Faith & Family: Putting Christ back into Christmas

Not only is it a conversation starter, it's something he truly believes.

In this time of over-marketing and Xmas excess, the winter pastoral assistant for Marco Lutheran Church says it's more important than ever to remember why we are celebrating -- it's all about Jesus.

And as Sunday marks the first day of Advent, more and more people are looking for ways to be true to the meaning of the next several weeks before Christmas.

"It's really a time to think about Jesus," Zahrte says, noting that his church will mark the first day of Advent with the lighting of the first candle on the Advent wreath. Plans are also in the works for a children's Christian theater performance of "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" which discusses the true meaning of Christmas.

The word Advent, from Latin, means "the coming." For centuries, Advent has been a time of spiritual reflection as well as cheer and anticipation for the birth of Jesus Christ. It's the period beginning with the Sunday nearest to the feast of St. Andrew the Apostle (Nov. 30) and embraces four Sundays. The first may be as early as Nov. 27, when Advent has 28 days, or as late as Dec. 3, giving the season only 21.

According to a Web site on Christmas, www.christmas.com, it's not certain when the celebration of Advent was first introduced into the Christian church.

One of the earliest references to Christmas being celebrated on Dec. 25 appeared in Antioch in what is now Syria in the middle of the second century. At that time, Christians were still persecuted for their beliefs. An official determination was made in the fourth century, when the Roman emperor Constantine embraced Christianity. This ensured the legality of Christmas celebrations. The Council of Tours then established the period of Advent as a time of fasting before Christmas in the year 567.

Although a spiritual time of reflection in the past, the modern day season of Christmas has been somewhat eclipsed by the season of shopping.

So, how can one celebrate the true meaning of the season?

"Don't go to the stores!" jokes Jessie Ferrer, who works for the local Christian store, Heavenbound. The fact that holiday lights and other paraphernalia were on the shelves at local malls beginning in October really irks this mother of one. But she knows it's just all part of the Christmas craze and she takes it all in stride.

The way one can counter it is fairly easy, she says. It's all about setting up some family traditions. It doesn't have to be as drastic as giving up Christmas Day to volunteer at a mission, or giving away all your gifts to those in need. Some of the most basic traditions, such as sharing an advent wreath and calendar can be just as effective.

The Advent wreath's origin is from folk traditions of northern Europe, where in the deep of winter people lit candles on wheel-shaped bundles of evergreen. Both the evergreen and the circular shape symbolized ongoing life.

Today, an advent wreath traditionally contains four candles--three purple and one rose (or pink). The three purple candles in the Advent wreath symbolize hope, peace, and love. The candles are lit on the first, second, and fourth Sundays of Advent. The rose candle, which symbolizes joy, is usually lit on the third Sunday.

Sometimes a fifth candle is placed inside the Advent wreath. This candle is lit on Christmas Day. It is white, the color associated with angels and the birth of Jesus.

Then there's the Advent calendar, a card or poster with 24 doors, one to be opened each day from Dec. 1 until Christmas Eve. Each door conceals a picture. The tradition started in Germany in the late 1800s and soon spread throughout Europe and North America. Originally, the images in Advent calendars were derived from the Hebrew Bible. Now they depict everything from angels to teddy bears.

No matter what the choice of family tradition, just remember the reason for the season is Jesus, Ferrer says.

"He's our No. 1 provider."

Gail Cash, a member of Metropolitan Community Church of Naples agrees. "My feeling is, it's hard to put Christ in Christmas if Christ isn't in your heart." And if that's the case, Cash says this is the best time of year to go ahead and make a simple change. "Asking Christ to come into your heart would be good enough."