Thanksgiving? Christmas? Remember those days?
As I write this, it is the week before Thanksgiving and I just drove
through a neighborhood where almost half of the houses already have their
Christmas decorations up. Of
course, the stores have been advertising Christmas for weeks and there are so
many ads for not just “Black Friday,” but also “Black week” – a time for
Christmas shopping and special prices.
I
wonder how many of us really remember (or even know) the reasons behind our
holidays. Thanksgiving Day
was decreed as a national holiday in 1941 by the U.S. Congress as a day of “prayer and thanksgiving to God.” It is supposed to be a day when we the
people of the nation along with our fellow citizens give thanks to God for the
blessings in our lives, communities, and nation. However, Thanksgiving is now mostly about family gatherings,
family travel, Thanksgiving Dinner, football, and preparing for the big sales
the next day.
I
wonder how many of us really remember (or even know) that Christmas is a
national holiday set aside to remember the birth of Jesus, the Messiah. Christmas is a time in which we
remember that God entered into our world fulfilling hundreds of prophecies from
the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) living, dying, and rising from the dead
for the salvation of human beings.
However, Christmas is mostly about decorations, gifts, family-time,
Santa, reindeer, and special music.
The
ancient Church calendar reminds us that Christmas begins on December 25 (or the
24th on the Eve) and lasts for 12 days. It is preceded by the season of Advent, a time of
preparation for the Messiah’s return and for remembering the Messiah’s birth.
Remember
the holidays? I hope you will this
year. Christmas can be a deeply
spiritual and meaningful time as one recalls the birth of Jesus, prays for
spiritual renewal, and celebrates the transformation He brings to one’s life
and community. Take time to
remember the real holidays this year! Go to church somewhere on Christmas
Eve. Give of yourself to help
someone. Spend some extra time in
prayer. It will make all the difference in your holiday!
