Bishop Daniel Martins on Advent

Last week I posted something I intended to be playful—OK, slightly snarky, perhaps—about maintaining proper discipline in seasonal observances; that is, not allowing “Christmas” to bleed over too much and too early into Advent. I got a lot of metaphorical “thumbs up” signals, but also raised a few eyebrows, and I have no doubt that there were some criticisms thought, if not voiced, in my direction.  Those who practice Christian faith in the context of a liturgical/sacramental church community “got,” for the most part, where I was coming from. Those who practice Christian faith in some other “key,” or are not Christian at all, are likely among those who were mystified. So, here I endeavor to clear things up a little bit. 

First, if you are not a liturgical/sacramental Christian (I myself came to faith, in childhood, as an evangelical happily unconcerned with anything liturgical or sacramental), then my remark about not singing or listening to Christmas carols before actual Christmas was not directed at you. So ... there’s no judgment. Knock yourself out. Deck the hall, don whatever apparel you want, and troll the ancient yuletide carol, whatever that may be for you. You be you. But, you may be curious why I and others choose not to do so prematurely (by our lights). Here’s why:

Advent is a season that begins on the Sunday nearest St Andrew’s Day (November 30), and concludes as the sun sets on Christmas Eve. Advent has its own vibe, its own shape. It’s not just a “churchy” way of saying “Christmas.” Christmas is a season that begins at sundown on December 24, and continues for twelve days (yes, the “12 Days of Christmas” *begin,* not end, on Christmas). The season of Christmas is a time for festivity and merry-making, culminating on the feast of Epiphany on January 6, the emblem of which, for western Christians, is the arrival of the Wise Men at Bethlehem with their gifts for the infant Jesus. Advent, by contrast, is a season of preparation, of restrained anticipation of the celebration, but not the celebration itself. It is not, strictly speaking, a penitential season, but it does have a “penitential accent.” The scripture readings appointed for early Advent actually focus, not on Christmas, the first coming of Christ to be our redeemer, but on the second coming of Christ to be our judge. There’s an appropriate element of sobriety associated with the prospect of standing before our Maker on the Day of Judgment, is there not? As the season progresses, we hear a lot from John the Baptist, and his call to repentance, and from the prophet Isaiah, with oracles of hope for deliverance from all that ails the world. Finally, on the last Sunday of the season, our attention *is* focused on the birth of the Savior, with stories of angelic appearances to Mary and Joseph.

For century upon century, there was basic congruence between the Church’s liturgical observance of this pattern of preparation followed by celebration and the way the seasons were observed in the culture at large, in people’s homes and schools and businesses. It is still within living memory that people would head into the woods to chop down a Christmas tree only in the final few days before the feast, and not fully decorating it until Christmas Eve. For various reasons, however, the larger culture gradually abandoned the traditional pattern. The festive, celebratory aspects of Christmas bled into Advent, eclipsing any note of preparation or quiet anticipation. In homes, schools, and offices, “Christmas” parties began to be held most any time in December—generally, earlier and earlier. Seasonal music fills the retail and commercial world beginning, it now seems, right after Hallowe’en.

At the same time, and compounding the confusion, our culture has rapidly grown starkly secular. Even speaking of “Christmas” has been eschewed in favor of “the holidays,” in an effort not to exclude those who do not identify as Christian, which is an exponentially growing segment of society. In such a social context, trying to speak of the integrity of Advent as a preparatory season is completely unintelligible. Many are familiar with the notion of an “Advent calendar,” but have no sense at all of the religious context of either the thing itself or the season for which it is named.

So, at no time of year does a liturgical/sacramental Christian experience such cognitive dissonance as during Advent! Strictly speaking, parties are not appropriate—yet, the invitations arrive at a fast and furious rate. Unless one wants to be thought an anti-social curmudgeon, one sucks it up and attends and smiles and enjoys it. Strictly speaking, festive outdoor and indoor decorations are not yet appropriate. Yet, peer pressure in neighborhoods can be irresistible. Even church communities suffer from a split personality, with the church interior itself allowed to remain “Advent pure” until after the final service of the Fourth Sunday of Advent, while, in the parish hall, the Christmas tree is decorated all through December while various church groups hold their holiday parties.

After December 25, the disjunction continues, only in an inverted way. On St Stephen’s Day (December 26, when King Wenceslas looked out on the deep, crisp, and even snow), abandoned Christmas trees can be spotted thrown to the curb and the world moves on (especially around January 2), even while, inside churches, Christmas carols continue to be sung for the next couple of Sundays still.

So, I and my colleagues in the Advent Police are not out to rain on anybody’s parade. We understand *we* are the weirdos here, and nobody else cares about our suffering (with my tongue firmly in my cheek) when city workers wrap garlands around light poles in late November. We have no expectation of changing the larger culture. But neither will we go quietly into that good night. Among the Christian communities that we serve, at any rate, we will continue winsomely to contend for the integrity of the old ways, even if those ways can now clearly be discerned only in the texts and rubrics of our liturgical sources.