Let us pray: O God, may these words and the spaces between them help us to sense your spirit in and among us, as we gather in celebration of your coming to us in the birth of Jesus. Amen.

A few weeks ago, I wrote the following as part of my contribution to the Yellowknife United Church Christmas newsletter,
“Traditions are an important part of who we are as a community of faith, and in particular at this time of year. Tradition can be a wonderful thing, for it speaks volumes about what is and has been important in the life of any community. Traditions can also be tired and worn out - giving more importance than due to things of the past, and embedding old stereotypes and attitudes into modern day practice.”

There is no time of the year that is more steeped in tradition than Christmas. In the days leading up to the Christmas celebration this year, my first as the newly called minister in this congregation, there were many things passed on to me as the Advent and Christmas traditions of this group of people who worship in this place. One of the things we discussed was this service, Christmas Day worship. For some people it was a blessing that Christmas Day happened on a Sunday because it meant there would be a worship service. I presume some of you count yourselves among that group. I could tell that for those people it was an opportunity to engage an old tradition, one they had not been able to practice for several years since a decision not to have Christmas Day worship. I don’t know the details of how the practice changed, but I can imagine that it may have been due to a conflict of traditions - especially if there were young children involved in previous ministers’ families. Many families have very specific and important rituals on Christmas morning that are hard to change. The need to lead Christmas morning worship would seriously hinder the ability to follow those other traditions.

But this is Sunday, and not to have worship on Sunday would be a serious disruption to another important tradition. So this year a clash of traditions was averted, and we will have to wait until next year to see whether we go back to having worship on Christmas Day as a tradition in this congregation.

It may not be a simple decision. Changing traditions can be very difficult, often for reasons we cannot completely explain. Traditions may have lost complete connection with the reason they were first followed, but try to change them and the resistance is a force to be reckoned with. I think it is because traditions carry with them a whole lot of extra baggage. They can embody the feelings that are evoked by a particular time of year, or the memories of good experiences in the past and so while the reason for the tradition has been lost, the memories and emotions associated with them continue to hold power for us. In other words, traditions are important by themselves, regardless of whether they represent something of lasting value any more or not.

This is never more true than it is at Christmas. Surprisingly enough, there is very little about Christmas in the Bible. We heard fully half of the whole mention as part of this morning’s gospel reading. Two of the four gospels, the stories of the life of Jesus, have nothing to say about the birth of Jesus. The word Christmas does not appear in the Bible even once. And yet we have layer upon layer of traditions associated with the birth of Jesus.

The point of this is not to say that this is reason to discard all the traditions of Christmas. Not at all. But what it does is underline the importance that Christmas has held in past generations, enough importance to develop the story, add to it with layers of interpretation and meaning. When something is important to us, we usually elevate it by creating traditions surrounding it, enhancing the celebration and creating lasting memories. That’s the story of Christmas. Layer upon layer of meaning.

In fact, my research suggests that the modern day celebration of Christmas is a relatively recent development. It is quite unlikely that there were great Christmas celebrations in the early church. One source said that modern day Christmas as we know it has its origins in Victorian England. Of course there are many traditions associated with other countries and cultures, and some of them may have older roots. It would be an interesting study to see just how far back they go.

So, traditions originate to emphasise something of importance, but then can morph into something which loses the original intent, and becomes important for its own sake. There may be value in holding on to that tradition, but there may also be a good purpose in taking a second look at what our traditions are and whether they still serve the original intent or whether they are embedded with old stereotypes and ideas.

Let me illustrate with a real example of my own. A few years ago, I started a tradition of giving a bag of Oreo cookies to my son Steve as a Christmas gift. The gift came with some simple rules. The cookies were a gift. They were his to have and do with as he pleased. He could eat them whenever he wanted. He could eat as many as he wanted at any one time. He could eat them all or he could give some or all of them away. The gift was more than just a bag of cookies - it was a symbol of freedom. Pretty soon the tradition expanded and Heather got a bag of cookies too, and then one year their cousin was with us and she got a bag of cookies as well. Same rules. Yes, the first year the cookies were gone, with fairly minimal sharing, I think before noon on Christmas Day. As years progressed the responses changed, but the cookies continued to be a gift. Gradually it took longer for the cookies to be consumed and there was more sharing in evidence. Along with freedom, responsibility was starting to appear. This year, with Steve having been on his own for a year and a half already, Heather on her own since the fall and a Christmas where we would not see niece Andrea, it was a dilemma whether to continue the tradition. The original reason was no longer important. Steve and Heather can buy cookies whenever they want. But would they be expecting a wrapped bag of them under their Christmas tree? Traditions are hard to change, so they received their bag of cookies again this year. Maybe next year the tradition will change, to be replaced by something else, or maybe it will continue until they have kids of their own who will receive their own bags of cookies at Christmas.

The point is that the tradition embodied something important to begin with, but now it stands on its own. If it continues into another generation the original value can be rekindled, the symbol of freedom that was an important part of the first intent.

So, on this Christmas Day and in this Christmas seasons, what traditions are you following? Where did they come from, what do they represent? Do you remember how they got started? Do they reflect a value established in response to the story of the birth of Jesus, or a related theme? What traditions are worth reconsidering, what new traditions are worth establishing? Will they reflect your hopes and dreams for a better world, or a better life for yourself, your loved ones and community?

I invite you now to share with a friend, or a neighbour, one of your Christmas traditions, along with some reflection about why it carries importance for you, and what it reflects of the Christmas story for you in your life. I will give you a few minutes and then will bring this time to a close with a sample Amen.