Crossroads magazine December 2004
Dear Friends,
It’s the end of November and it’s Advent-tide again. I want to make that quite clear because the Christmas decorations have already been up in Republic Street for two weeks and the piped Christmas carols and songs are already sounding cheap, tinny and very tired - if I have to listen to Johnny Mathis crooning “When a child is born” once more there may well be some very unseasonal wishes from this minister.
Advent is a little like Lent in some ways. For those outside the church it is essentially a lost season; many people simply do not know the word “Advent” or its meaning and purpose. For those who do remember, it should be a season of self-examination and preparation when we think about what our life as Christian people has been in the past year and what lies ahead of us as we get ready to receive God’s gift. If we simply jump straight into Christmas without taking Advent seriously, we inevitably diminish and cheapen Christmas, if only through over-familiarity. After all, part of the point of any festival is that it itself is celebrated at its proper time, not that it is exploited ad nauseam in anticipation.