Besides your Christmas programming, what?
Besides your services to share the message of Christmas, what is your church doing to be Christmas by showing those in the world who Jesus is. What is your church doing this Christmas to share love, time, and resources with those who are often forgotten?
Come on, let's hear what God is doing through your church.
posted by Bob Carder @ 8:50 PM
7 comments
7 Comments:
As a divorced father, I don't get to see my kids on Christmas until 5:00 pm. Spending Christmas day alone can be depressing, so last year I organized Christmas lunch at the church for anyone who wanted to come. 85 people attended - mostly international students, refugees, and empty-nesters with no family close by. But we did have a few families with children as well. It was a great time. We ended up with far more people than we expected, so we'll be doing it again this year.
my church is canceling service on Christmas Eve to allow us to be with our families. :-)
Rick, what a great idea. Now if your church families can bring others in the community who are alone it would be a home-run.
Idea, why not insist that church members bring someone not connected to the church as their ticket to lunch, then you hit the ball out of the park.
I love the way you are showing Jesus and living Jesus before your community.
This Christmas you will be in my prayers and especially on Christmas day.
Adam, I always thought we should do this, but then I realized Christmas Eve is one of those days many non-believers come out for the evening service. And, then I discovered that church members would insist on the service and then not bring anyone or very few would bring people from the outside.
Let me encourage you to have a Christmas Eve service with your family. Invite some unreached family members, sit around the fire, read the Christmas story, share what Christmas means to you and just love the life out of them - let them see an accepting non judgemental- non preaching loving Jesus in you. And to the church world -don't talk about your church and don't try to get them to attend yours and please show them how the Christ family lives like Jesus without all the baggage of guilting people.
Adam, I would rather see the church cancel the Christmas Eve service and then all of us be the Church in service on Christmas Eve. Be the star of light that shows people who and where Jesus is.
Among those who came last year, we covered the spectrum - Christians, immature Christians, almost Christians, and hardcore pagans. I would hesitate to make a 'rule' that they have to bring someone, but we do encourage people make this an opportunity to live the love of Jesus by serving others on Christmas day and inviting those who are both outside the church and marginal in society.
As for canceling Christmas Eve service, I would hesitate to do that. A church that announced that they were canceling any service so that people could be with their families is sending a subtle message to those who don't have families.
It also seems as if 'family' rather than the Son of God becomes the focus of Christmas - kind of a wholesome secularization. I know that's not the intention, but it may be the result.
This Christmas Eve I'll stop by to see my kids for an hour or so, then I'll join some friends (mix of Christian/nonChristian) for a Christmas Eve dinner, and then together we will go to the 11:30 pm liturgy at the Anglican Church to welcome Christmas Day with thanksgiving and worship of the Savior of the world.
Rick -it depends on whether we are being incarnationally Christ followers with the only purpose but to show Jesus!
What would your kids think if you took the little time you have with them to spend it all with them and what would happen to them if they had all of your time to show them the Jesus in you.
If I were your pastor I would encourage you to use that quality time with your children. We can never fully worship and serve God until we have done so with our own children.
SKIP Christmas Even and invest in your kids. Take em out to see the Christmas Lights, buy em a milk shake, read the Christmas story, do some posters of Jesus being born from their perspective, make Christmas cookies, talk about how much you love them and share those special memories you have with them from the past.
PLEASE skip church Christmas Eve for your kids. God will bless you. After they go to bed, have your worship, praise and communion on your knees next to the fireplace.
Have you thought of that? Would you at least try it out?
Hi Bob. I only have my kids at court-appointed times, so it really isn't possible for me to just take them out on Christmas Eve and do things - and it breaks my heart that I can't. There are millions of mothers and fathers in a similar situation, but unfortunately we don't find many churches that understand. Divided/blended families have unique challenges. Our lives are very complicated, made more so by churches that forget that we exist (though a quarter of all adults have been divorced). Believe me, I've spoken with lots and lots of divorced Christians, and continuing to function in church is one of the most difficult things for us for multiple reasons. It has nothing to do with the structure, but with the attitudes.
Actually, I am a pastor (don't know if that was clear from the posts), and we do encourage family worship. The few times a week that I have my children we take time for Bible study, prayer and scripture memorization. In addition, my whole life centers around discipling the boys when I have them.
Blessings and have a merry Christmas!
Rick
Rick, thanks for the clarification. Our hearts go out to you and your family. Some of of cannot possibly begin to know the struggle and I have seen the church make your pain worse.
Keep up the good work and have a Merry Christmas that allows Jesus to fill any void or remove any saddness.
Be of good cheer!
Have a great one.
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