Susanne

I had a conversation with some friends about Advent today, and one of my friends who is more knowledgable about me in liturgical matters said that if one strictly follows the Catholic liturgical calendar, Christmas songs aren’t supposed to be played until the 25th (at least, they aren’t supposed to be played/sung during Mass; of course no one can tell you what music to listen to outside of Mass). I didn’t know that until he told me.

Of course, no-Christmas-songs-until-Christmas is a difficult rule to implement (at least where I come from; I don’t know how it is in your diocese), because people are so excited to start singing Christmas carols as soon as they can, and so the minute the calendar hits the first Sunday of Advent, choirs immediately begin to sing “Adeste Fideles.”

But quite frankly, my favorite hymns of the entire liturgical calendar are Advent hymns. “Oh Come, Oh Come Emmanuel” gives me the goosebumps, and every Advent I find myself humming it to myself in my idle moments. On Christmas Eve, it can move me to tears. And “O Come, Divine Messiah” is like a love song to Christ.

The last paragraph of your post just became a part of my Christmas Eve message entitled “The Simplicity of Christmas.”

Our Baptists churches have been taught to either fear or mistrust the calendar. To our detriment, I’m afraid.

And in the end you will probably end up with something very similar to what Catholics like me have been doing for centuries. (Which the C-word automatically makes anathema.) I see the Magisterium and Tradition as a body of precedent and experience, an institutional memory of what works and what doesn’t. And I also see Baptists and other Protestants (primarily the younger, non-liturgical ones) constantly reinventing the wheel.

I have no problem with Advent as celebrated in my parish. Due to my past, the surrounding “Happy Holidays!” have been something to be endured more than enjoyed. (Didn’t Chesterton’s Father Brown make a point that “There is no torment in Hell as terrible as Constant Forced Cheerfulness” in the story “Three Tools of Death”?)

Advent: Four weeks of quiet preparation, resting up for the twelve-day party from Christmas to Epiphany. Makes a lot more sense than…

Current Xmas: Two-three months of rushing around, shopping, partying, and being subject to cheezy Xmas songs, cheezy TV specials, and Constant Forced Cheerfulness until by the time December 25th comes around, you’re too burned out to enjoy anything. (Oh, and you’re expected back at work on the 26th.) I have heard that the divorce, domestic violence, and depression rates all peak around this time of year. Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Burnout!

As I told some teenagers during the first week of Advent, it’s about getting in touch with that part of our souls that hungers for the Lord.

But ah, Gaudete Sunday has just passed and now we are also moving towards greater excitement and anticipation ….

I think people have a hard time waiting, don’t you. They just want what they want now. Christmas seems to be no exception.

But at least we do observe a form of Advent, which is a move in the right direction. This is only a three year old observance in our church. I guess I need to be patient and continue to wait for our dear folks to catch on.

When I preached last year’s Good Friday service it carried a bit of dread in it. Kind of rare for our church. But what’s the saying? It gets darkest just before the light appears.

This was a wonderful post. I shared it with my husband and we are sharing it with everyone. You brought us to the place we need to be at to appreciate Advent’s significance. Blessed Advent to you and yours.

I’ve often wondered why Christians keep arguing about saying “Merry Christmas” during Advent….