Christmas Eve 2012

Christmas Eve 2012

While Christmas is on e of the two major feast days in the Christian Church (the other being Easter), it may interest some people to know that Christmas was not always a holiday on the Church calendar. In fact, it was over the course of centuries that there was debate about whether or not it was even proper to celebrate a birthday, let alone the birth of Jesus. This of course was coming from the perspective that only pagan emperors and pagan gods celebrated their birthdays.

However, as the Church grew and took root in the world, there became certain times of year that were kept as holy days. And after being abolished numerous times, then reinstated and reinvented—somewhere in the 19^th century with Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, we begin to see our modern understanding of Christmas taking its place as both a religious and a secular holiday.

The date for Christmas, as many of you might know is not necessarily the true date for the birth of Jesus. In fact, it more likely coincides with a number of Pre-Christian and pagan holidays like Yule. Many of the symbols that we use are actually reflective of these older celebrations. So, things like evergreens, Christmas trees, even the Advent wreath are all things that have been adopted by our Christian tradition as symbols to reflect light and life and the promise that the cold of winter will not prevail.

Another ancient celebration that was kept at this time of year was Dies Natalis Solis Invicti, or the “the birth of the unconquered sun.” Literally, this was a celebration of the birth of the Roman sun god—and was celebrated as a reminder that the darkest part of the year was not hopeless, nor was it the end of the world.

Now as much as I wish I could have been the first to make the connection between the “unconquerable sun” and the “unconquerable Son”—I can’t. In fact, as you can imagine, it’s been used quite a lot by the Early Fathers and any number of other saints in between. And while talking about some of the pre-Christian and pagan roots of our Christian celebrations may make some uncomfortable; I think it’s important to remember that such celebrations and symbols were the attempts by people to understand and approach mystery.

So rather than stealing or adopting such things, instead we have to understand that Christianity has instead affirmed the deep human longing found in these symbols as we also hold fast to hope.

So for us, like our pre-Christian forebears, we also wait in hope. In this dark season, we surround ourselves with reminders of light in the candles of the Advent wreath. We keep in mind the vitality of our souls by the evergreen garlands and trees—all of them giving an outward sign of the hope that we await in this cold dark season.

Like them we’re not only waiting in the dark cold of winter, we also wait in a world that is often cold and dark. We wait in a world that is sick with violence, selfishness and division. But just as this season teaches us, we are surrounded by reminders of the hope that we await in Christ.

So tonight, as we celebrate the first Advent of our Lord, in his birth, we are reminded that there is yet hope. We’re reminded in the mysteries and sacraments that we’re given that we don’t hope in vain. Because we know that in the Second Advent that we await the truly unconquerable Son, Jesus Christ. The one through whom all things were made, and through whom all things are made new.