Jo Bower's Blog

As we enter Advent I want to issue an invitation: Come, find Christmas as a renewed season……

Luke 2:15

When the
angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let
us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has
made known to us.”

 

Come, you who have written off Christmas

As an useless commercial, greedy,

Networking through-giving-the-right-gift-to-the-right person,

Hoping to better your position in the New Year,

And raking in all you can get celebration.

 

Come, you who weary of trying to please,

Or gain approval of the people who depend on you

And who you love with all your heart,

By providing the perfect holiday experience.

 

Come, you who refuse to celebrate because you believe

It’s the wrong time of the year,

Or believers’ redemption of an old pagan worship day

Was merely the early Christians’ effort

To wrestle dominance from everyone else.

 

Come, you who cannot see beyond the secular celebrations,

Of Santa, elves, goodwill, and tender, made for TV movies,

And the stories of Angels suddenly helping people.

Who, when you have outgrown those things,

No longer find meaning in the celebration.

 

Come, discover the simple, uncomplicated,

Love motivated, God-initiated gift

That began all this human madness as we have, as usual,

Gotten things backwards,

And put the emphasis on the wrong things.

 

Come, return to the celebration

Of a loving Creator longing for a relationship his creation.

Of that Spirit of power and might giving that most precious son

To humanity as the example

Of God the Father’s existence and scope of love.

 

Come to the celebration,

Not of the date, or of the traditions, or the giving and receiving,

Not merely the spirit of Christmastide’s goodwill,

But of the eternal love that prompted

That first gift of a baby named Jesus.

 

So, come, put it all aside:

The studies that tell us what we’ve gotten wrong,

The disapproval of what the season has become,

And celebrate, with heart, mind, and spirit,

The gift that changed the meaning of giving.