Once upon a time there was a girl named Merry who was engaged to a man named Christmas. They were very happy together until an angel told them that Merry was going to give birth to an elf and that Christmas wasn’t the Father. Merry and Christmas decided to work things out, but before they could get themselves sorted, they were summoned to Bethlehem to sign up for a popularity contest. So Mr and Mrs Christmas got ready to travel the long distance to Bethlehem on their beloved reindeer, Rudolph.
When they arrived in town they found that there was no-where to stay, and worse, the baby was about to be born. As Bethlehem couldn’t offer them anywhere safe to have the baby, they abandoned their plans, attached Rudolph to a magical sleigh and set off for Lapland. There they found a gingerbread house with lots of willing helpers but no toys for the baby to play with. They wrapped the baby in a Christmas Jumper and laid him in the huge empty cardboard box that the tiny present from Amazon had arrived in.
Just as Mother and Father Christmas began to panic that their child would not grow into a well developed child with only love and a roof over his head, and a father with job security and a mother who had been chosen by God himself, 3 visitors arrived.
The visitors brought gifts entirely unsuitable for a baby (but better than the sheep that the Bethlehem shepherds had been planning to bring). The first visitor had brought gold – finest, shiniest golden tinsel for the baby to choke upon and glass baubles to shatter and cut him. The second visitor brought perfume for Merry, thinking she could do with a treat that would make her feel luxurious and desirable again. The last visitor brought matches and something to burn to fill the room with sweet, sickly smoke.
But before the gifts were given, the baby, named Noel, would have to pass a test – was he good enough to be rewarded with presents? Had he been naughty or nice? It was decided that he was too young to have been really naughty, so the visitors left the gifts and helped themselves to another mince pie and glass of whiskey, whilst the sugar plum fairy fluttered down from the top of a tree, and placed a star upon the baby’s head.
The Bible readings for this second Sunday in Advent speak about clearing away the clutter.
The prophet Malachi promises a prophet who will come to ‘prepare the way’, and predicts the arrival of one who will purify as with a refiner’s fire. Paul prays in his letter to the church at Phillipi that they will ‘overflow more and more with full insight to help determine what is best’, and Luke dedicates his gospel account, written after ‘investigating everything carefully’ to Theophilus, ‘so that you may know the truth’.
From very early on God’s message has been misunderstood and clouded by untruths. Time and again prophets have been called upon to retell the story of God’s love, to clear away the preconceptions and misconceptions. Christmas itself, has been swamped by stories and customs and traditions so that the truth has been hidden, buried deep below the layers of brussel sprouts, festive parties and novelty outfits. Ironically, the feast of Christmas marks the the moment that God broke into his world, in such a dramatic way, so that the truth could be known once and for all. The truth that God loves us, that he keeps no record of rights and wrongs but goes out of his way to forgive us and restore us into full friendship with Him.
Perhaps the early church is really at fault for this confusion – trying to convert pagan rituals by assimilating all winter’s festivities into one holy celebration. So, perhaps, Christmas isn’t really a Christian festival at all? Perhaps we should give up trying to pretend that it is something other than a deep winter festival endued with all sorts of magic and mystery, and focus instead upon Advent, the time when we remember God’s call to be something different. A time when we slow down instead of wind up. A time of remembering that God’s love for us isn’t dependant upon how well the turkey is trimmed.
Advent is God’s gift to us – and he gives it freely regardless of whether we have been ‘naughty or nice’. Advent is the time of drawing closer to God, a time of clearing away the clutter that binds us. Happy Advent everyone, and feel free to take off that silly jumper!
Something to watch:
Some Questions to think about:
- What does Advent mean to you?
- How, as Christians, can we engage more fully with advent rather than rushing headlong into Christmas?
- What parts of the Christmas celebrations, customs and traditions do you find the most difficult to engage with spiritually?
- The prophets kept trying to call God’s people back to His promises – do we need to do this in our own lives? In our relationships and communities?
- What one thing can we do differently this year?
Something to pray:
We bless you, God our Saviour, for the courage of John, forerunner of your Christ.
As we hear again, the hard simplicity of his proclamation, look with mercy upon us, in our captivity to so much that is false in our world:
our fascination with image, our skill in fabrication, our manipulation of truth.
Father, in the midst, of so much unreality, give your people courage, to walk, the hard way of holiness and integrity
and discover, in surprise,
the road to freedom.
Amen. Patrick Woodhouse
nothinglikeadane 
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