The Saviour’s birth was the humblest of beginnings:
“Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and
wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no
place for them in the inn.”
—Luke 2:7 (NRSV)
The Westernised Christmas,
paradoxically, is very much a children’s event. Despite negative allusions from
the onerously pious, there is much to be gleaned about why Christmas is so
exciting for children. Recalling my childhood, Christmases are about redeeming
long-cherished memories of waiting, hoping, praying for wishes to come true—not
just materialistic wishes, either.
The Salubrious Wonder in Advent
The celebration of the coming of
the Incarnation-of-God into the world is history’s hinging point. The
God-fearing Jews had waited ever-so-patiently for the coming of the prophesied Saviour.
The promised King approached, and then came in the person of Jesus. Hundreds of
years passed before the Lord arrived. And in all the anticipation wonder grew. Advent
seemed to tarry, but it never more surely arrived right on time!
We think, in our day, perhaps days
after Christmas, “Oh well,
Christmas is over again for another year,” and often we are relieved—the burden of preparations is over; a
family event has been accomplished; the stress is now over (for another year!).
Maybe we forget the wonder in
Advent, for a child thinks differently. They wait patiently all year, enjoy
their Christmas, and even lament the coming and the passing of a terrific
celebration of joy, peace, love, and hope. We don’t know if the child is
excited because it is the celebration of the coming of God into the world. It
probably isn’t.
But there is a clarity of
spiritual coolness in the wonder that this season generates. As an adult I find
myself hankering for those childhood times, where birthdays and Christmases
meant something more intrinsically wondrous.
The wonder that children can
experience as Advent approaches, regardless of the materialism attached, is a
resplendent watch point for parents and other adults alike. To know joy is to
know the sense of wonder that a child experiences in contemplating the mystery
in the replete, yet perfectly safe, unknown.
Wonder, Excitement, Humility, and Making
a Difference
As we reflect over this joy that a
child experiences in the approach of this season, there is the opportune time
to teach the child through the narrative of their unfolding lives.
Never better may there be an
opportunity to connect our children to advocacy for the social justice issues
Jesus himself would grieve over. We get out our world maps and we wonder aloud.
We enjoy with inclusivity the diversity over our green earth. And, in that, we
commit to helping those less fortunate. We want to know their plight! We want
our children to grow within their hearts a yearning for God’s justice to sweep
the world. We want a better tomorrow.
There are the acts of random
kindness we can commit to—one a day over the season of Advent—as we count the
days down from the fourth Sunday before December 25.
Expressions of humility and
selflessness come in one-million-and-one colours of thoughtful and behavioural
expression. Such humility and selflessness are things our children will just
soak up. In this they will know Jesus.
Whatever we plan, we plan better
when we keep our kids engaged. Advent presents many opportunities for object
lessons, in converting our children’s ambient joy into the Joy of the Lord.
Advent, most of all, celebrates
the coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords in such a way that we
acknowledge he is coming again!
***
Waiting patiently through Advent,
as children wait, anticipating the movement of God in our hearts, is our
blessed opportunity. If we experience justice, let us fight injustice. If we
experience wonder, let us conquer ambivalence. If we experience humility, we let
that seed germinate and rest in our souls, forever.
Most of all let us share these
experiences with our children.
© 2012 S. J.
Wickham.
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