They had to make sure they had shelter that could endure possible storms and rainfalls on the way. They had to be ready, not just for their sake, but for the child's sake as well.
Christmas is a time of readiness.
In the same way that we believe that Jesus came in the flesh once centuries ago, we also have this expectation that he will return as a king. A lot of the time we find our hearts singing something similar to the Christmas spiritual: "O come, o come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel." He came, but we still are asking him to come again! The ancient creed states: "He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead." This expectation is as old as Christianity. Paul wrote about Christ's return in what is argued to be his earliest letter (1 Thess 4:13-5:11). We must be ready for his return when he will right the wrongs we created and establish his kingdom which will have no end. This is the Christian hope as told by Christmas.
During this time, we reflect on the anticipation of his first arrival, acknowledging his coming into our hearts, all while having our eyes fixed on the second coming again in glory.
In my church community, we usually begin our gathering with a shared potluck style meal. However, during the Advent season, we have a tradition of only bringing bowls and spoons with us while one person prepares soup for everyone. This tradition derives from the parable of the ten virgin Bridesmaids in Matthew 25:1–13. In this parable, five of the virgins forgot oil for their lamps while waiting on the groom. So, in their foolishness, they had to leave the five who had oil, and when they returned, they were not welcomed into the house. We simply cannot wait for Christ's return in the manner that we wait for at a terminal to board a plane. We must prepare for him in the way that we clean a house for a guest. We must be ready, and with great expectation. Even in the midst of darkness, we have oil to keep our lamps aglow.
One of the last words written in the New Testament cannon is "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!" (Rev 22:20). In a nutshell, that wraps up Christmas. It is a time for us to say "come!" to our savior.
Like wrapped gifts of promise under the tree, we wait for the fulfillment of the kingdom that is soon to come. Christmas is a time of readiness.
- Eric J. Blessing
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