In one of his columns, Dennis Bratcher asks the question, "Can We Sing Christmas Carols During Advent?" http://www.cresourcei.org/carols.html. From time to time, we will encounter those people who feel they know the "true meaning" of a particular practice or season or tradition and they set out to correct what everyone else has obviously gotten wrong. Bratcher takes contention with the way most people observe Advent.
Bratcher observes that Advent is a time of preparation for Christmas and not a celebration of Christmas itself. When people make such arguments--and I'm as guilty of this as anyone--they often simultaneously claim superior knowledge and reveal their igonorance.
Error #1. He begins by lamenting that "As the service of worship began [on the first Sunday of Advent], the first song we sang was 'Joy to the World,' a Christmas Song! I tried to sing it, and celebrate the birth of Jesus the Christ. But it wasn't quite right." He goes on to describe how his worship experience was hollowed by the jump to a celebration of Christmas without the proper advent preparation. The problem is that "Joy to the World" was not written as a Christmas song. Isaac Watts, the father of English Hymnody, began his hymn writing career working on the development of a Psalter--songs based on the Psalms. The words to Joy to the World are his version of Psalm 98:4, 9. It really should be limited to Christmas.
Error #2. Bratcher writes "Advent is the season of preparation for Christmas, not the celebration of it. It is included with Christmas in the same way that Lent is included with Easter. However, Advent is just as different from Christmas as is Lent from Easter." While it's true that both Advent and Lent are seasons of preparation, the historical development is quite different. Robert Webber explains in Services of the Christian Year in the Complete Library of Christian Worship that Advent developed in 6th Century and has always had a certain tension. In Rome, it was a festive season as people emphasized the birth of Christ while in the missionary areas of Western Europe Advent emphasized the second coming of Christ and was a penitential season of preparation for Christian Baptism. Advent has never been one thing.
Bratcher's argument is not completely without merit. Christians do have a necessity for a time of penitenial preparation. There is much beauty in the rhythms of the Christian year. A reflective, preparatory advent provides a helpful antidote to the gluttony and commercialism of the season. Like Bratcher I wish we observed an Advent vis-a-vis Lent. However, I have been trying to interpret Advent for church members for over a decade now and can say that I haven't had much luck convincing people that what they are doing is wrong and that if they would do it my way they'd be right. I think with regard to liturgical seasons we should remember that they are means to and end and not ends in themselves. We achieve more if we leave the discussion of the right and wrong way to celebrate advent--since its really not a moral issue--and begin discussing what we find good, helpful, and healing in advent. People are more easily convinced by being invited into an experience we value than they are by being pushed away from experiences we judge as inappropriate.
6 comments:
Just when are we supposed to sing the hymns and songs of Advent, with their beautiful imagery and longing?
And if we have six weeks of Christmas, won't we be just as sick of Christmas in church as we are sick of Christmas in stores? How can you find SIX weeks worth of sermons in the Christmas narratives. We only put THREE weeks each year into Resurrection narratives, for pity's sakes, and the Resurrection is a million times more important biblically and theologically than the nativity!
The ancient church, in its wisdom, devoted only TWELVE days to Christmas. Two of the four Gospels don't even think the nativity story important enough to include in their accounts of Jesus' life.
IF Christians can put as much, or more properly, MORE energy into celebrating the Resurrection, which is the key event to all of Christianity, then maybe spend more time on Christmas. But we are so out of focus, and because of commercialism, out of balance, I believe this will never take place.
Advent needs to be celebrated as ADVENT more than ever. It's the most SANE season in the church year.
Well, I find it good, helpful, and healing to not sing x-mas carols during advent. I would find it jarring, and more than a little bit uncomfortable, to sing Joy to the World on Advent 1. That just doesn't make any sense. Thanks for pointing me to Dennis' article.
According to most Hymnals, Joy to the World is actually an Advent Hymn & most appropriate to sing on the 3rd Sunday in Advent.
Joy to the World's original purpose and the purpose it has taken on over time are two different things. My point was that we shouldn't try to set the lines too rigidly.
Thanks for your witness. Here's a brief posting about my journey from a pastor fresh out of seminary who forbade carols in advent to one who delights in belting them out during Advent. http://accdocpastor.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-scandal-of-singing-christmas-carols.html
Not sure if this posted, my apologies if it's duplicate. Thanks for your thoughtful article. Here's a brief posting about my journey from a pastor fresh out of seminary who forbade carols in advent to one who delights in belting them out during Advent. http://accdocpastor.blogspot.com/2012/12/the-scandal-of-singing-christmas-carols.html
Post a Comment