December Chimes
Dear siblings in Christ,
Happy and blessed Advent! These four weeks have always been my favorite season of the church year. Perhaps at first it was simply because I grew up attending Advent Lutheran Church, and as a small child it always felt like a special time just for our church. But I’ve also come to love the ways the church as a whole says, “Not just yet,” to Christmas. We’re not ready…you need to wait just a little longer, because there are other things to be done first.
Christmas, and the holidays in general, can be all-consuming in our culture. Calendars fill up quickly with extra events; the pressure is on for the season to be extra special and magical. Of course, church is not immune from this—we have some extra events of our own this time of year! But still, as a church, we hold off on the full joy of Christmas until we’ve had at least a little time to consider what God’s coming—or advent—into this world means. To consider what God’s arrival in our own lives might mean—and what it might change.
I think it’s important for us to examine and question cultural expectations around Christmas. Not for the sake of being scrooges or killjoys, but to come to our own understandings of what matters most to us this season. What are the things that we would miss dearly if we didn’t do them, and what are the things we’re just doing because we feel like we have to?
A balance that’s always difficult for me to find is how I participate in the honestly joyous occasion of gift-giving without getting caught up in the consumerism and materialism that seem so rampant this time of year. I love giving gifts and receiving them in turn, but I’m also wary of focusing on and accumulating too much “stuff.”
That’s one of the reasons I’m excited about the return of St. Paul’s Alternative Gifts Fair. On December 17, following worship, the Social Ministry committee is organizing an event where you can pick up some Christmas gifts that support great causes and don’t result in more stuff!
There will be options from God’s Global Barnyard, where you can “buy” an animal to be given to families around the world, Lutheran Settlement House’s kitchen kits, where you can buy cookware or accessories for a family from Philadelphia moving from a shelter into permanent housing, Lutheran World Relief’s baby care kits, and Fair Trade coffee, tea, and chocolate (that one you do get to take home!). Our Green Team will also be sharing some eco-friendly gift swaps and ideas.
I hope that you’ll be able to be there and consider some of these alternative gifts, and I pray that this Advent season will be a meaningful one for you as we prepare for the indwelling of joy at Christmas.
In Christ,
Pastor Laura