Let's Dump Advent!
Christmas is everywhere -- in the malls, on broadcast airwaves, in the big box retailers, in the magazines and newspapers. It's everywhere but one place: Churches! Instead we have Advent. The season of waiting for Christmas. What a killjoy!
We're Americans. We hate waiting. Nobody waits for Christmas, except churches! We want Christmas NOW. No wonder nobody comes to church anymore.
So what happens is, while the rest of the world goes hog wild with Christmas, churches play this game of pretend -- quaintly waiting for Christmas. As a consequence, by the time the churches catch up to Christmas, on Dec. 25, everybody else has had it up to here and is ready to move on. After saturating us with Christmas trees, Jingle Bells and Santa for six weeks, the stores lose the decorations PRONTO!
So my proposal is to do away with Advent entirely. Beginning with the Sunday after Thanksgiving, it's the season of Christmas. Let 'er rip! Let's get the church calendar in line with the commercial calendar once and for all. It'll be good for us all.
That way, we can end the Christmas season when the advertisers, retailers and media do -- on Dec. 25.
While we're at it, let's adjust the rest of the church calendar to fit the commercial calendar. No more Epiphany (what's that, anyway?). So 20th Century.
Taking the cues from the stores, the Sunday after Christmas will be the first Sunday in the new liturgical season of Valentines. Liturgical colors will be red (of course!) and the season will ponder the sweet after-Christmas shopping deals and the syrupy goodness of Jesus.
Following the new season of Valentines, we jump right into Easter. Who needs that dreary season of Lent anyway. Such a downer! Aren't Americans depressed enough as it is! Going right from Valentines to Easter allows the confectionary companies to open the markets early on chocolate eggs and marshmallow chicks. None of this giving up sweets! Downright Medieval!
The season of Easter will be followed by Memorial Day, and then SummerFall. SummerFall will end on Labor Day, when the liturgical season of Halloween begins. (Orange paraments! Love it!). After Halloween comes Thanksgiving (brown paraments), and before you know it, it's Christmas again.
The comes Easter.
All this may sound abhorrent to old fashioned sticks in the mud, but moving the liturgical calendar to reflect the shopping trends is the least we can do to eliminate the widening disconnect between the church and the commercial world. After all, isn't the real meaning of Christmas recorded on our Visa statements?
--Rob Blezard, editor and webmaster
Reprint rights gladly given to congregations for nonprofit, local use. Just include this notice: Copyright (c) 2007, the Rev. Robert Blezard,
www.stewardshipoflife.org. Used by permission.
New This Week
Sermon Series: Taking the ‘Stew’ out of Stewardship
Here is a series of four sermons that will inspire pastors and layfolk alike on speaking cogently and biblically about stewardship. The four sermons were given by Pastor Doug Dortch of First Baptist Church, Tallahassee, Florida. Click on the titles to review the sermons: Stewardship is Surrender, Stewardship is Priority, Stewardship is Investment, Stewardship is Sacrifice. A great bundle of preaching, posted by the Center for Baptist Studies.
Three Attitudes Toward Giving
Why do people give to the church? This essay explores three common attitudes and their implications for the financial wellbeing of a congregation and its members. Click here for Three Attitudes Toward Giving, from the stewardship pages of Ted Mollegen.
Financing American Religion
Read and digest this comprehensive essay that looks at studies and trends in church giving. Something for everybody to learn. The essay is actually the last chapter of the book of the same name, edited by Mark Chaves and Sharon Miller (Walnut Creek, Calif., AltaMira Press, 1999). Click here for “Financing American Religion,” posted by the Lilly Foundation’s Resources for American Christianity.
Stewardship from the Lectionary
Looking for a way to put more stewardship into your preaching? Here is a great help -- a weekly commentary that highlights stewardship aspects in the weekly lectionary texts. Click here for "Stewardship from the Lectionary," from ELCA Stewardship Resources.
November 12 - 18, 2007