A Reflection on Advent

 Part I: 

                When we had German visitors stay with us, one of them asked to talk with me about what Advent is like in South Sudan.  It got me thinking about what this season means in the cultural sense.

                There is not much of a “pre-Christmas” feeling here.  When we had an end-of-the-school-year party, we blasted Christmas music; it felt absurd.  Some of that feeling is because it was 95° outside instead of 35°, true enough.  But it’s more than that.  To me, the holiday season is about a focus on family, precious time spent together reliving old memories and creating new ones, and appreciation for what we have in life.  And how do we experience these things?  Through family traditions.

               We cut down Christmas trees.  We get out ornaments that send us skipping down memory lane.  We bake gingerbread cookies.  We string bright lights outside our homes and light warm fires within.  We awe children with tales of St. Nicholas, and spend untold hours getting gifts ready for loved ones.  These are the things that spell out “Christmas”… in America.

                In South Sudan, there are no Christmas trees.  There are no ovens.  There is no electricity.  Santa’s reindeer don’t know the way here.  Coal is a valuable resource used for cooking and heat.  There are no shopping malls, and “every kiss” certainly does not “begin with Kay”.  The Christmas feasts to which we are accustomed look a little different here – “breakfast, lunch, and dinner?!  all on the same day?!?” – but the vast majority will not get even that small luxury. 

                So it feels a little different, being here this year.  The Advent season seems less hyped-up, less significant, less holiday-ish.  Almost as though Christmas might be an afterthought that follows “oh hey, today is Tuesday”.  But that feeling is a result of looking only through the lens of Culture.

Part II: 
                 As I (jealously) skimmed over Facebook statuses of those headed to Cape May for Advent Retreats, I got to thinking about what this season means in the religious sense.
                 This year, I appreciate much more than I ever have before the meaning of my parents’ favorite bumper sticker:  Keep ‘Christ’ in ‘Christmas’.  In years past, I was embarrassed by this brazen declaration of religiosity.  I said, “Happy Holidays” to avoid offending.  I set up nativity scenes all around the house, but was not moved to prayer by the absence of the infant Christ.  This year, I am empowered by my faith.  The pendulum has swung the other way.  The carols I sing are about Jesus, not Santa.  I’ve been trying to unwrap my heart for God, not wrap gifts for relatives.

                In a way, Advent here is a lot more work than it has been before.  Here, I must prepare my spirit to welcome God.  That’s much more complicated than preparing a wreath to welcome guests at the front door.  And it’s much easier to clean a house than it is to try to wipe a soul clean.  But that’s the whole point, isn’t it?  That I can’t clean my soul – only He can.  I need Him to come, this infant child who would save the world.

               So it feels a little different, being here this year.  The Advent season seems more purposeful, more significant, more holy.  Almost as though Christmas will provide all the hope necessary to get us through the next 364 days – the hope of the Light of Christ.  I believe it will.  And I will continue to keep that at the very forefront of my mind.  After all, “He is the reason for the season.”