Whose Birthday Is It, Anyway? #16Reflections for Christmas and Advent |
Reflections for Advent and the Christmas Season
- First Sunday of Advent
- Second Sunday of Advent
- Third Sunday of Advent
- Fourth Sunday of Advent
- Christmas Eve
- Christmas I
- Epiphany
Reflections for Advent and the Christmas Season
by Louis Lotz
Using These Reflections
The resources provided here offer individuals, families and other small groups a way to remember the reason we celebrate this holy season.� The reflections begin the first week of Advent and follow through the Feast of Epiphany.
Before Advent begins, make an Advent wreath.� Find a book with instructions or follow these simple directions.� Take a large, flat shallow bowl (at least 9 inches in diameter) and fill it with sand or coarse salt.� Place four purple candles securely around the edge of the bowl.� Place a large white candle in the center. Make a circle of evergreens and place them around the bowl.
You will also need a manger scene, a Bible and matches. Light one purple candle the week of Advent I; two the week of Advent II, etc. Light all five beginning on Christmas Eve.
Set aside time each week to worship, perhaps after a meal on Sundays.� Invite those who may be alone to join in your worship.
Depending on the ages of those in your group, adults may want to read the biblical reflections beforehand. The worship items on pages 14, 18, 19 and 22 could be read or sung several times. Incorporate parts or all of the Advent-Christmas calendar on pages 15-17 into worship time, especially as a discussion starter.
Gather around the Advent wreath.� Take turns reading, lighting the candles, praying, singing and sharing feelings and ideas.
About the Reflections' Author
The following seven new reflections are by Louis Lotz, Minister of Worship at Fair Haven Ministries, Hudsonville, Michigan. He is a widely published, award-winning author of over 200 articles and a columnist for Church Herald. Lou was the 1991-92 President of the General Synod of the Reformed Church in America. He is a graduate Union Seminary, Richmond, VA (Th.M, D.Min.). Lou and spouse Mary Jean Kline have two children. Lou has served on Alternatives� Board of Directors.
Reflections
by Louis Lotz
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First Sunday of Advent
Luke 2: 25 - 32
Simeon was waiting for the consolation of Israel.� When he finally held the child in his arms, he knew his long wait was over, and he exclaimed, My eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel!
Waiting is what Advent is all about. In Advent we wait for the coming of Christ. But isn't our waiting somewhat phony?� We pretend that Christ has not yet come. We sing, Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, as though we are old Simeon, waiting for the child to be born. But the child has already been born. The one we are waiting for is already here. So what are we waiting for?
Maybe the best way to answer that question is to ask a related question: How are we waiting? Imagine three people, each of them waiting, but waiting in different ways.
The first person is a vagrant sleeping on a park bench. He is not waiting for anything in particular. He's just waiting.
The second person is a college student on Christmas break. She is at an airport gate, waiting to board a plane for home. She is excited about seeing her family. Her waiting is loaded with anticipation.
The third person is an expectant mother, about to give birth. Like the college student she is excited and filled with anticipation. But two things make her waiting altogether different. First, the person she is waiting for is already here. Her child may be hidden, but he is already present. Second, the mother's waiting contains an element of cooperation. The child wants to be born, but the mother must cooperate in the process - groaning, gasping, pushing.
Some people spend Advent on a park bench, so to speak. They expect nothing to happen, and nothing does. Others are like the college student. For them, Advent is a time of excitement and anticipation. But the best kind of Advent waiting is that of the expectant mother, who brings to life someone who is already alive, and delivers someone who is already present.
Christ is already here, hidden perhaps, but within us and among us, his life moving in us like a fetus. Advent is a form of childbearing. We bring a living Lord to life in our own lives. But if Christ is to be born in us, we have to make it happen - groaning, gasping, pushing.
The question to ask at the outset of Advent is not: What are you waiting for? The question is: How are you waiting?
Let's Talk About It:
In what ways might your family cooperate in the process of bringing to life the Christ who is already present?
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Second Sunday of Advent
Luke 16: 19 - 31
When my son was a child we would walk to the playground down the street and play on the slides, the swings, the seesaw. Once, while riding the seesaw, he threw back his head and laughed and said: When I am up, you are down!
When it comes to food and resources, all the world rides a seesaw. If one side is up, you can bet that the other side is down. If one side is living in luxury, you can be sure that poor Lazarus lies starving at the gate.
In our world, the seesaw runs pretty much along north-south lines. With one or two exceptions, affluent countries lie in the northern hemisphere - America, Canada, Europe, Great Britain, Japan. That's the up end of the seesaw. Poor countries are in the southern hemisphere - India, Africa, southern Asia, Central America. That's the down side of the seesaw.
The difference in lifestyle and consumption of resources from one side of the seesaw to the other is mind-boggling. Americans feed more grain to our livestock than the people of Bangladesh eat. We use more fertilizer on our golf courses than India uses for its entire agriculture.
World hunger is not America's fault. But whether I intend it or not, my indulgence in luxury may deprive Third World people of their necessity. It is not wrong to be affluent. But it is very wrong to see Lazarus lie starving at the gate, and do nothing to help him. Jesus never says that the rich man in the story exploited or abused Lazarus, or that he was in any way the cause of Lazarus' misery, only that he failed to share of his abundance with someone who was so obviously, glaringly needy.
�Happy are those who consider the poor, says the psalmist (41:1). This Advent, consider the poor. Agree as a family to buy fewer presents for each other, and then share the money saved with people on the low end of the seesaw. Volunteer your services at the local food pantry or soup kitchen. On a deeper, more serious level, explore ways to simplify your lifestyle all year round. You will discover, as so many others have, that you can get along on so much less. Your life will feel less cluttered, more relaxed. Who knows, a few folks might even follow your example. Most people won't, but don't let that bother you. You don't have to change the world. Just don't let the world change you.
Let s Talk About It:
If your family wanted to give a gift to a local charity, which charity would you vote for?
Third Sunday of Advent
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Luke 10: 38 - 42
What a contrast. There's Martha in the kitchen, busy as a beaver, a flurry of activity, while sister Mary is in the living room, sitting dreamily at Jesus' feet, listening to him talk. Standing at the kitchen counter, her resentment growing by the minute, Martha thought: Why am I doing all the work? Why doesn't Mary get in here and help me?� Finally, Martha storms out of the kitchen, angry at her sister, and angry at Jesus: Don't you care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me!
People tend to identify with one sister or the other. They say, I'm like Mary, or, Martha, that's me. But truthfully, the tensions between the two sisters are inside each one of us. All of us are like both of them. We all have a double first name, and it is Mary Martha.
Your Martha part is active, achievement-oriented, anxious and troubled over many things, making lists of tasks and then checking them off. Martha even has a list in her hands when she prays - a prayer list.
But somewhere inside of you there is also a Mary part, a contemplative part that likes to sit and listen, a part that can be silent before a sunset, spellbound by a symphony, captivated by a book, deeply moved by the words of Jesus.
If your Mary part dominates entirely, the basic physical needs of your life will not be met. The danger of that happening, however, is very remote. The real danger in our active, anxious, achievement-oriented culture is that your Mary part will be squeezed out entirely - no time to listen, no time to think, to read, to pray.
As you move through this season of Advent, and as you feel the tension between your Mary part and your Martha part, remember that Jesus pronounced your Mary part to be the better part. It is better to appreciate than to achieve. It is better to listen than to speak. It is better to be something than to do something.
We will always be part Martha, and that's OK. Martha has her place. A certain degree of achievement and activity is necessary in this life - bills have to be paid, tasks have to be accomplished, errands have to be run.� But as we allow our Mary part to develop more and more, we will be less and less distracted, less and less anxious, more and more poised, and more and more at peace.
This Advent, don't just do something; stand there.� Be still and know that I am God� (Psalm 46:10).
Let's Talk About It:
Set the timer for five minutes, during which time all family members remain silent. When the timer rings, talk about the experience. What did you think about during your time of silence? What did you hear? How did you feel?
Fourth Sunday of Advent
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Luke 1: 46-56
The term Magnificat refers to:
(A) Mighty Mouse's arch enemy
(B) The lens of the Hubble Space Telescope
(C) The heroine in the Broadway musical Cats
(D) Mary's song of praise in the gospel of Luke
It's D. Trust me on this. Mary's song of praise in the gospel of Luke is traditionally known by its Latin title, the Magnificat, because of that verb in the first line - My soul magnifies the Lord.
The Magnificat is a song about change. There are a whole string of switcheroos: God puts down the proud and helps the humble (1:51). God unseats the powerful from their thrones and elevates the lowly (1:52). God sends the rich away empty but fills the hungry with good things (1:53).
God is an agent of change, a shaker of the status quo, a turner of tables. The Magnificat reminds us that God is not non-partisan, as the church often tries to be. God loves us all, rich and poor, powerful and powerless, but in the tumult of history God takes sides. God sides with the poor, the powerless, the persecuted.
If you are poor and powerless there is real joy in the prospect of God turning the world topsy-turvy - putting down the mighty and exalting the lowly, filling the hungry and sending the rich away empty. But let's be honest: if you are prosperous and well-to-do, you are not going to celebrate God's passion for table turning, because you're the one sitting on the table that's about to be turned.
What to do? We can't change the Magnificat - or God's nature - to suit ourselves.� But we can change ourselves. Suppose our first priority was to help the poor learn to farm and feed themselves. Wouldn't that make it a little easier for us to sing the Magnificat? Suppose we didn't just pray for the poor, but actually did things to alleviate their suffering. Suppose families and churches invested time, effort, and money in agencies that serve the needy. Wouldn't that make it a little easier for us to sing the Magnificat along with Mary?
And wouldn't we be blessed in the process? What transforms Ebenezer Scrooge from a mean, miserly wretch into a radiantly happy man?� He takes sides with the poor - Bob Cratchitt and Tiny Tim. Scrooge discovers the joy of giving, and in the end it is Scrooge himself who is most blessed.� I am as light as a feather!� he cries, laughing out loud.� I am as happy as an angel!
Can we Scrooges sing the Magnificat along with Mary and Tiny Tim? Sure we can. At Christmas time, anything is possible.
Let's Talk About It:
Have each family member re-write the Magnificat in their own words.
Christmas Eve
Luke 2: 1-7
It is the greatest story ever told, and Luke tells it in a single sentence: She gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
I wonder how Mary felt as she looked down at her newborn son, studying every hair on his little head, every crease in his face, listening to the sound of his breathing. I wonder if she understood the enormity of what had happened, and that she was holding in her arms God's own son, the Messiah for whom her people had waited for centuries.
I wonder what it was like in the stable. We imagine the stable to be soft and warm and bathed in a buttery glow. But all the barns I've been in were smelly, damp, and drafty. Farmers wear rubber barn boots when they go out to the barn, and you know why.
Jesus is born in the barn because there was no room for them in the inn. There was never any room for Jesus. No room in the inn for his birth. No room in the temple for his teachings. No room in the hearts of his countrymen for his gospel. He was always getting crowded out. The only place there was room for him was the cross; he had that all to himself.
In a department store window hereabouts there was a nativity scene: a half-dozen hay bales in a plywood manger, plastic shepherds and sheep, exotic wise men, Mary and Joseph, and a manger that looked like it was a high-school student's shop project.
There was no baby in the manger. Maybe they forgot to put him in. Maybe some practical joker was playing a prank. Maybe someone was making a theological statement. But the only thing in that manger was straw. I wonder what happened to the baby.
It does seem, sometimes, that the one thing that gets removed from our Christmas celebration is Christ himself. There are cards and carols, dinners and decorations, parties and presents, shopping and Santas, but no baby.
Don't let it happen to you. Make time for worship, prayer, and Bible reading. Talk with family members about how best to keep Christ in your Christmas every year. Keep checking the manger to make sure the baby is in there, lest when Christmas has come and gone you have nothing to show for it but tired feet and a pile of presents.
Let's Talk About It:
Discuss with your children the plans and preparations you made for their birth. As a family, talk about the kinds of plans and preparations you want to make for Christ's coming next year. Write them down.
Christmas 1: Holy Family Sunday
Luke 2: 8-14
Glory to God in the highest, the angels sang, and on earth peace. So long ago the angels in the skies over Bethlehem sang of peace on earth, and so long tarries the coming of it. We could use a little peace.
We could use some personal peace. At Christmas time there is hectic gaiety and forced friendliness, but not much peace. Walk the malls and look at the faces of the shoppers. People look stressed and hurried, frantic and frazzled. But they don�t look at peace.
We could use some peace in the world. It seems that no matter where you turn in the world there are wars and rumors of wars. Not anytime soon will Isaiah�s prophecy be fulfilled: They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks� (Isaiah 2:4). In Central America, in Afghanistan, in Iraq, in Korea, even in Bethlehem, of all places, there is no peace tonight.
What went wrong with the angels� song? Why don�t we have the peace they promised?� Christmas is not a peaceful time in our hearts. Christmas is not a peaceful time in our world. What went wrong?
Could it be that we have tried to split the angels� song in two? We want peace in our hearts and peace in the world, but we don�t want to give glory to God in the highest.
Someone once defined glory as God�s wages.� Glory is what God deserves, what He is entitled to. Why do we not want to give God His wages? Why don�t we give God the glory He deserves? Because we seek glory for ourselves.
So long as nations seek glory for themselves, glory that properly belongs to God, there will be no peace on earth. About the best we ll be able to hope for is long intervals between wars. What a depressing thought.
And so long as you and I seek glory for ourselves - not self-esteem, which we all need, but glory, the glory that properly belongs to God - we will find no peace in our hearts. If you are trying to grab all the glory in your marriage, or on the job, or in your church, or in any setting, there will be no peace for you.
What we need to do is glue the angels' song back together again. Seek peace, and you may never find it. Seek God s glory, and peace will find you. At the end of every musical piece written by J.S. Bach are the letters S.D.G. Sola Deo Gloria - to God alone be the glory. That is the pathway to peace.
Let's Talk About It:
Name three things you might do to make Christmas shopping a more peaceful activity.
Epiphany of the Lord
Luke 12: 13 - 21
By world standards, most Americans live like Sultans. To listen to us talk, however, you would think we barely have enough to get by.
This delusion is fed by advertisers, whose mission is to keep us all in a perpetual state of discontent. Luxurious homes in glossy magazines make your perfectly adequate house shrink by comparison into a dilapidated hovel in need of immediate renovation. Advertisements for new fall fashions make the clothes you bought just last year look shabby and old-fashioned. TV commercials for new cars make you shudder with embarrassment at your present vehicle.
In 1998 a U.S. Senator made a speech about how his constituents were being taxed into the poor house. He cited a letter from a constituent who complained how he was being impoverished by one tax after another: income tax, sales tax, property tax on his two houses, his camper, his boat, the list went on and on.
In the newspaper the next day a thoughtful editorial writer, reflecting on the Senator's speech, pointed out how strange it is that anyone who owned two homes, two cars, a boat and a camper, and whose income put him in the highest tax bracket, should ever think of himself as poor.� But we do think of ourselves as poor.� We always compare ourselves to the few who have more than us, rather than to the billions who have less.
Americans need to snap out of the delusion that we are poor. I saw a t-shirt that shows a frumpy-looking woman with a sourpuss scowl, and her hands are clamped over her ears. The caption read: I'm not listening! Stop listening to those who would keep you in a dither of discontent. The more you refuse to listen to advertisers, the more likely you are to hear the voice of Jesus, who says, One's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions.
Our poor-talk is especially insidious at Christmas time. Poor-talk distorts reality and makes us oblivious to how fortunate we are.� It perpetuates the delusion that we don't have enough for ourselves, and thus cannot share, thereby robbing us of the joy of giving. It blinds us to the ever-growing disparity between rich and poor in this world. Perhaps worst of all, it keeps us perpetually unhappy, always thinking we need more, more, more. We become like the Rich Fool in Jesus' parable, building bigger and bigger barns.
Wealth should be savored and shared. But neither can happen if we keep listening to advertisers, and to our own poor-talk. Stop listening.
Let's Talk About It:
What is your favorite advertisement? Analyze it. What subtle promises does the ad make? Do you think the product keeps the promise?
This page last updated 2 Nov. 2015
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