I think there are two sides to every Advent season. The first, and most obviously driven home, is the need for us to create space in our lives (or re-create) for the coming Messiah. We’re fairly faithful most of the year, anyway, but Advent serves as a great reminder to take a step back and assess our relationship with God. Have we made ‘enough’ time for God, have we attended worship ‘enough’, have we…have we…have we… The questions go on and on, and to a point I think they’re worthy introspections.
To a point.
Which brings me to the second side of Advent. The joy-killers.
When did we decide that a season about penitence and anticipation should completely over-shadow the celebration of the Incarnation? Furthermore, why are some clergy so obsessed with Advent that their own congregations open up speakeasy eggnog venues filled with frankincense and the soft sounds of Christmas music, hidden away from their leaders? It’s like some of us are actively trying to kill the joy of Christmas, because we think you aren’t taking Advent seriously ‘enough’.
But just like the questions of the first side, clergy can no more answer those than the question of the second. ‘Enough’ is up to you. You decide what that word means in your lives. We cannot, and should not, be the Advent police. Our job is to instruct and guide, not diminish and accuse. The amount of evil in the world can be staggering. If at any point, joy seeks a way through the veil, I say bring it on. If you want to listen to Christmas songs, trim the tree on Thanksgiving (or Halloween for some of you), and wear ugly sweaters before December 25th, I think you’re well within your rights to do so. After all, we need a little warmth in the depth of winter.
Instead of plaguing you with incessant sermons about how to avoid Christmas, I’m going to keep talking up the importance of Advent while urging you to enjoy both. Wear your sweaters, listen to your music, but also keep in mind that preparation is necessary for everything. Just as you will make multiple trips to the store, make multiple trips to the church. Just as you will watch holiday movies and gather around friends and family, make sure you’re also watching out for your own faith. Nurture it, cherish it. And remember that Advent is a component of that faith, a season in which to take a closer look at the life we live in God.
But it isn’t a reason to forgo joy. And enough is ‘enough’.
Faithfully,
Fr. Sean+