Wait Santa, I am Not Ready

The Jesse Tree (Jesse is the father of King David)
A depiction of genealogy of Christ

December is here and it is Christmas time! For most of us December is a month of festivities and happiness. I can't think about any other celebration that has a universal appeal like Christmas does. People regardless of their faith, in some form, celebrate Christmas. It could be a couple of lights outside their house; it could be taking advantage of the promotions of the season and buying something new; it could be making a charitable donation by tossing couple of dollars into a Salvation Army bucket. Knowingly or unknowingly, we all participate in the spirit of Christmas, it is hard not to. And we should, all of us should regardless of our beliefs and religion. But is that enough for those who call themselves Christians? Should Christians be satisfied with Christmas trees, lights and decorations along with Santa Claus and Christmas carols, just like our Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, or atheist neighbors? Do we need to do anything different during Christmas season to distinguish ourselves as Christians, followers of Christ?

The Catholic church celebrate the season of Advent which extends four Sundays before Christmas. It is a time of preparation . Advent means "to come to", and it refers to the coming of Christ.
It is a time to prepare our souls to receive Christ worthily through prayer, fasting and good works. The Western Church no longer require fasting during Advent. However, the Eastern Church and the Orthodox Church observe what is known as "Little Lent". Traditionally all great feasts are preceded by a time of fasting which makes the feast even more joyful. It is sad that the Western Church has chosen to stay away from it. 

In the West, Christmas is all about shopping and many stores stock up Christmas merchandise as early as August. Christmas, unlike Easter, is portrayed as a much happier occasion; the celebration during Easter is 'hindered' by Good Friday. And we often associate Good Friday and Easter with God's great sacrifice; there is not a whole lot to celebrate about sacrifices. But Christmas is different, it is the coming of Christ, it is the fulfillment of a promise, it is a time of celebration. Or is it? I think in Christmas God has sacrificed perhaps even more than His death on the Cross. 

We found it so difficult to give up any part of our good life during the Advent, so found a way to bypass the lenten requirements of that season. But by taking the human form, God sacrificed everything - He no longer was the Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Immortal being. The Creator of heaven and earth gave up everything to be born as the poorest of the poor. He lived as a carpenter working hard to earn his daily bread. He was a country preacher who often faced the pain of rejection and ridicule from his listeners. His friends were sinners, tax collectors and prostitutes. His disciples were uneducated, ineffective and insignificant people of the society. His body was fragile and His mind susceptible to temptations. God sacrificed immensely to give us a reason to celebrate. 

I think it is only appropriate for us to make little sacrifices during Advent season. Here are a few ideas to consider:

• Giving up a favorite dish 
• Abstaining from meat on Fridays
• Not eating between meals
• Giving up on the habits like smoking or alcohol
• Cutting down on the Christmas shopping list
• Cutting down on watching TV
• Spending more time with family

There are twelve days of celebration for Christmas - from the birth of Christ to Epiphany. We don't celebrate the birth of anybody before the actual birth, we celebrate afterwards. Until then, we are to be revived in preparation for a new arrival. Advent is a time for us to reflect upon the year - to tally up our gains and losses, and our successes and failures. This is when we need to think about some resolutions in preparation for the coming of the newborn and also the new year. It is also a time to look back at the resolutions we made at the beginning of the year to examine how successful we were in holding onto them. And if we failed in keeping any those resolutions, perhaps we should acknowledge our inability and ask God to give us the strength to face and resist temptations.

"And again Isaiah says:

'The root of Jesse shall come,

  raised up to rule the Gentiles;

 in him shall the Gentiles hope'.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." (Romans 15:12,13)