Baptists and Advent December 2, 2008
Posted by Gordon in Baptist issues.Tags: Advent, Baptist Advent, Baptist blog, Baptist blogger, baptist church, Christian blog
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Baptists don’t have a long history of celebrating advent. Baptists don’t have a long history of celebrating anything really, we are way to serious for that kind of malarkey. Christmas Day is about as much as you will get in many Baptist churches, and even then, some will not even use traditional carols. In my previous church we had a few families and individuals who did not believe in coming to church on Christmas Day. The reasons given were usually along the lines that ‘Christmas is a family day’.
The historical conservatism of Baptists has left us with non-descript buildings [in Australia and the UK] to match our dour non-observance of festivals in the liturgical year that our fellow believers in other denominations go to great lengths to celebrate. Things are changing though:
Here in Australia Baptist churches are increasingly investing very heavily in community carols concerts. At our church it is the biggest ticket item each year and it takes months of planning and rehearsals. Many Baptist churches are also investing in Christmas lights and opening up the church property to the public with a dazzling display of lights and also some very creative Nativity scenes and other ways of telling the Christmas story.
Next year I’m already game planning to hire a large truck and take Carols to the Suburbs complete with a live and and singers and give-aways for local kids and a gift pack for each household. [We'll see in a year's time if I come good on that!].
Even liturgy is creeping in. We follow the liturgical cycle used by other evangelicals [Anglicans, Evangelical Lutherans, Episcopalian, etc]. We also have an Advent Wreath with candles and choose people out of the congregation to light the candles each Sunday morning and night.
Much to the consternation of some, we even have Christmas decorations and the dreaded Christmas tree. I’m not fussed about the tree but I’m not going to barricades on it- as I don’t want to make something out of it that other people aren’t.
The result is that Baptists are taking the best from other traditions and appropriating these traditions to enhance the experience and anticipation of Christmas Day and our celebration of Emmanuel. Example here.
How do you celebrate Advent at your church?
i am a fundamental baptist and deeply rooted in the Biblical Doctrine about the birth of Christ..
i pity you! you already left your identity.. please read galatians chapter 1.. you already grasped another doctrine.. and it seems like you are very blinded by the truth.. the way Christmas is celebrated by the world is paganistic.. we can celebrate Christmas in a different way, without the leavening lump of worldliness.. i am just saying this to point out that we Baptists must not deviate from our identity..
thanks for stopping by teban , and thanks for your pity, I’m always on the scrounge for more pity.
Happily I can say that my identity has never been wrapped up in a church denomination – but in Christ. To leave my identity I would have to forsake Christ.
I take it you use a different set of names for the days of the week as well?
If I was a betting man I would wager that in your church you no doubt sings hymns appropriated from what were previously pub songs.
As pagan as the connections are between Christmas and Easter the degree to which they have been appropriated by Christians throughout and thereby redefined renders your outrage hollow.