By Jim Teague,
FPCE Director of Communications
One of the wonderful traditions my stepfather passed down to his kids (in a blended family of seven) was the Christmas Eve tradition of reading a different story about the holiday right after reading the Scripture’s accounts of the birth of Jesus from Matthew and Luke.
It was never the same story twice, was usually fiction, and almost always had a message of hope, thanksgiving, generosity, or childlike joy.
The next to last time I was able to be there with him at Christmas, he chose the famous short story “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry. A timeless classic which I had read back in high school, I immediately recognized it one or two lines after he had begun. My wife, Linda, and two sons, Daniel and Andrew, were with us, and I felt my emotions grow inside me as I gave thanks for this shared time together.
A year later, my dad was in the throes of dementia and not up to having holiday visitors. The year after that was 2020, when we were deep into the isolation of COVID, and by the end of the next February he was gone.
The tradition of reading on Christmas Eve continues, nonetheless. We do it every year in our family, as do most of my siblings.
Many of us can look back on encouraging practices, habits, or traditions we have adopted, and trace them to someone who invested their time, wisdom, and love into our lives. It’s not just our relatives, either. Close friends, spiritual or professional mentors, and longtime fellow small group members can all imprint new traditions, beliefs, and ways of thinking upon us.
We see this kind of connectivity in the very fabric of our faith. This Advent, our teaching series here at First Presbyterian Church of Evanston is entitled “From Generation to Generation.” Through the four Sundays in Advent we will look at how the birth of Jesus announces the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies and promises, and how we are connected to it all these hundreds of years later.
Here is a simple breakdown of the four Sundays:
December 1 – First Sunday in Advent: “There’s Room for Every Story” (We light the first purple candle, the Hope Candle).
December 8 – Second Sunday in Advent: “To Be a Light” Lessons & Carols service (We light the Second purple candle, the Peace Candle).
December 15 – Third Sunday in Advent: “We Can Choose a Better Way” Nativity Pageant service (We light the pink candle, the Joy Candle).
December 22 – Fourth Sunday in Advent: “We See God in Each Other” Carol Sing service (We light the final purple candle, the Love Candle).
If you’re looking for a way to instill more of the Sunday teachings into your relationship with Jesus throughout Advent, you can pick up a physical copy of the “From Generation to Generation” Devotional Booklet in the church, or email advent2024@firstpresevanston.org to receive a link to an online version (due to copyright restrictions, these electronic versions are only for FPCE members and attendees).
To find a complete listing of Advent and Christmas Eve events at First Pres, visit our Advent 2024 at https://evanstonchristmas.org and feel free to share this link with friends and family who might want to take part, too.
Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas!
Jim Teague
FPCE Director of Communications
Image by svecaleksandr249 from Pixabay
