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Published December 16, 2006 - Glendale News Press - Los Angeles Time
IN THEORY
Remembering the Meaning of Christmas
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Q: |
With the holidays upon us, do you find yourselves getting caught up in the frenzy over shopping and gifts and all the related hustle and bustle? How do you deal with it, and do you worry that the true messages of the season get lost?
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A: |
A quick look around the world will point to the lost message of Christmas.
It's difficult to imagine war in Iraq, genocide in Darfur or just plain intolerance toward our neighbors if the message was taken seriously. In our own backyard, would we be consumed with petty politics, rather than showing concern for the health and education of our children, if the message of Christmas was more than the decorations at the Galleria?
Yet, the fundamental message of Christmas is that of hope. It's a trust and faith in tomorrow, beyond our understanding. That is the promise of the Christ child: that God continues to nurture and save us, despite ourselves.
At our parish, St. Peter, we challenge our congregation to celebrate the birth of Christ by giving him the gifts he requests. We find his shopping list in Luke 14:12-14: "Give to those," Jesus says, "the poor and suffering - those who have no means of paying you back."
It is a simple way to emphasize the message of Christmas.
Furthermore, as Armenians we celebrate the Nativity on Jan. 6. Because we have a double Christmas, we have made it a policy at our church to acknowledge and live the Christmas message all year round.
The celebration of "Love being born" is not confined to a date, but it is a way of life. We established the "In His Shoes Mission," which provides a constant challenge for members to rise from their humanity and live the Christmas message all year long. By walking in the shoes of others, we acknowledge and realize that it is up to us to work for a better tomorrow. Therein, we tie ourselves to the message of hope that is Christmas.
FATHER VAZKEN MOVSESIAN
Armenian Church
In His Shoes Mission
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My wife and I are both pastors and we serve different churches.
That brings an added burden
during the Christmas season because there are two of everything.
At the end of a particularly busy day we gathered our family, turned down the
lights, made some tea and hot chocolate and sat for about 30 minutes, talked
about our day and closed with our nightly prayers.
It was an oasis of rest in the manic preparations of the season. Those precious
30 minutes renewed and refreshed every one of us. My wife and I reconnected to
one another and to each of our three boys. And, after all, reconnecting and
restoring is what Jesus is all about.
GALEN GOBEN
Foothill Christian Church
La Crescenta
A quick look around the world will point to the lost message of Christmas.
It's difficult to imagine war in Iraq, genocide in Darfur
or just plain intolerance toward our neighbors if the message was taken
seriously. In our own backyard, would we be consumed with petty politics, rather
than showing concern for the health and education of our children, if the
message of Christmas was more than the decorations at the Galleria?
Yet, the fundamental message of Christmas is that of hope. It's a trust and
faith in tomorrow, beyond our understanding. That is the promise of the Christ
child: that God continues to nurture and save us, despite ourselves.
At our parish, St. Peter, we challenge our congregation to celebrate the birth
of Christ by giving him the gifts he requests. We find his shopping list in Luke
14:12-14: "Give to those," Jesus says, "the poor and suffering - those who have
no means of paying you back."
It is a simple way to emphasize the message of Christmas.
Furthermore, as Armenians we celebrate the Nativity on Jan. 6. Because we have a
double Christmas, we have made it a policy at our church to acknowledge and live
the Christmas message all year round.
The celebration of "Love being born" is not confined to a date, but it is a way
of life. We established the "In His Shoes Mission," which provides a constant
challenge for members to rise from their humanity and live the Christmas message
all year long. By walking in the shoes of others, we acknowledge and realize
that it is up to us to work for a better tomorrow.
Therein, we tie ourselves to the message of hope that is Christmas.
FATHER VAZKEN MOVSESIAN
Armenian Church
In His Shoes Ministries
Before I write my thoughts for this space, I usually let my wife see what the
issue of the week is, and then I send her what I have written. This week I did
the same thing: I e-mailed her what the issue was. Almost immediately I received
a telephone call from her, and in that phone call she pointed out that I don't
get frazzled because she is the one who does all the shopping.
Alas, that is true. My wife keeps the most comprehensive list of names and
dates, such as birthdays and wedding anniversaries — and she has been known to
spot a neat gift in July and then purchase that gift for someone she's thinking
about in order to give it to that person at Christmas. (Is my wife neat or
what?)
Regarding the more serious issue of having the commercialization of the
Christmas season get in the way of the true meaning of Christmas — yes, I
worry about that all the time. While I don't want merchants to go broke because
of meager Christmas sales, I like the question most of us have seen before:
"Whose birthday is it, anyway?" I also like the message of an Advent prayer I
saw one time. It said something like, "Lord, help us to remember that it is not
you who demands large, lavish celebrations and enormous strobe-lit displays of
faith."
Actually, that first Christmas in a Bethlehem stable was a pretty shabby affair,
witnessed only by a few dirty shepherds and a bunch of farm animals. As we tear
through the malls, we might keep that manger scene in mind.
THE REV. C. L.
"SKIP" LINDEMAN
Congregational Church
of the Lighted Window
United Church of Christ
La Cañada Flintridge
With some, the true message of the season is not only lost, it wasn't there to
begin with. Like in those street interviews where people are asked to name
well-known politicians or identify state capitals and they can't, so I've asked
people the reason for the season. Some answer, "tradition"; others say "family"
and many would name off things like "decorations" or "children."
Some have alternate observances, and there are those who've come up with
deliberately competitive festivities, but Christmas is especially about the
incarnation of God, a divinely necessary event that has historical, spiritual
and social significance. The frenzy, I feel, is in providing my congregation and
community with a clear reminder of that.
While I do less gift-shopping than my wife, I feel the urgent sense of making
each Sunday a Christmas alert for those that attend my church. I want them to
embrace the Holy Spirit at Christmas, not just some warm-fuzzy called "Christmas
spirit" (the thing that makes Santa's sleigh fly), and I want them to take full
advantage of this stained-glass window of opportunity to point others toward the
Savior born in a manger.
My struggle is in slowing down to smell the pine, and having some of my own
personal Christmas quality cheer. I still haven't got the lights up at home, and
that elusive Nintendo item that stores can't seem to keep in stock until my
son's parents get there creates some stress, but come Christmas Day we'll all
breathe a sigh of relief, enjoy some nog and look forward to it all again in 52
weeks.
Perhaps if people would affirm with the repentant Scrooge, "I will honor
Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year," then maybe there'd be
less bustle and more blessing to appreciate this 12th month.
THE REV. BRYAN GRIEM
Senior Pastor
MontroseCommunityChurch.org
According to Jewish custom, it's important to give "Chanukah gelt," or gifts,
during the holiday.
Generally, this is understood as a spiritual time of year that's made extra
festive by giving presents. What is even of greater importance, though, is
giving our young ones special attention during this time of year.
Children often have difficulty understanding the spiritual significance of a
holiday. But by making it exciting with gifts, songs, and games, we add a
dimension which they can appreciate. Over time, as they grow older, this initial
appreciation for the gifts will hopefully develop into a sincere awareness of
the meaning of the season and its lessons.
We must be careful not to overdo the gift-giving or let it overshadow the
spiritual basis of the holiday, since that defeats the purpose. Children should
understand that the gifts — while an important part of the holiday — only
complement the spirituality of the season, and are not the heart of the season.
I also make a point to educate my children during this time of year to give to
those less fortunate.
To pass on the tradition of giving, I encourage my little ones to take a small
part of their holiday gifts and offer them to charity.
RABBI SIMCHA BACKMAN
Chabad Jewish Center
Bahá'Ãs have a special holiday season at the end of February, which is a time
of celebration, modest gift-giving and a special emphasis on charitable works.
We encourage each other to observe this season, building traditions for our
families and communities. However, like members of some other faiths, many of us
feel the pull of the wider culture's traditions through social expectations and
ties to our extended families. At no time is this pull more compelling than
during the Christmas season, when the whole country seems consumed by
anticipation of the holiday. It is easy to be drawn into the expensive,
exhausting, and overly commercialized institution that the season has become. It
is also tempting for members of non-Christian traditions to try to conform their
faiths' holy days to a Christmas-like observance during December, so as not to
feel excluded from an iconic cultural holiday. Clearly, Christmas is intended to
joyously commemorate the birth of Jesus, and hence, the birth of the Christian
age. It is up to all of us, Bahá'Ãs, Christians and others, to guard ourselves
against being seduced and intimidated into overextending our bank accounts and
our endurance, and to lovingly guide our children toward an understanding of the
true meanings of all religious holidays.
BARBARA CRAMER
Secretary
Local Spiritual Assembly
of the Bahá'Ãs
Glendale
The pre-Christmas time of Advent is one of my favorite seasons of the year. Our
own parish community of Incarnation has developed many traditions that enable us
to enter into the fullness of this season of expectation and hope:
Parishioners generously purchase more than 500 gifts for children of our sister
parish in South Central Los Angeles. Our Youth Ministry then hosts a wonderful
party including the re-telling of the first Christmas in drama and music.
The parish Filipino community hosts the "Simbang Gabi" celebration, which
commemorates the sacred events of the Yuletide. The evening is topped off with
traditional foods and treats for the children.
We also celebrate the traditional Latino procession of "Posadas" as we
symbolically retrace the steps of Mary and Joseph seeking a place for the Savior
to be born. Of course, the evening culminates with more food and festivity and
fun for the children.
Our school children perform their annual Pageant of hymns and carols to a
standing-room-only crowd of over 800. Additionally they collect food and gifts
and prepare Christmas baskets to be distributed to the poor.
The Liturgies of Advent are highlighted with scriptural readings that remind us
in the words of John the Baptist to "Prepare the way of the Lord." Services of
communal reconciliation and anointing of the sick also spiritually renew and
enable us to create that place where Jesus can be made manifest in our lives. If
we truly seek the Lord in this season, how can the true message be lost?
FATHER PAUL J. HRUBY
Pastor
Church of the Incarnation
Glendale
When I think about it, it helps me to remember that even the very first
Christmas happened in the context of hustle and bustle. Things obviously haven't
changed.
Everyone in Israel had something urgent to do. Caesar Augustus had ordered them
all to be registered in a census, and that sent them scurrying. Has your holiday
to-do list got you huffing and puffing? There was lots of traffic: "And all were
proceeding to register for the census, everyone to his own city." Many relatives
were brought together by the census in sometimes too-close quarters. Sound
familiar? The "inn" in which no room was found for Mary and Joseph was probably
a guest room in a family member's house.
In the middle of my Christmas preparation frenzy I'm encouraged that God has
already given us the most perfect gift, once for all time — His Son Jesus
Christ. Even though most people missed the point then, as unfortunately most do
today, I take comfort in the fact that through His Spirit and His word, God has
revealed His Son to me, and I have asked Him into my heart.
The night of Jesus' birth, the shepherds saw a glorious light, received an
angelic message and sought and found a great King. They returned to their fields
"glorifying and praising God." That's still the best way to have a merry and
meaningful Christmas.
PASTOR JON BARTA
Valley Baptist Church
Burbank