Rushing Christmas

by | Nov 30, 2018 | 2 comments

What to do when your church doesn’t want to celebrate Advent? When they rush into Christmas?Christmas angel - transparent
Let me answer that question by posing another one. Spoiler alert: this is a curmudgeonly response.
Here’s my question: Is it really so bad to sing Christmas Carols for a whole month? After all, it’s one time of year that people are truly into a holiday. Why make them hold off?   There’s something a bit perverse about making people wait to express joyousness, to feel good about life, to bask in wonderful memories and to create new ones.
Maybe rushing into Christmas isn’t such a bad thing. Even the Sundays in Lent, throughout the whole seven weeks of repentance, are not for mourning; they’re mini-Easters.   Let’s remember that Advent and Christmas, while reflective of biblical themes, aren’t exactly Biblical. Jesus never commemorated either one.
So here’s what I have come to believe: if holding off on singing Christmas carols contributes to the spiritual life of you and your people, go for it. If it doesn’t seem to, maybe it’s time to strike a compromise. There are bigger mountains to die on than what hymns are sung.
Yes, highlight an Advent hymn or two each Sunday, but let the sounds of Christmas seep into your worship service. Set the doxology to the music of Christmas carols. Or try this: before you sing a Christmas carol, set the context that it’s a sneak preview of what is to come.
As for me, I’m with those ready to embrace good news now—with profligate abandon.   I know this flaunts tradition, but why not rush headlong into peace, joy, love and goodwill? And do it a whole four weeks early, as though Christ has already been born and lives among us. Because in a world that knows its share of bad news, it’s good to remember that, after all, he does.
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2 Comments

  1. Erin

    Rebekah:
    After a number of years (we won’t admit how many) of staying firm
    on Advent hymns until the last Sunday of Christmas, our worship/music
    staff did what we think is a clever thing, a compromise of sorts but not
    a total cave . We chose Advent hymns that *sound* like carols for the first
    2 Sundays and then have carols the other two.
    People Look East
    Of the Father’s love
    Awake, awake and great the new Morn.
    Prepare the way O Zion
    Come, Thou Long expected Jesus
    Lift up your Heads
    Savior of the Nations come
    Good Christian Friends
    People commented “You mean you finally heard us?” (with a smile)

    Reply
    • Rebekah Simon-Peter

      Love it! Sounds like you found a really good way of dealing with competing needs. Good for you.

      Reply

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