REV. KATHRYN ADAMS Perfecting Christmas with focus on Christ

"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14 NIV).
This is what we remember and celebrate as we approach the Advent and Christmas seasons. And yet the reality of our world tells us otherwise.
It was a few days before Halloween when I saw my first Christmas commercials on television. Since then the ads have only increased, and rarely can you watch a television show that does not have a commercial that equates giving some kind of product with love. Children have already had the chance to pick out a variety of toys that they simply cannot live without. We are, and will continue to be, inundated with advertisements to buy more things, as they convince us that these things will make us happy.
Now, I don't want to take the fun out of Christmas. I enjoy the decorations, the smells, the traditions and the music as much as everyone does. I also enjoy giving and receiving presents. What we seem to have lost is the reason for our gift-giving, and perhaps the simple joy of that first Christmas.
The biblical account
In our churches we will begin to hear the story of the Nativity, the events surrounding the birth of Jesus Christ. A young woman receives a message that she is to bear the Son of God. A young man hears the news in fear and confusion, preparing to break off the engagement until he is calmed by an angel's message that all is well. They live in a town filled with average people, performing daily chores, cooking and cleaning. They, too, are average people.
What follows is a moving story of a young couple that must make a journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem while the woman is with child. They arrive in Bethlehem, with all accommodations taken, and have no other choice but to use a stable as their birthing room.
But there is something special about this rustic scene. Angels scare a group of shepherds by declaring, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests," which moves the dusty and dirty group to visit the couple and newborn baby (Luke 2:14 NIV). Once in the stable, they realize this is not a typical birth, but that something special is going on here. The shepherds leave amazed.
Is it still possible to be amazed with a Christmas story that is unadorned with glitter, tinsel and expensive gifts wrapped in elaborate ways? I think it is possible, although difficult, to avoid being swept up in the commercial excitement of the season.
Family traditions
One way my family greets the Advent season each year is to attend "An Old Fashioned Christmas" at Mill Creek Park. Another way is to attend church and learn more about the season of Advent and what its colors and symbols mean. Many families have Advent wreaths and Advent calendars, which are available in Christian bookstores. Advent devotionals bring meaning as each Sunday a new advent candle is lit symbolizing a special part of the story of the Nativity. Reading from the Bible to your family brings the story of the coming of the Christ child to life.
Challenge yourself to find the one Gospel (from the synoptic Gospels -- the first three) that doesn't start with the story of the birth of Christ, but begins with the ministry of someone else. In which Gospels do the wise men appear? And when we arrive at this point, we are reminded why we give at all.
Wise men, called astrologers or visiting dignitaries, brought beautiful and meaningful gifts to the Christ child. We give in that same tradition; we reflect the actions of the wise men.
But most importantly, we give because God ultimately gave his one and only Son to us -- a world that is bruised and hurting -- but one that is filled with his creation, which he loves.
The child in the manger was sent to be our Redeemer. He is our chance to know God in human form; he is our opportunity to know there is an eternity with him and with our loved ones. This small child will grow up to become the Savior of the world.
Commercial messages will badger us until Dec. 24 to buy, buy, and buy!
Each person has to resist the urge to make Christmas perfect by way of things, and instead make Christmas perfect by knowing and cherishing the story of the birth of Christ.
XThe Rev. Kathryn Adams is the director of Protestant Campus Ministry at Youngstown State University.