I was shocked as I walked through The Bay recently (only because I had to get to Expo Line from Canada Line station). Since I don’t frequent The Mall very often, I had no idea that Christmas decorations were already up. In October. And they had gingerbread men in fancy packages for sale already too. (Will they even taste good by Christmas?)
As Christ followers, what do we do with this crazy obsession with Christmas and consumerism? How do we respond? How do we live in the season of advent while the world around us lives in the holiday season?
Advent is a time of waiting, expectation, and hope for Jesus’ return. It is a time of anticipation for all of the Old Testament prophecies to be fulfilled. Images of wolves playing with lambs, cows eating with bears, and a little child among them are what the prophet Isaiah depicts for us. Death will be no more. Tears will be a thing of the past.
That’s the beautiful, hopeful picture we ought to have in our minds during the weeks leading up to Christmas.
So how can your family embrace advent during the holidays? How can we be part of what God is doing in our world to bring hope and healing?
If gift-giving is part of your usual celebrations, perhaps you can rethink what and how much you give. Perhaps you can rethink the expectation that’s put on your kids to buy and give gifts. I invite you to check out this year’s World Renew gift catalogue to give practical gifts to people in need around the world. Telling someone that you gave a lantern or a chicken in their honour can be a fun and meaningful gift, especially for those people who don’t seem to need or want anything! This is a great way to teach your kids to focus on the giving, rather than the receiving.
I recently watched a video from the Advent Conspiracy (www.adventconspiracy.org) which challenged me to think about focusing on relationships instead of stuff. The gift of time is so much more precious than stuff! This movement encourages people to ‘give to water’ and ‘give to justice’ in the spirit of Isaiah 1:17.
These are just a few ways we can shift our focus from the consumerism of Christmas to the season of advent. I’d love to hear the other ideas your family has come up with! How do you put the focus on relationships and time? Will we let our worship times together during Advent shape our Monday to Saturday actions?