By Clay Collins, MSG Chaplain
207 837-0564
“Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon His name, make known His deeds among the people.”
1 Chronicles 16:8
We are now in the Advent season of the Christian calendar. Have you ever really thought about what Advent is? Many will correctly answer that it is the four Sundays leading up to Christmas day (the day that all Christians celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus) and begins this year on Sunday, November 28th.
Each year as December draws near, many of us try to commit to finding rest in a season notoriously wrought with materialism, busyness, and exhaustion. We try to focus on what really should matter, and try to prepare our hearts and minds to remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus, and all that it means to us, the believers. One way we do this is by celebrating the season of Advent, which for centuries has been tied to the first coming of Christ.
Other ways we celebrate is by building crèches depicting the nativity depicting the manger scene with the baby Jesus surrounded by Mary, Joseph, and the animals along with the Wise Men (who actually came later). Most importantly (or we sometimes think so) the presents! But are the presents really that important?
Think about it for a minute. What are we actually teaching our children about the true meaning of Christmas? I can remember as a boy growing up Christmas meant getting as many presents as I could. I didn’t know much about the birth of our savior until I was in my teen years (my parents were not church-goers). I did know that it was Jesus’ birthday, and we should be reverent to this fact, but that was about it. I did not know or understand much about Advent. For the longest time, I got the seasons of Advent and Lent mixed up! I did not fully understand until I started attending Church on a regular basis and got involved with Grange.
You might think that is strange and you are probably correct, but the Grange charges that we hear every meeting (especially the Chaplain’s charge) mirror a lot of the teachings you hear in Church.
Mainly, be thankful, thankful for the birth of Jesus who took all of our sins to the Father and asked for forgiveness for us. Be thankful for your loving families who, more often than not, overlook our misgivings and misjudgments. We all should take time to thank the Lord for everything that we have around us; the trees, lakes, oceans, mountains, and all the wildlife in the forests, without which we would not be able to survive.
I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a very Happy New Year! I hope the new year brings you all a bit of relief and a busload of happiness!
Until the next time, remember, “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch.” Amen.
Benediction: “Gracious Father of us all, thank you for the greatest gift of all, Jesus Christ. May we all learn from this miraculous birth. Amen.”
He who loses money loses much;
He who loses a friend loses more;
And he who loses faith loses all.
An Irish Friendship Blessing