Christmas, Faith & Family

As much as I love being with various members of my family at Christmas (we were in Richmond with my oldest sister's family, my other sister and my mom over the weekend and today we'll be with my wife's sister and her family and mom), i find some of it somewhat stressful. Now, i realize that lots of people find any time with any extended family stressful, but my stress comes from our differing views of our faith (faiths?) and what that means at Christmas.

For the past several years we have been traveling down to my sister's place in Richmond on Christmas day. We spend a couple of days there (the three of us sleep at a hotel nearby) then come home the third day. For whatever reason, my sister decided that they weren't going to go to church (the day after Christmas) this year. I didn't say anything, but i was rather puzzled by it. Although i think some of it has to do with my sister already feeling stressed with hosting 5 or 6 additional people, i find worship around Christmas-time to particularly valuable to me... worshipping with other believers and connecting with the larger Church reminds me that I/we are part of something much, much bigger than ourselves. Worshipping with other believers is a powerful reminder to me that there is more to come than what i am experiencing in my puny little life at this moment. It points me to the eschatological conclusion of why our worship experience is so vital... that God is up to something and that something seems to be defined by Christ and the Church.

So instead of worshipping with a larger group of believers, i used the Liturgy of the Hours and put something together that we read that Sunday morning. My sense was that many of us pretty much felt like they were doing it because Jim wants us to do this. And i admit to it feeling pretty dry - but i do believe that, regardless of how we felt, we did honor God. At least, that was my aim regardless of anyone's feelings. (My family, at least those of us who are followers of Christ, are not geared towards much liturgy at all. My mom is... well... something else. But i love her.)

Today we'll be celebrating with Wendy's sister family. "Celebrating" isn't probably the best word - but we'll enjoy the day. I'm actually much more comfortable with them (they are RC) and talking about Christ and Christmas and the Church than i am with my side of the family. We probably won't do anything other than prayer before the meal - but i still feel more comfortable with that even thought it's "small" than with my family.

Wierd? I don't know. It just seems to me that Christmas needs to be centered more around Christ and the Church, if we're believers, than we're often wont to do in this country.

That's what i think. But i tend to do more like the rest.