How many times have you heard the phrase, "the real meaning of Christmas?" I would imagine countless times. This is a phrase that Christians use to push back against the commercialization of the Christmas holiday. It's an effort to get people to refocus their attention on the birth of the Savior of the world, and not decorations, gifts, and cultural jungles. This is a good and right call for the people of God, but what if that refocused attention wasn't on just remembering the meaning of Christmas, but living the meaning of Christmas? Here's what I mean. The story of Christmas is that the Son of God was incarnated into human flesh becoming a person, to live among people, and accomplish the redemption of people. Jesus was born to live the life we couldn't as a human, die the death we deserve to as a human, and rise again from the grave victorious. While living with people He preached this good news and called people to believe in it for the kingdom of God was at hand. (Mark 1:15) The virgin birth is an intentional act by the ultimate missionary (God) coming to earth to bring the good news and save sinners. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that to reach people, Jesus became a person and "moved into the neighborhood." In other words, the Christmas story is a story of mission.
"And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." - John 1:14
What if we as disciple makers got back to "the real meaning of Christmas" and intentionally engaged our neighbors for the gospel? What If we had a plan to make disciples this Christmas with those we already "dwell among" in our neighborhoods? Here are a few ideas.
Make small gifts, attach a Christmas passage, invite to service or home -Think of a small gift that your family can make together. The simpler and less expensive the better. My wife has taken bags of unpopped popcorn, and attached little note saying, "Just popping by to wish you a merry Christmas." At the bottom she printed the passage of Luke 2:10-14. Our family delivered these to everyone on the block and invited them to Christmas eve service. With one couple I was able to share the gospel over a meal, and we have had an ongoing relationship with them. (Our church as already made Christmas service invitation cards, this would be a great start with a baked good or small gift.
Host a Christmas gathering in your home -invite people from your neighborhood to come over for any creative reason related to Christmas that you can think of. Cookie decorating, white elephant gift exchange, playing Christmas games, Christmas painting or crafts, drinking hot chocolate, singing Christmas songs (if you're feeling adventurous.) One of our Highview families hosted a Christmas "open house" in a brand-new neighborhood. This helped to develop a culture of community traditions around the holidays in a neighborhood that didn't have anything they "did" for Christmas. Be creative and invite your neighbors.
Buy gifts for a family that may be struggling -If you are aware of any household in your neighborhood who may have a hard time providing gifts at Christmas, take initiative to get them some gifts and bless them. Maybe their struggle isn't financial, but emotional. Many have lost loved ones or gone through challenging transitions that makes Christmas feel burdensome. Having someone purchase gifts and visit with them for a few minutes could go a long way.
Partner with the neighborhood to organize a toy or coat drive -Look up local schools, centers, or programs that are conducting a Christmas drive for underprivileged families in the city. Be the point person to try and rally people in your neighborhood to join the drive. Christmas time causes many people to want to do good for their communities, so you will probably get more interest than you would think. You could even mention that because you are a follower of Jesus who has shown you incredible mercy through the Christmas story, you are compelled to show mercy to the least of these in your city. As people join, you will now you will have several new contacts to pray for and build relationships with.
Finally, The key to any of the ideas is follow up. They are meant to give us a connection to people, but we must be intentional to pursue further relationship and conversation. Having a Christmas party or dropping off a bag of popcorn is only missional if it leads to us actually telling that person about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus for their sins, "the real meaning of Christmas." Seek to exchange contact information and pursue further conversations where you communicate the gospel over lunch, coffee, community group, or dinner in your home.
Disciple Makers Breakfast
On Saturday, January 14th, 2019 at 9 AM in the World Cafe of Fegenbush Campus, we will have our first Disciple Makers Breakfast of the year. Come engage with our discipleship team along with other d-group leaders from around the church. We will assess growth measurements for d-groups, hear testimonies, and coach through practical challenges and best practices in discipleship. This breakfast is for anyone who is leading or planning to lead d-groups. For food purposes we need to know how many plan to attend, so please register by responding to this email by Jan 4th. We hope you will join.