Back to front...

One of the difficulties facing Christians, and all people for that matter, is that we no longer celebrate Advent. We are simply too busy getting ready for and celebrating Christmas. Advent was originally a time for reflection...a rethinking...a renewing...that would then result in an enriching of faith as the celebrations of the Christ-child's birth began on Christmas Eve and continued during the Twelve Days of Christmas leading up to Epiphany and the coming of the Wisemen. Somehow we have it all backwards. Advent is chocked full of Christmas shopping, Christmas cards, Christmas parties and celebrations of all sorts that it becomes almost a test of endurance. By the time Christmas does arrive we are exhausted and greet the birth of Jesus with a truly heart-felt 'Thank God (that's over for another year)' and then collapse in a heap to reflect on how we don't want to go through that again and how we will do things differently next Christmas etc etc etc. Maybe we have got it all back to front.