For the Christian there are two major events in the year, Christmas and Easter—the birth of Jesus and resurrection of Jesus. Both are celebrations, for good reasons. And both of these celebrations are well-known even beyond the church. Much of American culture has embraced these holidays.

Easter, not quite as popular as Christmas, can make the secular world a bit uncomfortable. After all, the resurrection does have some challenging implications, but cover all that up with a bunny that hides eggs full of candy, an excuse to dress up and take family pictures, and brunch (the best of both breakfast and lunch together in one meal)—with all that you can really increase participation.

Christmas, on the other hand, far outpaces Easter in its craziness. The manger scenes are all but a backdrop to twinkling lights and decorated trees. Shepherds and wisemen are more like the backup singers for Frosty the Snowman, who is just the opening act for Santa Claus. Hallmark movies take place on beautiful farms that all have unrealistically clean barns and farmers that look like they came out of magazines rather than tractors. But they are happy movies, full of love and romance, usually a gay friend, and no mention of Jesus at all. But the excitement is in the air, stores are decorating, it’s about time to set up the tree, the movies are now on TV, and families will gather. Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year, at least until you step on the scale afterward or look at your January credit card bill. But if you don’t love Christmas, our culture has a name for you: a Grinch, or a Scrooge.

And we can get mad about how secular the celebration of the birth of Jesus has become. Can you imagine some fat kid who always wears too much red hijacking your birthday party? Not OK! But the birth of Jesus, no matter how much they try to cover it up, still shines through, if you know what to look for.

It is the mood of Christmas—joy, anticipation, celebration, generosity. The birth of Jesus is still felt through the mood of Christmas. The culture is still riding the waves of joy, unaware of the tsunami that caused them so far and long ago. The birth of Jesus was God landing on this earth in flesh, and although we picture it was done quietly in Bethlehem, it was an event that wisemen traveled far to see, that sent fearful rulers on killing sprees. The birth of a Savior sent shockwaves through the world and we are still feeling them today. Shockwaves of hope and joy.

So maybe in our culture there are not as many manger scenes as snowmen. Or there are more Christmas songs sung about Santa than Christ. But behind all the celebration is Jesus. And every now and then at this time of year on 104.5FM, a song will come on that drops a “J bomb” on an unexpected family on their way to spend too much money on toys that break. And they have to deal with that. Both toys that break and a Jesus who is still sung about. And not just the unexpected mention of Jesus through the car radio, but the increased talk of Jesus around the most wonderful time of year. The connection between Jesus and joy. Jesus and celebration. Jesus and anticipation. Jesus and generosity. Jesus is not just the reason for the season. He is the reason for joy. He is the reason for peace and hope. He is the reason we have something to celebrate.

This Advent season, we are going to take a break from 2 Corinthians for two weeks to look at the songs of Christmas. Not the ones you hear on the radio, but the ones recorded in Luke’s account of the birth of Christ. You see, when word came of the Savior’s coming, people sang. Singing is still a part of Christmas, from radio stations changing up their playlists to carolers knocking on a stranger’s door just to sing to them. Singing is a part of Christmas because Christmas is something to sing about. And today, people may be singing the wrong songs, but they know they are to sing. There is something about this time of year that brings on singing. A celebration is happening. As a church this holiday season, we want to recapture the true source of joy, join in on the right song, and help others connect the mood of Christmas to the meaning of Christmas.

Join us and bring friends for our Advent services on December 15 and December 22, and for our Christmas Eve services on December 24.