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| Anton Raphael Anton Mengs, 1770 |
For me, tinsel is the
most important Christmas decoration, but my dad and I disagree about the best variety.
My kind of tinsel is connected to a garland that encircles the tree (like a
halo) or dangles with measured sash along the fireplace mantel (giving the room
a clean, bright and festive look).
My dad, on the other
hand, likes the loose kind of tinsel (the kind that no matter how carefully
distributed hangs at different lengths like little poofs at the end of every
branch), gets carried around the house by foot, and is often statically
connected to clothing and pets. I guess someone could say that both kinds of
tinsel are good although it is obvious which is better.
When we decorated our house
every year (when I was growing up), my dad and I would have a discussion (a
debate) about which kind of tinsel was the best and should be part of our
tradition. It seemed, to me, that my dad was coming to realize the merits of the
best kind of tinsel (in other words “realizing the truth”), but then when we
decorated, he would hang the icicle variety. This pattern was repeated year
after year. This is how I discovered how a representative monarchy works.
Decorations are an
important part of this holiday. As this day got closer, St. Patrick’s looked
more and more like Christmas. And, it wasn’t just the look; it was the smell.
We package Christmas pretty well: the fresh-cut flowers, the whiff of
evergreen, the red bows, the greens, the candles, and, of course, the tinsel.
All of the sensory items give Christmas a certain feel. A feeling that is never
the same, but we know it when it arrives.
There is no such thing
as a perfect Christmas. That would be a melting pot of every Christmas of our
past, together as one. Of course that isn’t possible, there will always be
something that is missing. For instance, it is a little too warm this year and,
for me, there should be a light coating of snow on the ground (and maybe a
little flurry in the air). So it is never exactly perfect, but we know when a
good number of the possible variables are combined at one moment in time that
Christmas is upon us.
The thing about
Christmas decorations is that there is a certain shelf life. Some of that shelf
life depends on if you choose real greens or the artificial ones, but there is
also a cultural shelf life. If you have your Christmas lights, your greens, and
even your tinsel up in late January or February, your neighbors begin to talk
about you. (Often in hushed tones unless you have a certain kind of neighbor).
If your wreath is still on your door in March, a thief may believe that your
home is abandoned (a risk you should avoid at all costs). Even Clark Griswold
would have noticed the chagrin of his friends (and possibly of his family) if
his decorations were still lit in mid-summer.
Being that there are
these artificial deadlines, we store our Christmas decorations in plastic tubs or
recycled boxes in the basement or in the corner of the garage. These storage
containers have “Christmas” scrawled across them so that they are not lost
among all of our others things. So, in a few short days or, for some, weeks, we
will strip the holly, and the mistletoe (of the artificial variety), with the
lights, the snow villages, and the stockings and put them safely away so that
we can easily get them out next year to recreate our Christmas memories, once
again.
The cycle of Christmas
decorations is a metaphor for our understanding of the Christmas message. I
hear it all the time: “Tis the season” “It is important to do this at the
holiday time.” “These are the stories that warm our heart at this time of
year.” or “I’m in the Christmas spirit.”
We compartmentalize our
Christmas celebrations to a specific time of year or, for some, to this very
day. We do lots of fussing and then once it is done, we return back to normal
until next year at about this time.
That is not what
Christmas is. Christmas is the annual celebration of God’s gift to the world.
Yes, that gift for Christians is the Christ child. On this day and in this
season, we hear the story of Jesus’ birth (that is if we can hear it over the
din of other “Christmas” stories), but Christmas is about so much more than a
baby born over 2000 years ago.
Christmas is about
responding to a gift. Tonight we heard the story of Jesus’ birth in the words
of the Gospel of Luke. In this version of the story, we hear about lowly
shepherds who came from their fields to tell Mary about what the angels had
told them. First, I want you to forget about the angels (because the
supernatural often clouds our ability to see what this story says about faith).
What I mean is that we hear the word ‘angel’ and we turn on our skepticism. I
want you to think of these shepherds as people who experienced a vision of God,
an experience that convinced them to drop what they were doing, leave their
regular routine, so that they could respond to that vision.
Often we are gifted with
visions from God. They may not be as explicit as those involving the angels
visiting the shepherds, but if we open our ears, God speaks to us in a still,
calm voice. Most of the time, we want to ignore these visions (we are clouded
into believing that it can’t be God) because it challenges us to do something
outside of our comfort zone. What we should be doing, rather than what we are
doing.
Christmas invites us to
embrace that vision, accept that gift, and to step into something new and
different. Our normal Christmas routine is to pack it up, but the true Christmas
asks us to unpack God’s gift into our lives. Christmas is not about celebrating
a long-ago birth (although we hear that story and experience that music).
Christmas is about being aware (during this time of year when the nights are
longer than the days) of the gift of God in our present experience about the
light that illumines our life purpose.
Isaiah tells us that we
walked in great darkness and have seen a great light. That prophecy is read as
being fulfilled in the person of Christ. Burdens have been lifted, rejoicing
took place, but then Isaiah says that authority shall grow continually. The
great light, the wonderful counselor, the Mighty God will grow continually and
that growth depends on us doing something in response to the gift.
One of the things that
humans do poorly (at least the humans I know) is accept gifts. We want to give
something back of equivalent value, we don’t want to accept something because
that’s admitting that we need something, so we proclaim ourselves as the gift givers
(it is better to give than to receive). We are the overly blessed, so we need
to help others. Christmas turns that saying upside down. The challenge of
Christmas is to realize that we are in need and that God has given us a gift,
and we have to accept it. We have to embrace it in order for it to be fulfilled.
So this Christmas, ask
yourself how good you are at accepting gifts? How are you at seeing God’s
vision in your life? Unwrap what God continues to give you and then don’t put
it away, don’t store it in an old box until next year, let it grow to
fulfillment every day throughout the year.
Christmas is more than
the decorations. The tinsel, the holly, the cookies, the love of family, the
glorious music, the candles, and the long nights generate a certain feeling of
nostalgia, but to truly live into Christmas, we must let it live in our heart
in March, and July, and September. The times when we forget that God gave and
continues to give a great gift if we are willing to allow that gift to change
whom we are and how we live.
On this Christmas, listen
to God’s message to you. See the light and then let it change you. Let the
Christmas spirit be all the time. The Psalm summarizes what accepting God’s
gift will do to us if we accept it into our heart.
Sing to the Lord a new
song, sing to the Lord, all the whole earth. Sing to the Lord and bless God’s
Name; proclaim the good news of God’s salvation from day to day.
Many blessings to you on
this Christmas. Accept it into your heart for the year to come. Amen.
The Rev. Dr. Kurt
Gerhard (kurt@stpatrickschurchdc.org)
St. Patrick’s Episcopal
Church (www.stpatrickschurchdc.org)
December 24, 2011
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