Advent Sunday



Today is Advent Sunday- according to church tradition, the beginning of Advent. It is a time of traditions- an advent wreath or lighting the first advent candle, perhaps.

We all have personal traditions for celebrating Christmas. Maybe you have already put up a tree, and smiled as you decorated it with familiar ornaments? Or decorated your house and yard with Santa, his reindeer and a twinkling display of lights? My Dutch friends’ children have their shoes out, ready for Saint Nicholas and his helpers to arrive under cover of darkness at Sinterklaas this week.

Our traditions help to root us, just as the inevitability of Christmas provides a reassuring anchor to the turning of time. Even if we are unaware of it, they identify us as British, American or Dutch by the food we prepare, the songs we sing and the rituals which are meaningful to us. They ground us in our particular families, too- reminding us of where we have come from, of the generations before us. In a fast-moving age, where new updates are always available and we are frequently exhorted to keep up with change, our traditions can be a valuable reminder of our identity.


But we should also take care that our traditions don’t become misleading, either to others or to ourselves. Are we hiding behind them, or attempting to convince ourselves that for one month of the year, we are people who love spending time with our family and wish peace and goodwill to all?

Look at Paul- he was immensely proud of his Jewish heritage. He writes in Philippians 3: 5 and 6-

I was circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.

We see here the same sort of passion and pride that can surface in fanaticism today. If our heritage, our identity and our traditions cease to be things which help us find our place in the world and become something we use to reinforce our own superiority or to justify exploitation of others, then we need to re-examine them. 

This Advent Sunday, do we need to spend some time considering how we plan to celebrate Christmas this year, and ensure that our traditions are good ones? The Bible Society had some ideas for actions that impact our communities- see their

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