Seeing Through Our Traditions and Keeping Wonder Alive This Advent
Let me take you back to the winter of 1989. It was Christmas time and presents had been under the tree for a while. One such present had my attention. It looked like the one item I really, really, really wanted for Christmas that year. I picked it up so often and felt the weight of the package that I was convinced it had to be the one item I really, really, really wanted. Day after day, I stared at the wrapped gift, and one day a thought occurred to me—and it wasn’t a good thought.
“Hey, just rip off a small corner of the wrapping paper—you can tape it back up—and see what’s inside.”
I thought, “Nah, I shouldn’t do that.” But what started as a tiny, tempting seed of an idea grew into a full-grown redwood of temptation one fateful evening—and I gave in. I tore a small piece of the wrapping paper in the corner of the gift, and to my surprise, it was exactly what I really, really, really wanted.
With great excitement, I realized that very soon I would be the proud owner of a 7.8-ounce brick made by Nintendo, called the Game Boy—a tiny monochromatic 2.6-inch screen, 8-bit graphics, and the first handheld console with multiple games like Tetris and Super Mario Land.
Oh my goodness, I really got it for Christmas.
Oh my goodness, I have to wait all the way to Christmas Day to play it.
Oh my goodness, I have opened the wrapping before Christmas!
Oh my goodness, what will happen if my parents find out?
Well, I made it to Christmas, and my wrapping-paper fiasco went undiscovered on earth but not in heaven. On Christmas morning, I went straight to the gift I already knew about, tore into it with reckless abandon, and performed an Oscar-worthy display of shock, awe, delight, and gratitude for the Game Boy I really, really, really wanted—but really, really, really already knew about.
If you are wondering why I’m bearing my soul like this, I don’t tell you this story as an example to emulate. Kids—do not follow me in what I did. I eventually confessed it to my parents. But as a preacher—who is always on the lookout for examples—I think that this story will preach.
How do we stay amazed by a gift we already know so much about?
How do we stay freshly moved by a gift we have already opened?
How do we keep wonder alive for the greatest gift of all—the gift of Christ—especially when the Christmas story feels familiar, repeated, or even worn out in our minds?
I’m not only asking how we can avoid losing the wonder of Christmas—I’m asking how we can deepen it. And my answer is this:
We deepen Christmas wonder by looking through our Christmas traditions, not just at them.
The tree, the lights, the gifts, the music, the hot drinks—these can become lenses that help us see Christ more clearly. Yes, I feigned delight in a gift I had already peeked at, but this does not need to be the case with the Christ of Christmas. We can discover fresh awe in the familiar story this Advent season.
Let me show you how through four simple Christmas traditions.
Christmas Lights — Seeing the One True Light through Lights
One of the greatest joys of being a dad is watching my girls light up at Christmas lights. Driving around the neighborhood to see houses draped in beauty is a tradition we rarely get tired of. But even the simplest light displays growing up—just small candles in the windows—stirred something in me.
So how do we see through Christmas lights to deepen our wonder over the child Mary pondered over?
As these bright displays shine in the darkness, they remind us of Christ, the Light of the world.
Isaiah 9:2 “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness on them has light shone.
John 1:9 “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.”
John 8:12 “I am the light of the world…”
Through Christmas lights, we remember that the Light has come, and “the darkness has not overcome it” (John 1:5).
Celebrate through every light you see as a fresh reminder that the darkness experiences an invasion of light. Jesus, the light of the world, has come in his incarnation, comes now as light, into every dark situation, and will come again to dispel darkness forever.
Christmas Gifts — Seeing the Gift Through All Gifts
Christmas and gifts go together. Maybe you remember the joy of opening that one gift you really wanted (Castle Grayskull, anyone?) or the joy of giving a gift you couldn’t wait for someone to unwrap.
Yes, gifts can get out of hand. But gifts are meant to be seen through.
As we both receive and give gifts, we remember the greatest gift ever given:
John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son”
Every bow, every package, every surprised face—each one, however imperfectly, whispers of the inexpressible gift of Christ.
2 Corinthians 9:15 “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!”
And this gift is not just great—it is free:
Romans 6:23 “…the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
This year, when you receive a gift, remember: It is free to you—but it costs someone something. And, through that, remember that the gift of Christ was given at an infinitely greater cost.
Through every gift you give or receive, let it shock your heart again with the wonder of the gospel, the gift you already know, but can never exhaust.
The Christmas Tree — Seeing the Tree Through the Tree
Everyone has opinions about when a Christmas tree should go up, and it is not before Thanksgiving! But once it does, it takes center stage. In our home, our tree is decorated with all kinds of ornaments — Grogu, Pokémon, ballerina shoes, donuts, artwork from our girls, even a small replica of our Black Lab, Solo! It’s beautiful—especially when I manage to change the lights from white to color when my wife isn’t looking.
But here’s the deeper question:
What can we see through the tree?
Regardless of whether your tree is real or fake, it reminds us that the Christ we celebrate at Christmas is the same Christ who moved from the manger to the tree of the Cross, where He, the gift of our salvation, was paid for at a costly price.
1 Peter 2:24 “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.
Galatians 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us – for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree—so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit by faith.
Before the old rugged cross, before the death-defeating grave, before the righteousness resurrection, before the inaugural ascension and session, there had to be an ignominious birth. And in the lonely birth of the Christ of Advent lies the inexpressible gift of Christmas. We see through the tree that the baby placed in the wood of the manger will end up on the wood of the cross for you and for me.
Christmas Music – Seeing the Wonder of Christ Through Singing
It’s been said—half-jokingly—that there’s an eleventh commandment: Thou shalt not start playing Christmas music until after Thanksgiving! And many of you have broken this “commandment” as early as Halloween.
Isn’t Christmas music wonderful, though? It’s a shame we sing lines like:
Joy to the world; the Lord is come;
Let Earth receive her King…
only once a year—and yet that also makes them special. These rich, Christ-exalting hymns are meant to be lenses throughwhich we see the gift of Christ we already know so well. And yet how easy it will be sing these truths in a perfunctory way during the four Advent Sundays that travel on towards Christmas.
So how do we stay shocked at a gift we already know?
In every Christmas song you sing this year, demand of your soul that it take in the fullness of Christ through the words. Aim, by the Spirit’s help, to outdo, if possible, the multitude of the angelic host (Luke 2:13):
“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased.”
This Advent, don’t let rocks—or angels—cry out on your behalf.
And if you don’t feel that this Christmas—if sadness or difficult memories make joy hard—let the singing itself be the lens through which you see Christ, the newborn King who enters our darkness and guides our feet into the way of peace.
Keeping Wonder Alive
Each year, we must keep this inexpressible gift fresh. And we do so by looking through our traditions to see the One whom angels never tire of singing about, the One shepherds hurried to behold, and they departed giving glory to God, the One whom wise men from the East wisely worshiped, the One whose mother treasured and pondered every word spoken about Him.
We follow their example as we look through our cherished traditions to behold the Christ of Christmas. May the Spirit of Christ give us eyes to see, to savor, and to be satisfied as we see through –
- Lights that point to the Light.
- Gifts that point to the Gift.
- Music that points to Glory.
- A tree that points to the Tree.
Much grace to you this Advent in seeing through your traditions to the One who came, comes, and will come again.
Lewis Guest, IV, M.Div.
Assistant Professor of Bible and Theology