Jill Duffield, Senior Pastor
What are your Christmas traditions? Those foods, events, music, books that evoke a sense of the season for you?
Some are shared by many: decorating the Christmas tree, singing carols, the giving and receiving of presents. Others are unique to families. One friend of mine always has Chinese food on Christmas eve. Another more athletic colleague runs a holiday 5K every year. Growing up it was a ritual in our house, after church, to open a single gift on Christmas Eve. I’ve no idea if that’s some weird Canadian thing or just something my mother made up to calm us down enough to go to bed. I didn’t continue this tradition, not because I didn’t appreciate it, simply because I didn’t think to do it. Many of the things we instituted with our children came from necessity, a crock pot meal of soup on Christmas Eve so that I could set it and forget it while I tended to church events, for example.
As with many family traditions we believe them to be universal until we somehow learn otherwise. The Advent wreath on our dining room table, the one we place the nativity characters around each year, wasn’t given a lot of thought by my children until one of our neighbors came over for dinner on the first Sunday of Advent. He was about my son’s age, late elementary school age at the time, and he was taken by the candle lighting, brief Scripture reading, and prayer. He wanted to know why we did it and I tried to explain, including somewhere in there that it was because it was the first Sunday of Advent. He then assumed that the meal was also an integral part of this observance, wanting to know the symbolism around eating tacos on the first Sunday of Advent. Hence, a new tradition was born.
I hope you have some Christmas traditions that bring you joy. If there are some you used to do but no longer can because some of those who participated are no longer around the table or because you’ve moved or because you don’t have the energy or ability, I pray the memory of them offers some bittersweet solace.
I would also say, no matter what stage of life you are in, it is never too late to begin a new tradition. We’re once again having a worship service on Christmas Day, at 10 am in the sanctuary, but this year, for the first time, we will be celebrating Communion. It will be a small, casual gathering with lots of carols and Scripture readings, concluding with the Lord’s Supper. Perhaps attending this service could become one of your Christmas rituals. We’d love to see you.
It is a blessing to share so many traditions with you as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. Merry Christmas!
Peace,
Jill
