The Season of Christmas

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” Luke 1:41

I love the season of Christmas. I even love that, at least in the United States,

Halloween decorations are barely put up in stores before Thanksgiving and Christmas seem to be battling for the most shelf space. The season of Christmas fills our homes with cheer as we put up our trees, eat gingerbread biscuits, and look forward to time with family and friends. I especially love Hallmark Christmas movies, which unfortunately for Luke, are very cheesy rom-coms that can be heard throughout our house during the month of December, and sometimes well into January.

But of all the things I love about Christmas, it is being with the church community in the weeks leading up to, and following Christmas. Because before we even get to Christmas day, we get to celebrate the season of Advent.

We wait with anticipation on the birth of Christ, knowing just how much our world and our lives will be changed by that miracle. We get to celebrate the Hope, Love, Joy, and Peace that the season of Advent brings, the Carol services, and the nativity scenes that fill our homes, communities, and churches.

Even though it makes for a late night, my favorite service is the one that takes place on Christmas Eve. Spending the last few minutes of the season of Advent with our church family as we await midnight when Christmas has officially arrived.

And with the arrival of baby Jesus, comes the beginning of the twelve days of Christmas. I had so many friends in the States who would begin to take down their Christmas decorations in the days between Christmas and New Years, but the Christmas season lasts until Epiphany! And if spending the month of December waiting and then celebrating the birth of Christ wasn’t exciting enough, we get to continue the celebration as the birth is revealed to the world in the form of the Magi arriving in Bethlehem.

There is so much to celebrate in the coming weeks, but this verse from Luke is one of my favorites. Because just as Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, knowing that Jesus was the Messiah, so too are we filled with that same Spirit. We get to share this love with those around us, praying that their lives will be transformed as much as ours have been by this gift.

Grace and peace,

Reverend Meg Peters