“I’m dreaming of a White Christmas, just like the ones I used to know.” What a great song. Every time I hear it, visions of cold, snowy, winters drift across my mind’s eye as I remember decorating Christmas trees and activities of the season.

As kids, we took turns shaking packages under the tree to figure out what presents were hidden beneath the wrapping paper. Christmas, “just like the ones I used to know.” My focus and attention on presents built anticipation and excitement that shaped my memories of Christmas.

White Christmas' Origin Story 

Irving Berlin had a different holiday experience that inspired him to write this Christmas classic. On Christmas Day in 1928, their son passed away. How tragic, unfair, and surreal. As you can imagine Irving and Ellin Berlin were in a tail spin of sadness.

Each holiday brought back the pain of an empty chair. Their focus and attention was appropriately on their loss. As artists, they channeled their emotions into songs. They embraced each other and the love they shared as family and were able to keep going. Their focus and attention shifted just enough to find new meaning in life, love, and their music. Their focus and attention transformed their view of the Christmas holidays.

Bing Crosby recorded and released his iconic rendition of White Christmas in 1942. The song was an instant hit especially with those separated from family by World War II. A Christmas gone bad fourteen years earlier for one family was the catalyst in the creating of an anthem that would echo the sounds of hope to millions during the most critical period in the 20th Century.

The words and melody of White Christmas directed the focus and attention of a nation towards transformative hope. I believe it was that hope mixed with faith and powered by love that saved our nation and the world.

A Flurry of Emotions and Activity 

That was then and this is now. We are in the Christmas season. More accurately we are in the season of Advent, which is the four weeks leading up to the birth of the Christ child. The weeks leading up to Christmas are busy and crazy. The energy that comes from mixing emotions, memories, and activity is enough to power a small city. Can’t you just feel it in the air?

Our focus and attention is on many things. Things that may end up in the return line the day after Christmas or may be regifted the following year. Be that as it may, none of these things has the power to change us no matter how much they cost.

We Worship Jesus 

“Focus and attention” are important because they are the engines behind what we in church call worship. Worship is…the focus and attention on that which transforms. To put it plainly, you can worship anything because anything you focus on has the potential to transform you.

In our faith community, we have a conviction that Jesus, the Christ, is the object of our focus and attention.

Through songs, prayers, scriptures, sermons, and relationships we are in the process of focusing our minds attention and our hearts affection on the one who authored grace and sent it to our address with a bow and card that says… Merry Christmas, from God. I’m talking about Jesus, the real reason for the season.

Experiments To Try This Christmas

A Paying-Attention Experiment

This Christmas, transformation is possible, but it depends on where you place your focus and attention. Try this as an experiment. As you are buying your next gift, hold the item in your hand, close your eyes, and imagine the person that will receive the gift. How will they react on Christmas morning? What emotions are they feeling, and how are those emotions expressed? Can you see it?

Now, pay attention to your feelings knowing that the gift you have given has inspired such a reaction. I would suggest to you that this how God “felt” on that first Christmas morning when he sent Jesus to our house (earth).

Let me ask you a question, does this attention change your focus on giving and receiving? If you were to try this exercise a couple of times could it impact Christmas for you? Could it, would it be transforming?

An Anonymous-Giving Experiment 

Here’s one more experiment if you’re up for it. When you have completed your gift buying, just buy one more thing. Maybe you repeat an item on your list or maybe something else will catch your eye. You decided.

Then, give it away anonymously. The only catch is you cannot check back to note the person’s reaction. You have to give with no expectation of return. Giving just because you give. Believe it our not, this is the character of God and God has asked us to imitate him. Now, how does that focus and attention feel?

Your Focus and Attention

This Christmas, transformation is possible, but it depends on where you place your focus and attention. Will you focus on something that has the ability to transform you - worship? Or will you be transformed by imagining what you will get, how you will make meaning of emotions, or how you will affect a sense of hope in a changing world.

Will you give attention and focus to the transforming power of hope, love, joy, and peace through Jesus this season of Advent?

Whatever you decide know that we at Church on the Hill are here and we have a Christmas wish for you. We sincerely wish that…“your days be merry and bright. And all your Christmases be white.”

- Allan Wiltshire, Church on the Hill Director of Traditional Worship 

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