In a recent USA TODAY story, Cathy Lynn Grossman tracks an interesting trend: the flourishing of Advent prayers and celebrations among non-liturgical Christians.
But nowhere in the article does Grossman detail how the faithful have been observing the four weeks before Christmas for centuries: as a time of penitence, fasting, and preparation, not only for the Feast of the Incarnation, but for the Second Advent of Christ.
The lede is going to make some High Church types scratch their heads in bewilderment.
Evangelical Christians are adopting — and adapting— the rituals of Advent, the four weeks leading up to Christmas that are traditionally celebrated by Catholics, Lutherans, Eastern Orthodox and other liturgical churches.
They’re giving a new, personalized spin to the prayers, candles and calendars to track the building excitement, and set a spiritual tone day by day. This year Advent begins on Sunday.
Popular evangelical authors are offering readings and composing prayers for the Advent season. And Family Christian Stores, the nation’s largest Christian retailer with 301 stores nationwide, has seen sales of Advent-related items climb 35% in the past year.
What does giving Advent a “new, personalized spin” mean? The writer seems to be suggesting that evangelicals are privatizing the sacred season. In fact, writers in the “High Church” traditions (and in other Christian traditions) have long produced Advent resources for individuals as well as for families.
Described as a “Bible teacher and writer,” Nancy Guthrie has published a collection of Advent readings that include writers as diverse as St. Augustine and Presbyterian Church of America minister Tim Keller.
“Since I’m not bound by the traditional Advent, I could choose writers for this collection who break out of the familiar talk of Christmas to the shocking wonder of it, that God revealed himself to the humblest among us,” she says.
And here’s a sunny quote from writer Stormie Omartian.
Popular devotional writer Stormie Omartian says praying at Advent is another way all Christians can develop their prayer voice.
Her book, the Power of Christmas Prayer, to be reissued in 2009, includes prayers for issues, struggles and unfulfilled dreams that can weigh on us as the year draws to an end. “Advent is such a happy, wonderful time, full of joy. So it’s a friendly pathway to prayer,” says Omartian, who worships at a non-denominational church in Franklin, Tenn.
Family Christian Stores are also promoting Advent practices, adds Grossman. According to Craig Klamer, senior vice-president of marketing for the stores, this year the countdown-to-Christmas theme includes characters from the popular VeggieTales franchise.
With no quotes from clergy or scholars to ground us in the history of the season, and to either offer a contrast or a foundation, we are left adrift in what feels like a sticky, Splenda-id sea of generic pre-Christmas joy.
The lack of a liturgical voices makes the evangelicals represented here sound like superficial caricatures of “happy-clappy” Christians.
I don’t know if this is what the writer intended — somehow I doubt it.
But because we are not introduced to the richness of the Advent story, we are left wondering: whose Advent is it, anyway?
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Comments (15) |
November 28, 2008, at 6:00 pm
small point, but for Eastern Christians Advent begins forty days before Nativity, rather than four weeks before.
November 28, 2008, at 6:25 pm
And guess what: in 2009, Lent begins on a Wednesday.
A few years ago, it was about how evangelicals were starting to do Lent. Now it’s Advent. Which is good. So when will the Baptists take seriously the Twelve Days of Christmas, delaying decorations and parties until after the Child is born. Story idea: why don’t Catholics start taking seriously the Twelve Days of Christmas and delay decorations and parties until after the Child is born.
For years after becoming Episcopalian (and then Catholic), I tried to respect the old ways of a solemn Advent and festive Christmas, but it seems to me the commercial Christmas has won: feast from Thanksgiving to Dec. 25, then take down the decorations on the 26th. I know almost no who eschews the parties that start now and end 12/25. One year I meant to put up a tree on Christmas Eve, the lots were empty and closed by the 23rd. …sigh…
OTOH, the big Baptist Church around the corner is having a Christmas Eve Candlelight service. You didn’t see that sort of thing when I was a kid.
November 28, 2008, at 11:16 pm
I don’t take down my decorations until the 12th day —and I don’t seem to get invited to the parties (grin). But I don’t think its doing anything for my character, except making me a bit more of a grouch. And, while we are on that subject—one thing that really gets to me is all the Christmas music before Thanksgiving (grouse, grouse).
November 29, 2008, at 12:25 am
The lack of a liturgical voices makes the evangelicals represented here sound like superficial caricatures of “happy-clappy†Christians. I don’t know if this is what the writer intended — somehow I doubt it.”
I don’t think the quoted Evangelical’s meant to sound that way either.
November 29, 2008, at 9:28 am
I often find evangelicals quoted in these kinds of articles who seem to have no idea what “traditional advent” is but assume it’s suffocating and theirs is new and better when they are actually just reinventing the very same wheel. Not that this is bad, I just wish people would be less smug about their alleged breaks with tradition.
November 29, 2008, at 10:21 am
I’m pleased that the article was written, even if it comes off a little breathless. As a Christian who has always been a member of a liturgical church, I didn’t realize nonliturgical churches didn’t recognize Advent.
November 29, 2008, at 3:36 pm
Having been raised in Protestant denominations and then marrying into the liturgical Anglican church and then going to the Eastern Orthodox three years ago, the time before Christmas, has always been a blessing! The more I find out about the customs associated with preparing a home and family (church family and related kin) for the celebration of the Nativity of Our Lord, the more the blessings flow! I am greatly encouraged by the signs on the local Baptist Church inviting worship during Advent. I am greatly encouraged by the joyous decorating of our home even while we try our best to keep the Fast recommended by the Eastern Orthodox. I thank God for this encouragement! May God bless all Christians through the keeping of this Advent season.
November 29, 2008, at 6:22 pm
Umm, a story published this week said that “Advent begins on Sunday”, presumably meaning after the story runs.
When someone says “I’ll see you on Tuesday”, he does not mean Tuesday is the only day he will see you.
November 29, 2008, at 9:41 pm
Stories like this aggravate me no end. My large evangelical, nondenominational eastern Massachusetts church has been celebrating Advent for 20 years, and celebrating Lent for much longer. I’m not sure why the author thinks she has discovered something new - she sure hasn’t been any where near my church! Maybe it was a slow news day!
November 30, 2008, at 1:12 am
I grew up in a nonliturgical Christian denomination, and I remember celebrating Advent (both at home and at church) more than 40 years ago.
November 30, 2008, at 11:45 am
Elizabeth -
I’m right there grousing with you - a large retail warehouse store that shall remain unnamed had the Christmas music going the day after Halloween, and a large department store I was in had a Christmas display (though not music) just after Labor Day. So why didn’t I take my business elsewhere? They had what I needed and I’m not a member of the other warehouse chain.
November 30, 2008, at 6:33 pm
I would never ask you why you didn’t take your business elsewhere, Ken — we make much more serious choices everyday, don’t we? There’s got to be a way to cut through the commercial morass- or maybe to make peace with it and still be faithful to our own Advent discipline.
November 30, 2008, at 9:02 pm
Elizabeth, you are no fun! Here’s an occasion for a full-blown narcissistic rage in which I can evade my Advent discipline and I can blame Sam Walton for it. Self-righteous pique, irresponsibility, AND I get to play the victim. Am I a baby boomer or what?!
Seriously, I do tend to view the small choices to be the most morally significant, but early Christmas music is more of a small suffering to offer up, not a moral choice. Except even that seems a bit gradiose.
Happy New Year!
December 7, 2008, at 10:41 pm
I appreciate what you have to say here. You know, when you talk to a reporter, you surrender yourself to the way your quick thoughts are written down and used, and to the presupposition of the topic held by the reporter, and oftentimes you read what you “said” and it is not quite right.
I grew up in the Southern Baptist church where I never really heard the word, “Advent.” I suppose putting together my book, “Come Thou Long Expected Jesus” a collection of great writing about the Incarnation is my attempt to embrace the beauty of Advent. But I have plenty more to learn about it that I welcome learning from those who have spent a lifetime of Decembers in quiet contemplation of the Gift.
December 7, 2008, at 10:51 pm
Hi, Nancy:
Thank you for reading! We all have a lot to learn, even those of us who have trying to find a quiet place at Advent for decades. As someone said in the comments, the men and women quoted were probably serious about what they said. You can’t be responsible for how something is written. As a writer, I’m sure some of my sources have torn out their hair when they see what I do with their quotes — not too many, I hope, but you never know.