Finding Christmas

A phrase often heard at this times is, "Now where did I put that Christmas ...? Something related to decorations no doubt, an annual undertaking at this time of year. Because we live in a society that celebrates Christmas, but less and less as a religious observance, finding the real Christmas can be a daunting task. But that is exactly why Advent is so important. Advent is all about finding Christmas.

Our search begins, not in the hall closet but in a book, the scripture to be exact, where the true story of Christmas begins. There mingled among the many words of scripture is The Word, the Word we are looking for, who is the Christ of true Christmas.

A good place to start looking is where we left off last Christmas, in St. John's gospel, in the prologue which makes up the gospel reading for the third mass of Christmas, the original Christmas mass.

I have broken the passage into twelve parts. My proposal is to take one of these selections and use it as the subject of our Advent meditation. It will take twenty-four days, and bring us to Christmas Eve. More to come.

Nov 30-01	In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.
Dec 02-03	All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.
Dec 04-05	What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Dec 06-07	A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him.
Dec 08-09	He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.
Dec 10-11	The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him.
Dec 12-13	He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him.
Dec 14-15	But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.
Dec 16-17	And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Father’s only Son, full of grace and truth.
Dec 18-19	John testified to him and cried out, saying, “This was he of whom I said, ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’”
Dec 20-21	From his fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace, because while the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
Dec 22-23	No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed him.