Keeping It Simple

I am a mom.  I want Christmas to be filled with joy and sweet memories for my kids, but more importantly, I want them to understand what we are celebrating.  Yes, it is the birth of Jesus Christ, but there is SO much more to His birth than that manger in Bethlehem.

And I will put enmity 

between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers,

He will crush your head,

and you will strike His heel.

Genesis 3:15

Is that a Christmas verse?  Yep.  Sin had just happened for the first time among humankind.  And God makes this promise, that One will be born of a woman who will crush the serpent.  God is talking about Jesus.  Jesus was born to conquer sin and death on our behalf.  How in the world do we bring these important truths to our eight and six year old sons at Christmas time without preaching them to death?  (Remember the joy and sweet memories part?  Still important!)  But most important, I don't want Christmas to feel like it has one more thing to do.  Ugh.  Teach my kids the truth about Jesus and make it fun and interactive and awesome?  Can you hear my Mommy heart breaking over the fact that I don't have one more ounce of energy to give to this blessed event?  And can you relate?

Enter totally awesome book I found used on Amazon four or five years ago after it was recommended by a dear friend.

This book has family devotions and activities for all the major holidays and some of the minor ones.  For most of them, your family creates a banner of sorts over the course of time indicated.  The Christmas banner involves a felt tree with a larger felt background, hanging on a wooden dowel and decorated with one felt ornament for each of the 24 days leading up to Christmas.

Wanna see ours?

Okay.  Notice the complete lack of fancy felt background and wooden dowel?  The tree is felt, but the first few years we did this, it was green poster board.  And now, I want you to look closer.

The ornaments are paper that has been laminated.  They still say the colors because you are supposed to make these puppies out of felt and those are the instructions.  This is NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN in my world, people.  Ever.  I just copied the pages from the book, cut out the ornaments, colored them, and eventually (after two years of use with a toddler and a preschooler) laminated them.  

And it doesn't matter.  Scroll back up and look at the tree, people.  For each of those ornaments, our family has shared time reading Scripture and being reminded of who this Jesus is.  He is the Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 22:13).  He is the Word made flesh who dwelt among us (John 1:1-2, 14).  Everything was created by Him, through Him, and for Him (Colossians 1:15-16).  These are the truths that matter.  Tacky looking ornaments on a tree with a stump that isn't centered?  Doesn't matter.

At this time of year especially, I need to keep it simple.  The Advent tree, as we call it, has required a little bit of time over the years, but it never once made me feel stressed or burdened.  Worshipping Jesus Christ never should.  Those aren't His tools, folks.  If it stresses or burdens you, it isn't from Jesus.

Case in point:  Erik and I often travel alone for one weekend in December, usually after our Bible Study lets out for the Christmas break.  During that weekend, the Advent tree doesn't happen.  We fall behind.  And it's okay.  We catch up the following week, doing two ornaments a night.  And just to clarify, the ornaments have a special system of delivery and are accompanied by something sweet to put in your mouth.

This amazing Advent calendar was a gift from sister about seven years ago.  I will never be able to thank her enough for it.  Most evenings in December, after dinner, a boy opens one of these doors to discover...

Our ornament for the evening (along with some candy - not pictured).  We read the Bible passage that goes with the ornament (supplied by the book pictured above).  We talk about it using discussion questions found in the same book.  We pray.  We sing a Christmas carol or three, also suggested by the book.  And then we put the ornament on our homely little tree.  Do they behave perfectly during this time?  Nope.  They are sometimes squirrel-like, unable to sit still, only interested in the candy.  And it's okay.

In ten years my children will not remember exactly what gifts we gave them this Christmas or any subsequent Christmas.  They just won't.  The only gift I remember perfectly was the year my church family helped my mom buy me a piano, but that's another story.  Unlike me, my kids are not being raised below the poverty line, so there is little chance that we will ever get them anything that will last in their memories forever.  But I do believe that this goofy looking advent tree and these homemade, highly imperfect ornaments, along with the truths they teach, will last for eternity, despite how simple they are.  Perhaps because of how simple they are.

Weary and Burdened?

"Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

For My yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Matthew 11:28-30

I'm working on memorizing these verses right now, but they have a very interesting memory for me, associated with my childhood.  I recall one year, doing an advent devotion as a family of three, my mom, my sister, and me.  It was before my parent's divorce, but my dad wasn't there.  I must have been five or six at the time because it was before we moved in with my grandparents.  We lived in a spacious four bedroom home, and I think this was our last Christmas there.

The devotions came from a paper advent calendar with windows to open.  Inside each window was a scripture to read.  Obviously, most of the scriptures were from the Christmas story, but on Christmas Eve, the verses were Matthew 11:28-30.  And at that age, I totally didn't get it.  I listened to that business and figured that "weary and burdened" described big, ole pregnant Mary.  And she was going to get rest in that stable.  Done.  As for the yoke thing?  Um...eggs?  On Christmas?  Weird.  Where are the presents?  ;-)

At that time, those verses just didn't feel very Christmas-y to me.  They are feeling more appropriate these days.  This is a time of year, when I can get so very weary and burdened by things that Jesus does not actually intend for me to take on.  I create my own yoke and it is anything but easy and light.  Requirements of the culture I live in weigh me down.  And I am SO stinking tempted to embrace those requirements because they "feel" like Christmas.  Shopping.  Wrapping.  Decorating to death.  Overboard baking.  Crazy crafting.  I'm not saying that any of these things, in moderation, are bad.  I'm saying that when they become weary-making and burdensome, I need to step back and refocus on what I am celebrating.

I am celebrating Jesus Christ, who calls me to come to Him and find rest in Him.  Rest.  Not stress.  Not requirement.  Not obligation.

I have to talk about the yoke.  I heard this explained so beautifully in a classroom for 3rd to 6th graders last week.  A yoke is made for two oxen.  They pull together, but one of them is always stronger and dominant.  Jesus creates the yoke for us, but He is in it WITH us.  And He is the strength in that yoke, people.  I need to continually remind myself that I am not to be the dominant one!  That yoke is the best thing for me.  I need to embrace that, rather than the insanity that I think is going to make me happy.  Being yoked with Jesus Christ, staying by His side, will give me joy, peace, and hope.  

And that IS pretty Christmas-y.

Starting Early

My mind is on Advent.  I know it's only the first week of November, but it seems the Lord is bringing me here early on purpose.  Let me explain.

We are part of a church plant that launched in September.  This is our first December with weekly gatherings.  Early in September my husband and I were on a double date with our pastor and his wife.  We love these people.  Spending time with them is always joy filled and often fruitful.  After dinner, we decided to hit the mall because we all had free childcare.  Why go home?  Walking through Macy's, the holiday section was already set up in all its glitz.  One look at all that craziness and my thoughts turned immediately to Advent Conspiracy.

"Hey Trav, we should totally do Advent Conspiracy at Roots this year.  It's really cool and it's totally changed the way we experience Jesus Christ during the Advent season."  Innocent enough.

"Sure, Amy, if you'll quarterback it."

"Let me pray about that, Trav."

I did not even flinch at this interchange.  I knew that it was something I should definitely ask God about before committing.   And I also knew that if God said yes, I would take this on with joy and enthusiasm. Yes, we have very full lives.  At the same time, Advent Conspiracy has been so instrumental in our Christmas celebration the past four years.  I knew it might be something God had placed in my heart for a reason.

Praying about it later, asking God if this is something He has for me to do this year, I waited expectantly for His answer.  I didn't look at my calendar to see if I had time.  That answer would always be no.  I asked God if He wanted Roots to do Advent Conspiracy.  I asked if He wanted me to lead it.  The answer was not audible.  It was a prompting to go online and see what all Advent Conspiracy offers as resources.

Watching the video again gave me my answer.  Yes.  This is important.  This is the Gospel lived out during a season when it should be first but is often forgotten.  Our Advent celebration is empty without the four tenets of Advent Conspiracy.  Worship fully. Spend less. Give more. Love all.

I'm still praying.  I'm asking God to bless Roots Community with a meaningful advent season, focused on the person and work of Jesus Christ.  I'm asking for wisdom to lead our community in possibly revising some Christmas traditions to bring more honor to the Newborn King Jesus and more hope to a world that so desperately needs the Prince of Peace.

And I'm totally already listening to Christmas music, but it's through my earbuds.  So the rest of the house doesn't have to do Advent for two months if they don't so desire.  :-)