Advent Series 2024 The Power of Hope & the history of St. Nick, and the Christmas Stocking by Rev. Donna Baranyay, CT

We are in the midst of week one of advent.  This is my first year of truly diving into advent and studying it from a deeply spiritual perspective.  The word advent means arrival, and in traditional Christian traditions, Christians are preparing for the birth of Jesus.  In metaphysics or New Thought, we are preparing our minds for the revelation of the Christ Consciousness within us.  We are preparing for the Christmas spirit, the meaning behind this most sacred and holy time of year.

We are encouraged to use this sacred time for inner reflection and contemplation.  During this time, we discover and identify limiting beliefs, false beliefs, ideas that no longer serve us and are invited to release them.  We are clearing our minds and hearts in preparation for greater possibilities and more good to flow into and through our lives.

The first week of advent is about hope.  Let go of worry, doubt, insecurities, anxiety, and fear and open to the possibility of goodness, abundance, peace, love, and joy. If we are grounded in the Divine, we are aligning with the Highest Truth of who we are.  May we prepare for the Christmas season and the tap into the indwelling Christ Consciousness today and every day.

We are also celebrating St. Nicholas’s Day this week.  In this story we also learn about the history of the Christmas stocking and how Santa Claus became a part of the Christmas tradition. St. Nick’s Day was on December 6th.  The Catholic Church chose December 6 as St. Nicholas Day because it is the anniversary of his death.  There are a few versions of the legend of St. Nick.  In the Catholic tradition, St. Nick was a saint of children and those in need.  He was a very generous person who enjoyed helping others anonymously.  One day while he was walking through a village, he overheard a few villagers talking about a family in town.  A father had 3 unmarried daughters, and he was having difficulty with his finances.  He was rumored to be worried about the fate of his daughters as he didn’t have the money for their dowries. He was concerned about them not being able to marry someday.  St. Nick knew that the father would not accept charity in person so one night he decided to secretly help them.  There are 2 stories that I have read – one is that he went down their chimney to drop gold coins into the daughters’ stocking that happen to be drying by the fireplace.  In another version, St. Nick stood at an open window to their living room and tossed the gold coins into their stockings.  When the family woke up the next day, they were pleasantly surprised to find the gold coins.  The father was relieved and overjoyed as it was enough money for the dowries for each daughter. It is also speculated that the gold coins were actually gold balls.  In modern times, those gold coins were replaced with the milk chocolate coins that are often placed in modern day Christmas stockings.  The gold balls were replaced with oranges and eventually the popcorn ball.  I remember growing up, we always had popcorn balls in our stockings.

In Holland, children put out their clogs or shoes on the evening on December 5th and in the morning they are excited to find all kinds of treats in them.  They also refer to St. Nick by the nickname Sinter Klass.  This name became Santa Claus and eventually the tradition spread throughout the world.

What a wonderful way for us to celebrate this holiday and Christmas season.  May we remember the unlimited possibilities that abound.  We must make the choice to step into our spiritual, Divine Truth.  May we clear away those thoughts and beliefs that no longer serve us and open our hearts and minds to greater possibilities.  In the midst of the busyness of the season may we slow down, turn within, contemplate and reflect on that which we know to be the Truth – the Divine and I are One.  The Christ Consciousness dwells deep within us and express through us – our thoughts, beliefs, and actions. May we enjoy the present moment, may we celebrate this moment for it is truly all we have right here, right now.  And so it is.  Namaste~