Tradition... tradition

The Sunday just gone (30 Nov) signaled the beginning of Advent.
Advent is an important tradition in the Christian church, as it marks the start of the lead up to the birth of Christ (and hence Christmas).
For everyone else (and many Christians too) Advent also marks start of the calendar that has little chocolates behind each door; and is otherwise a good word to use in scrabble.

Advent is commonly observed (at least in Baptist NZ), by the lighting of five candles, one each week till Christmas itself (week 1- Hope, 2 - Peace, 3 - Love, 4 - Joy), and the fifth is the Christ candle (white coloured) and lit on Christmas day.

It's all very pretty and really adds something to the weeks before Christmas (otherwise overrun by endless advertising and jingles).

Of course; it never actually happened in the bible.

Mary was a bit preoccupied at the time to think about lighting candles (with all the riding the donkey, and looking for a place to give birth going on), Joseph was more concerned about getting back home safely, and the wise men hadn't arrived yet.

So where did Advent come from? The early church - people made it up (arguably with God's influence). History otherwise regarding Advent is a bit vague, it may have started as early as the 4th century but that is still 300-400 years later than the birth of Christ.

There are many traditions that are sourced directly from the Bible - communion (Matthew 26:26-) and baptism (Matthew 3:13-) being two significant ones that spring to mind. These traditions were acted out by Jesus and are therefore given serious weight in the church today (even if you don't believe in Jesus, I hope you can respect that for those who do, following His actions is really important).
And there are these other traditions that have developed over the centuries (for good or bad), and have merged with the originals. Funny how humans do that.

Does it matter?

As with most things, the answer is yes and no. There's no point blindly repeating something that you don't understand or believe to be true; so it's at least worth asking some questions as to what it all means (Christians strangely enough ask questions all the time, because we often don't know the answers).
If you don't understand a Christian tradition (or any tradition) I suggest you investigate further.

Tradition has its positives as well:
My family has for many years assembled the Christmas tree in the first week of December (sadly I have missed out recently, being in the wrong city). Each time we play the same (often terrible) Christmas music, and place the dozens (or hundreds) of ornaments on the tree, and at the end we get to turn on the lights and look at the twinkling glow.
Our tradition is associated with good times, and family bonding. It may only be a tradition for my family, but it's a good one.

So, this December I invite you to think about Advent - even if for the chocolate - as it might add new dimensions to your lead up to Christmas.

Hope. Peace. Love. Joy.

Merry Christmas.

Confessions and Marian Keyes

In my last post I mentioned a change of tone, so be warned there are "Christian Themes" at some point in this post.

I picked up the Whitcoulls Top 100 books list this week, it's something I like to review from time to time and use it as a guide to read something new. I tick off books I've read and total them up in the aim of feeling self-righteous because I am so incredibly literate.

Twenty three.

That's how many books I ticked off. Out of one hundred. Lit-er-ate.
That includes all 6 Harry Potter books too. High brow reading.

In my defence there are books on the list that I don't actually ever want to read:

• Anything by Marian Keyes,
• Same goes for Diana Gabaldon,
• The Notebook, Chocolat, Captain Corelli's Mandolin - forget it.

That removes ten books (Marian Keyes to blame there), but even so twenty three from ninety is hardly a sterling record; a fraction over 25%. Fail.

I could cheat a little, as there are books I have started but never finished, and usually only a few pages in. I could almost count them. Almost.
I am quite content to stop reading a book if I am getting nowhere (unlike my mother who forces her way to the end of everything; including Marian Keyes).

But if I decide to cheat, I run into problems. There are two books on the list (every time!), that cause considerable issue:

1. The Edmonds cookbook. Yes it's a classic. It is also a recipe book. I am not tempted to absorb it from cover to cover, but yes I do turn to it to perfect a lasagne cheese sauce.
2. The Bible. For the unobservant, this is where the entire post has been heading (Christian themes...), because as a Christian I obviously place the Bible as the most important book written, bar none*.
   

But I must confess:

I haven't read it all.

I have certainly read a lot of it, and that amount is slowly increasing (currently quite well, other times not so much); but there are many passages that I am completely in the dark over - Old Testament books mostly, for whatever reason.

Does familiarity breed contempt? No; but familiarity does breed apathy.
It's like the teddy bear you have had since you were a child; it's been there for thirty years and you like having it around because it's a piece of your life; but it isn't like you need to look at it, just know it's around...somewhere.

So it's time for the confession. Because recently it has become obvious that in order to be a 'better' Christian a sound knowledge of the Bible is not just important, it's essential. Essential.
It doesn't sound like an amazing revelation, and it's not, but that's how it goes; better to do something about it now than leave it longer. It might take time but it is worth it.

So, all going to plan the next time the Whitcoulls Top 100 list comes out, I should still have twenty three books ticked off; but at least I can say I've read them all cover to cover.

Well, except that Edmonds Cookbook...



*collection of books to be more precise

Welcome Willkommen Vítejte Bienvenue

Welcome to the beginning of the beginning,
I imagine anyone reading this blog will already know who I am, but a short summary:
-I am a single 30 year old male
-I am Christian
-I live in Wellington, New Zealand (which has more cafes and restaurants per head of capita than New York city)


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-and I like to travel. Which brings me to the next bit...

This blog will begin as a travel diary for a month long trip to USA. It will also be used to comment on things I feel appropriate, whether they be movies, news, events - however I will attempt to keep it from a Christian perspective (see point 2).
You may disagree. Good.