As
Christians, how do we prepare for Christmas?
From a Christian perspective, our
preparation for Christmas should center on internal, spiritual preparation,
even though I acknowledge that there is much physical preparation that we might
do, such as baking cookies and decorating our homes. Although I do not think we are required to strictly
follow the old Church tradition of sacrificial preparation, we might begin by
looking at how those Christians prepared, spiritually, and why they chose those
methods.
Each year during Advent, there are traditional scripture readings, which
are suggested as the foundational texts for preaching. One of these suggested texts for this Sunday
is Isaiah 64: 1-12. The form of
literature which this scripture passage takes is that of Lamentation.
Most contemporary persons don’t
spend much time reflecting on, or doing, lamentation. From a Christian theological perspective, Lamentation
is passionate and usually vocal expression of regret and sorrow and grief brought
on by the recognition—and confession—of our sins and failings. Although it is not an important component of our
contemporary life, lamentation is a prevalent theme in many sections of the Bible
and it was an important component of Christian spirituality down through the
ages, until the modern and post-modern periods.
What can we learn about spiritual preparation for Christmas through a
passage of the Bible devoted to Lamentation?
Isaiah 64 can be divided into three sections. The first section (verses 1-5a) is basically
a recollection and reminder of how in the past God was powerfully active and
present in the lives of the faithful.
This section is addressed directly to God. Remembering how God revealed God’s Self to
the Israelites wandering in the wilderness after their escape from Egypt, the
prophet writes, “O that you would tear open the heavens and come down, so that
the mountains would quake at your presence…” (v. 1)
Implicit in this section is the admission by the prophet that, for the
people of his day, God has become “hidden,” or absent. The people of God are separated from
God. If we are completely honest, couldn’t
the same claim be made about many people around us? Isn’t it true that there are many people
around us, who do not experience God’s presence in their lives? Many of us in the church could push even
deeper and admit that sometimes it feels as though God has hidden from us and
we do not feel God’s presence within our lives.
In the second section of this chapter
(verses 5b-7), the focus shifts to a collective confession of how far
the people have strayed and how greatly they have sinned. In an extremely graphic metaphor, the prophet
confesses, “We have become like one who is unclean and all our righteous deeds
are like a filthy cloth” (verse 6).
Literally, the prophet says that our actions have become as unclean and
reprehensive as a used menstrual cloth.
While most of us would not use such a graphic image, isn’t it true that
all of us today have sins and shortcomings and failures that we are ashamed
of? Like a dark hood that terrorists use
to cover the head of a captive, so also our sin and our shame blot out the brilliant
light of God’s Presence and Love in our lives. Our sins and shortcomings create a barrier
that separates us from God. At this
point, this lamentation is complete. All
is darkness and despair.
Yet, there is always hope with God.
And so, the third section (verses 8-12) form an appeal to God for mercy
and rescue. The third section begins by
reminding God of the special relationship that God has established with us; a
special relationship that was established at the very beginning. The prophet writes, “Yet, O Lord, you
are our Father, we are the clay and you are our potter; we
are the work of your hand.” (verse 8; my emphasis) Despite all of the bad that we have done;
despite how hidden God is from us; despite how angry God is, the Prophet
reminds God of God’s love and special relationship with us.
So, the lamentation ends on a note of hope: “After all this, will you restrain yourself,
O Lord? Will you keep silent and punish
us so severely?” (verse 12) There is
hope that God’s love is so deep and so powerful that all evil will be overcome
and we will be reconciled with our Creator.
For Christians, the source and focus
of that hope is Jesus Christ.
I would suggest that there is great
insight in the old Christian traditions of making confession and penance—and,
lamentation—central for their spiritual preparation for Christmas.
Think about it this way: Have
you ever been in a thunderstorm or a snow storm that knocked out the
electricity in your house. If you are
like me, there comes a point where you start to realize just how much you take
electricity for granted. The power goes
out and it’s dark, so you stand up and walk over to switch on the light, only
to remember the power is out. So,
frustrated, you turn on the television to get a report on how long you will be
without power, only to realize the television won’t work because the power is
out. Then, you decide to make a cup of
coffee, only to realize that the coffee maker won’t work because there’s no
electricity. Perhaps, you decide to find
someplace that still has electricity.
So, you go out to the garage, only to realize the garage opener is
powered by electricity.
As Christians we can slip into the habit of taking Christ for granted,
just as we do electricity in our homes.
This is the great liability of allowing popular culture, with its
emphasis on feasting, partying, and shopping, to solely dictate how we
experience Christmas. In order to truly appreciate
how lucky we are to have Christ in our lives, we need to spend some time in
confession and lamentation and penance.
I like to think about our time of preparation during Advent as a
journey that ultimately leads to the manger and baby Jesus on Christmas
Eve. The prophet Isaiah tells us that
this spiritual journey should begin with lamentation—and hope.
Our church is located at the corner
of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden, Kansas.
Our classic worship service starts at 10 am on Sunday mornings. Come,
join us this Sunday, November 30th, as we begin a spiritual journey that
ultimately ends at the manger in Bethlehem.
Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.
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