What about this Christmas?

                What about this Christmas?

                    by Kenneth Bagnell

                   Christmas came to my memory not long ago brought there by a very-well to-do American businessman: CEO of Starbucks.  A year or so ago when he spoke to his broad community of customers, his Christmas message began with a few words that may put you off a bit but stay with me; he’s Howard Schultz. “Persecuted Christians of America,” he began. “I hope you will accept my sincerest apologies for causing such sorrow. Let me be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas …I apologize for the green cups. I want to repent my wayward ways, so I decreed that all our cups will now include the entire narrative of the virgin birth.” So, in one way or the other it illustrates something: how secularization has presumed to use the sacred aspect of a trivial joke that’s not even funny. I don’t know about you, but in my boyhood it would be regarded as crude and rude. Today? Not so much. Maybe not at all. “Happy Holidays” will look after it for many.

     Still, in Canada, the churches that have not been closed, will be filled or almost so, for the traditional services around Christmas. Maybe family members came home, because it was Christmas for mother and father, who “always went to church.” Yes, they may be drawn by family custom, rather than Christian faith. But in any case, it’s a positive aspect amid an ever secularizing culture. It recalls for many especially the Christmas of childhood, when with mom and dad we always went to Christmas Eve service. So nostalgia at Christmas and other good things, still follow us so that deep custom has fully left us, memories of sitting with mother, father, brother or sister, on Christmas Eve when we were children.

    That was then. About the mid-1960s, a slight decline began and, sad to say, became stronger and then stronger. Secularism became inevitable to the broad Canadian culture, which is worse in Europe and in Canada is becoming increasingly non-observant. Thus Christmas, morning and night, became Happy Holidays and with it so many favorite songs. Will you ever forget Bing Crosby singing the old refrain I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas? Even secularism will never erode faith.  Humans are born to faith of some form, and that fact alone is a testament to the natural longing for faith, thereby a testament to the belief system of the Christian Christmas or Jewish Hanukkah.

   Here’s the Christian yearly approximate attendance (It was carried on the CBC and assembled by a highly regarded research organization . In general 38 percent never go. 29 percent rarely go. 15 percent go a few times yearly. 5 percent go once a month. 13 percent go a weekly basis. But at Christmas celebration it rises to 32 percent. (I can’t avoid revealing that in 2013, the Catholic Diocese of Vancouver is reported to spend $5 million dollars on promotion costs to draw people to church at Christmas.)

 Just about a year ago, an Arabic man wrote an interesting and revealing article: “Do Muslims Celebrate Christmas.?” The essence of his column was that he believed in being friendly to all, and, in terms of interfaith he was as ecumenical as he could be, while leaving of course lots of room to practice his own faith. He was an African-American born to Muslim converts, so that most of his relatives are Christian and celebrate Christmas. His name is Sajdah Nubee.  Here’s a sample of his perspective:

      “Like my parents, I know for many Muslims, determining what constitutes celebrating is often a topic of discussion. It typically comes down to individuals deciding for themselves how they define celebrating the holiday… For example, I do not buy a Christmas tree to decorate my home. However, during the holidays there are often charity drives through different organizations,. Because I would ordinarily give to charity any time of the year, I donate to these charities with the intention of giving back. Often when people hear I do not celebrate Christmas, they express their “condolences.” It may seem like many of us are missing out, but I don’t see it that way,,..,” 

     The other day, I received a Christmas greeting on line that was very evocative of what Christian faith is, especially at Christmas. It was written by the President of the Toronto Conference of my church, The United Church of Canada. It touched me and I will always remember that it did, in both word and sentiment. It’s a greeting to a large number of men and women who are ministers. In the city where I live, Toronto. Now it is time for my greeting to you and calling on you to read the minister’s wise and graceful note for Christmas. God bless and thank you:

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 A message from the President of Toronto Conference                                                     United Church of Canada:                

        Many years ago, when my daughter was very young, we were driving through the country one beautiful Saturday night, As we passed a house lit up with for the season, she excitedly exclaimed: “Look it’s Christmas.”       

     I still recall her heartfelt delight every time I drive through the country and see Christmas lights amidst the darkness of the land and sky. We are always in search of Christmas. This is what the ancient traditions that we blend together for this season points up to—Christmas. We hang lights bake, gather, decorate, worship, pray and hear remnants of the Ancient story. We honor our own traditions while each years making more memories. This is why each tradition takes on such importance, why change is difficult, and why sorrow seeps in through the illumination all around us.

      For those who work on Christmas, like all of us in the church, Christmas sometimes gets lost. When I chat with people who ask the simple question, “Are you ready for Christmas?” I realize that they aren’t necessarily asking about my Christmas Eve sermon. Yet for many it is the worship tradition of the church that helps create Christmas. As for our planning and careful discerning about scripture and songs and prayer, we will help someone feel Christmas deep in their heart. Someone who is deep in the darkness of grief, or struggling with depression will see the power of a single candle lit to light the way, someone who is struggling with change, will find peace, someone who is new to the wonder, will  sense its birth within them.

   I thank you for being a part of Christmas. For your faithfulness, your service, your willingness, to put aside your own celebrations or to fit them in between services or around the needs of others. My hope and prayer for you is that you too hear the angels sing; that you see the light of a star to point the way for you to follow, even when you are unsure of where it will lead, that  you will feel so compelled by the promise that you will risk the belief that it is true; that peace, hope, joy and love have been birthed upon our earth again, in you and me, in all of us – and that in doing so — you too might proclaim from the depth and soul: “Look, it’s Christmas.”

Audrey Brown (Rev.)  

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My Past blogs are archived on my website: your          comments are welcome there:     www.kennethbagnell.com.