Notes From My Knapsack 11-23-17

Notes From My Knapsack 11-23-17

Jeff Gill

 

And heaven and nature sing

___

 

We're heading into the Christmas season, or as we church folk often say, "Advent."

 

Advent begins on Dec. 3, traditionally four Sundays of preparation but this year Christmas Eve is actually on Sunday, making for some interesting scheduling decisions for those who normally hold Christmas Eve services.

 

As I think many of you know, I'm a Christian minister, and pastor a church in Newark; I also write a completely different column in the Newark Advocate that's every Saturday (I'm every other week here in the Sentinel). That column is captioned "Faith Works" and has appeared since 2005; my "Knapsack" column here has been and is intended to be more "general interest."

 

But recent events in Granville cause me to, as the Ghostbusters say I shouldn't, "cross the streams." Oh well! I wanted to talk a bit about religion here because I know some thought I would or should be a vocal advocate for keeping the word "Christmas" in our community candlelight walking tour.

 

And I know it began with the churches, and the Christmas spirit is not only at the heart of the event, but should be allowed to be expressed freely in the celebration of it. With all that, I agree. But the insistence on keeping this now wider, more complex, multi-party event a "Christmas" specific program . . . there, I'm not so sure.

 

I recall when, just as I was starting ministerial training, in fact, it became clear that Christmas season TV ads were assiduously avoiding music with any religious tone at all. "Deck the Halls" was okay, "Silent Night" not. "Joy to the World" became rarer, "Jingle Bell Rock" which I would happily never hear again, common.

 

About that same time, I learned that the swing choir I was so proudly a part of in high school, called the "Carolers" for their custom of singing, all 24 of us in green and white polyester matching outfits, Christmas carols through the halls of every elementary school in Valparaiso, Indiana… were no longer the "Carolers." Because they didn't carol anymore.

 

I didn't like it. Honestly, part of me still doesn't.

 

But with age comes, if not wisdom, a measure of perspective. I believe I'm no less a Christian than I was then; ideally, I'm a better one now with God's grace. And as a committed believer, I look at the lyrics of carols and ask myself "do I want to make people say or sing this just as a tradition, as hollow words?"

 

"Joy to The world! the Lord is come; let earth receive her King. Let ev'ry heart prepare Him room, and heaven and nature sing…"

 

That's quite a claim. I believe it, in fact, and if you don't, I have a case to make for it, but forcing you to say it as if you believed it won't make it truer. "Mouthing" it might make it seem less so. Or this:

 

"Christ the everlasting Lord; late in time, behold Him come, offspring of a virgin's womb. Veiled in flesh the Godhead see; hail the incarnate Deity…"

 

Those are radical statements of faith. They're not sweet nothings, nor are they empty phrases, and I'm sorry I ever sang them without really intending what they said.

 

This is why I'm at peace either way with the labels on the event. We could call it the "First Sunday of Advent Eve Candlelight Walking Tour" and be very in line with religious practice, but I think in the end it's for the faith communities of Granville to share their Good News as they best can within a larger village framework. What I don't want to do is weaponize the phrase "Merry Christmas," for or against anyone.

 

May the joys of this holy season be yours, whatever your faith!

 

Jeff Gill is a writer, storyteller, and pastor in Licking County; tell him about your seasonal joys and deeper hopes at knapsack77@gmail.com, or follow @Knapsack on Twitter.