I want to feel Christmas, how it used to be
With all of its wonder falling on me
This season has felt so empty, oh for quite a while
I want to feel Christmas like a child...
It's been so long now, I can't say
Just when I lost my way
But I'm going back to how it was
When this day meant everything
And we spent our time remembering
The baby Child born for us
It's all about Jesus, asleep in the straw
This infant, this King, this Saviour for all...
Excerpts from 'Christmas Like a Child', Third Day
With all of its wonder falling on me
This season has felt so empty, oh for quite a while
I want to feel Christmas like a child...
It's been so long now, I can't say
Just when I lost my way
But I'm going back to how it was
When this day meant everything
And we spent our time remembering
The baby Child born for us
It's all about Jesus, asleep in the straw
This infant, this King, this Saviour for all...
Excerpts from 'Christmas Like a Child', Third Day
I read a very interesting article written by an atheist about Christmas. I'm sure not all will agree with his points, but it certainly made me think: Secularizing Christmas Holidays. It focuses on America's Christmas, but I think it can be applied to the UK too. Not saying I agree with all his conclusions, I just reckon it might make us think just a little more about the season and what it really means to us.
3 comments:
Oh don't get me started on Christmas. I found the article very interesting. Some of that stuff I didn't know. What gets me...and it might be true...is when people tell me that they are trying hard to take Christ out of Christmas. Maybe. Maybe not. No one I know that is a non-Christian actually cares if Christ comes out of Christmas. But...that said, there probably are people that are trying to take it out. And it probably isn't that many people trying to do it. The only people I know making a fuss are Christians themselves. If I say Happy Holidays it isn't because I'm taking Christ out of Christmas. It's a lot shorter than saying Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
This person's (from the article) take on Christmas made more sense then how I grew up with believing it. I'm not trying to diminish Christ's birth. Without His birth we would not have His death and resurrection. But I would so desire to spend more time on the Perfect Lamb of God what His death and resurrection did for us and not His birth.
I realize this is probably coming out harsh and to some even irreverent. So I'll stop now. Get off my little soap box. :)
We used to have a parish priest who insisted on leaving the Christmas decorations up in Church until Candlemas. I don't go that far, but I do like to celebrate Christmas as a season, not just a day. Taking decorations down before Epiphany (Twelfth Night) seems terribly wrong to me. I went through a stage of keeping a Christmas present back for the girls until Epiphany, and one year I tried giving them a little gift for each of the Twelve Days of Christmas, but quickly came to the conclusion that was overkill!
Cabcree - Rant away, I liked reading your thoughts. Funnily enough, it was the Puritans who first banned Christmas in England not the atheists, lol, so it was Christians who first took both the Christ and the Mass out of Christmas!
These days it is the secular society who seem to get most stressed about the religious aspects of the season. I really believe that the best way to raise the profile of Christmas is to really rejoice in the birth of Christ in our own lives, rather than focusing totally on what the government/councils are doing - from the grass roots up as it were.
You are right though, it is the cross - Christ's death and resurrection - that we ought to focus on most. But I love Advent and Christmas because it is traditionally also a time for repentance in preparation for the second advent (coming) of Christ and not just about the baby Christ in the manger. That's why we live each day in joy, for we are not only saved but sealed for the day of redemption - Come Lord Jesus!
Bookworm - I think my tree would be seriously needle-less if I waited until Candlemas! :) What a lovely idea saving presents for Epiphany. I agree though that a present every day for the 12 days would be a bit much! Lol.
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