Clergy hope to see material obsession take a holiday

Advent has begun, and churches are reminding Christians of what will bring real fulfillment.

By WAVENEY ANN MOORE
Published November 30, 2005

The mad post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas dash for Christmas presents isn't a fitting precursor to the celebration of Christ's birth, some area pastors say.

"There are better ways to spend our time than fighting to get presents," said the Rev. Bob Wagenseil of Calvary Episcopal Church in Indian Rocks Beach.

"What I think is happening to society in general is that we have made the economy the new god, the new idol," added the Rev. Michael Massouh of St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church in Pinellas Park.

Ideally, Wagenseil, Massouh and other clergy would prefer that preparation for the upcoming holiday be spiritually focused, with observation centered on themes of the Advent season, which began Sunday.

Advent, which means coming, is supposed to be a time of contemplation and spiritual preparation for Christ's promised return. It also marks the beginning of the Christian liturgical year. In many churches, it is customary to light a new candle in an Advent wreath each of the four Sundays preceding Christmas. By Christmas, each of the wreath's four candles is alight. On Christmas Eve, a fifth candle, representing the light of Christ, is lit. The tradition of the Advent wreath also is observed in homes, where families pray, read Scriptures and light the candles before the evening meal.

The tenor of the season has generally changed through the centuries.

"For a while there, it was the equivalent of Lent, and so it was a time to give stuff up, or fast," said the Rev. David Swenson of Lutheran Church of the Cross in St. Petersburg.

The Rev. Douglas F. Hallman of Seminole United Methodist Church, who described Advent as "a time of joyous preparation, a time to get excited, to anticipate," understands why such anticipation tends to spill over to parties and joyous gatherings.

But Advent, he said, "is our way of setting aside some time, not just to anticipate but to prepare for this miracle of God coming among us. The preparation needs to be in our hearts and our spirits."

Other pastors agree. The days leading up to Christmas are not a time "to go on a spending spree," Wagenseil said, "but to get back to the gifts and the things that really make life worth living, a relationship with Christ and our vocation to be the hands of Christ in the world. That's the greatest gift we can give to other people."

During Advent, church vestments, altar cloths and other appointments usually are changed to a regal blue or purple to represent Christ, the king. Three of the four Advent candles customarily also are blue or purple, while one, which represents joy and is lit on the third Sunday of the season, is pink. The Christ candle is white.

For most Orthodox Christians, the season is generally somber, with the 40 days before the Nativity observed with fasting. At St. Nicholas in Pinellas Park, the congregation began what is called Philip's Fast, on Nov. 15.

"We try to avoid the revelry and parties and so forth and then try to have all the parties during the 12 days of Christmas," said Massouh, the congregation's priest.

On Saturday, members of Lutheran Church of the Cross prepared the sanctuary for the Advent and Christmas seasons. They painted angels on the windows, hung greenery and prepared the Advent wreath.

These weeks leading up to Christmas, the congregation has been reading Dinner With a Perfect Stranger, by David Gregory, in groups at church and in homes. The book is about a successful businessman who is invited to dinner with Jesus.

"It's a good story, but more important, it raises up great conversation with this guy. And it fits in so much with Advent, because the theme of Advent is that Christ will come again," Swenson said.

The church's children also are learning the lessons of Advent. Each Sunday of the season they are taking different pieces of the manger scene into the church. Mary and Joseph made their appearance Sunday. The Christ child will arrive on Christmas Eve.

"I'm hoping that this can be a place where they can focus on things spiritual," Swenson said of his congregation's youngest members.

Meanwhile, at Seminole United Methodist Church, Hallman is philosophical about shoppers thronging the malls and discount stores.

"Even in the rush of shopping at Wal-Mart, whether they know it or not, they are continuing the symbol of God's gift of love to humanity," he said. "Sometimes, in the push for the discount or the early bird special, that gets overlooked."

[Last modified November 30, 2005, 05:09:02]