Celebrating the Gift of Christmas
During the Christmas season, Christians gather with their families and friends in celebration of the best gift of all: Jesus Christ, our Savior, born in Bethlehem over 2000 years ago. It is a story of humble beginnings for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Not many of us would choose to come that way if we were in the position of Jesus. But we are not Jesus and never will be. As we have all heard and will hear during Christmas “Jesus is the reason for the season”. Christians understand why we celebrate this joyous time of year. For those who are lost and follow other religions, they do not see the joy of this wonderful time of the year. Christmas is a time of year, but the gift is one that lasts a lifetime especially beyond our time on Earth.
Everyone has a tight schedule during Christmas, with Sunday School parties, gatherings with families and friends, traveling and catching up with old friends. It is a time of the year that may feel it is rushed to some and may never end to others. Most Christians would say they know the story of Christmas, but do we truly understand it? We do not comprehend the thought of the Son of God coming down to Earth to save us and being born in a stable. Not many of us would think of this time as another time for working on our spiritual lives. Each day is another opportunity to work on ourselves and getting us closer to God’s will. Why do we think the Christmas season is a break away from discipleship and forming our spiritual life? Maybe it is because we believe we know everything about Christmas or because a church’s leadership does not see the benefit of it. Whatever the reason, Christmas time is still time in our lives to work on our walk with Christ.
One response to this topic would be what could we do about discipleship during Christmas time. A Sunday School class could read the Christmas story to children during their Sunday School time or children’s worship. A class or group of people in the church could create the manger scene through painting or carpentry. Their creations could be shown around the church and be used as an invitation for others to come to the church. A class could have an event where each member brings a lost person and the Christmas story and gospel are presented. There are countless ways to get church members involved during Christmas time. However, there are two road blocks that come up that will be used as reasons not to have anything: people are busy and they won’t show up.
Christmas is busy for everyone and many churches feel that affect during December. The attendance drops for services and events. Many will wonder if they did the right thing in getting the word out about church for people to come. Families will travel off from home to visit others and sadly their plans do not include going to a church during Christmas. It is difficult to get people to come to church during Christmas. Having some exciting events for people of all ages would help. If each Sunday School class had a different idea for a Christmas party to get their class members and new ones to come, that would generate some buzz. The staff would need to know the ideas of each class so no two classes’ party would be alike. Before, during and after each Christmas party, the teachers would discuss an aspect of discipleship that each person wants to work on for the next year. Then pair up those who have similar wants and have them hold one another accountable for growth. The ideas of discipleship during Christmas are out there to use. It is finding and implementing them that scare churches away.
