December Newsletter
Merry Christmas! … What’s Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, and not an hour richer; a time for balancing your books and having every item in ‘em through a round dozen of months presented against you? If I would work my will … every idiot who goes about with “Merry Christmas,” on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. – Scrooge
We know that not everyone likes Christmas. It is hard to believe that once there was a time without Christmas. By the end of the 1700’s, the celebration of Christmas had almost disappeared from common practice. Centuries of celebrations by northern Europeans had faded. Why? In the 17th century, the English Puritan Christians actually outlawed Christmas feasting. In the following century, Reformed Christians believed that you should only do what the Bible says and there is no Christmas feast in the Bible. And what about the bad behavior? Reverence Henry Bourne of Newcastle declared that Christmas was “a pretense for Drunkenness, and Rioting, and Wantonness”.* The decline of Christmas may have been more an issue of urbanization. Families seeking work during the industrial revolution came to the cities and left their cultural traditions at home. Poverty was widespread. Few had the money or time to spend on Christmas. It was 1843.
That fall, Charles Dickens took a trip to Manchester to visit his sister Fan and her 2 frail, sickly sons. He spoke at the Athenaeum, an institution for the poor in that area. He was greatly moved. It was October and winter was nearing. He started to write. Dickens would later refer to it as a spiritual experience. The result was the short story, A Christmas Carol. It went to press two months later and before long the story was being read, told, and dramatized in Europe and North America.
That story about Ebenezer, Tiny Tim, and Bob Cratchit had the effect of resurrecting the celebration of Christmas. In 1988, the Sunday Telegraph of London gave the long deceased Charles Dickens the title, The Man Who Invented Christmas. It described families modestly and respectfully celebrating the holiday. Turkeys were introduced in the story as a Christmas food. The tale modeled for readers the idea caring for the poor should be a Christmas activity. Today, Christmas would not be Christmas without at least one viewing of A Christmas Carol.
Is it a Christian story? While Ebenezer clearly undergoes a transformation of spirit and the good guys are all committed church folks, interestingly, Charles Dickens had a mixed view of Christianity. A Christmas Carol does not mention Christ as the prime mover of change in Scrooge’s life. Dickens’s Christmas has no Christ. He was a man with a devout faith, but on his own terms. (In fact, Charles Dickens had a secret book, The Life of Our Lord. It was not allowed to be published until 1934, 85 years after his death. He wrote it in 1849 and would read it to his 10 children as night. He wanted his children to be familiar with Jesus.) Actually, it was the organized church that Charles Dickens didn’t like. Well, that and the inequities of society. His critique of the wealthy and leisure class can be seen in his book, David Copperfield. He would have fit into the current camps protesting Wall Street. His sympathy with the poor is weaved through most of his stories. He was drawn to Christ, though, especially when the scriptures told of God’s love for the lost and downtrodden. He had experienced poverty in his own life.
Of course, the real “Man Who Invented Christmas” is God incarnating in Jesus Christ.
And the Word became flesh and lived among us,
and we have seen his glory as of a father’s only son,
full of grace and truth.
John 1:14
But the themes of Christianity are woven into Dickens’s familiar tale and so we will be holding a series of Advent Studies on the Christian themes in “A Christmas Carol” on Wednesdays at 10am & 7pm. Come watch part of the film and then join us as we turn to the scriptures and find Christmas again.
(*Details in this article are drawn from articles by Stephen Rost & Mark Roberts, based on Les Standiford’s book, The Man Who Invented Christmas
Worship Highlights for Advent & Christmas
Nov 27
Hanging of the Greens – During & After Worship
FIRST SUNDAY of ADVENT
Letters from Bethlehem – Mary
Hanging of the Greens Luncheon after worship – Bring a dish to pass
December 4
Communion & New Member Sunday
SECOND SUNDAY of ADVENT
Letters from Bethlehem – Shepherds
December 11
Children’s Pageant Sunday – The Good News Flash
THIRD SUNDAY of ADVENT
Letters from Bethlehem – Angels
Reception following worship
December 18
Choir Cantata – “Night of the Father’s Love”
FOURTH SUNDAY of ADVENT
Letters from Bethlehem – Wisemen
Congregational Meeting – Elections & Approval of 2012 Budget
December 24
CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICE – 7pm
December 25
Christmas Morning Service
January 1
Agape Meal & Worship in Titus Hall
NEW YEAR’S DAY
Gather around tables to feast on God’s Word and the Lord’s Supper
COMMISSION ON EDUCATION invites you to the yearly Christmas pageant on December 11th during service. Come join the fun as the Eastwood Baptist kids perform the drama “The Good News Flash”.
COMMISSON ON MISSIONS -Get your new year off to a great start! On Sunday, January 8, 2012, members of Eastwood Baptist Church will prepare, serve, and clean up dinner at the Samaritan Center, 310 Montgomery Street, Syracuse. Most helpers will need to be there by 12:30 and all will be done by 3:00. The volunteers so far include: The Stoddards, Gayle Vinette, Bonnie Miner, Ralph Long, Laurie Hadlick and the youth group, Phyllis Bailey, Madeline Kimbrell, and Brenda Mertz. There are many simple jobs to be done, and many hands make light work. If you would like to join us or need more information, please contact Doris Stoddard at 682-5652.
WEDNESDAY STUDY GROUPS will meet in the morning 10 am and evening 7 pm in the Library to compare scripture and the classic story – A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Begins November 30th
HOLIDAY BASKETS – Again this year we will be preparing food baskets for the Holidays. Please leave your donations at the rear of the sanctuary (non-perishable foods) in the bins. Suggestions: potatoes, apples, canned pie filling, piecrust mix, rolls, and canned products. Money donations to help with the cost of meat will be appreciated. Thanks!
BLESSED SACRAMENT OUTREACH PROGRAM – Parish Outreach is planning for their Thanksgiving and Christmas Distributions, and are in need of volunteers – to help please contact Janice at 437-4462 or 437-3394. Thanks!
- Christmas Set-up Friday, Dec. 9th 5 pm – ?
- Christmas Distribution Saturday, Dec. 10th 8 am – 1 pm
ADULT CLASS – JOURNEY FROM NAZARETH TO BETHLEHEM WITH ADAM HAMILTON–The Adult Class invites you to share this Advent adventure in Israel. Explore what we know and don’t know about Joseph on Dec. 4. On Dec. 11 we’ll visit Biblical sites along the way from Nazareth to Bethlehem. On Dec. 18 see what a real manger in Jesus’ day looked like and consider the theological significance of the visit of Jewish shepherds and Gentile magi.
