Making Your Christmas About What Jesus' Christmas Was About:
An Intentional Christmas
Christmas 2012 comes against the backdrop of a world much like that of the First Christmas - lots of upheaval, violence, and fear. A near war in the Middle East - with that area getting more and more dangerous; sparks of a second Egypt revolution; political uncertainty and paralysis; the fast approach of a game-changing "fiscal cliff."
Christmas 2012 - "peace on earth" in the middle of a nerve-wracking, unpredictable world.
So if you belong to Jesus, how about making this your "Good News Christmas" - the one where you intentionallly commit yourself to get to more people with the Good News about Jesus than ever before!
1. It's why Jesus came.
- "Call His name Jesus...He will save..." "A Savior (rescuer) has been born to you."
- "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners..." (1 Timothy 1:16)
2. There's no time when it's more natural to talk about Jesus.
- He's everywhere from carols at the mall to "A Charlie Brown Christmas."
- Hearts are softer than at any other time of the year.
Our "crazy busy" season of the year turns out to also be our best opportunity to bring people closer to our Jesus.
So it's got to be intentional - a frame of mind as we enter the Season!
Interrupting the usual cadence of our Christmas routine to declare, "Jesus, I'm going to make this a rescue Christmas, where I seize and create every possible opportunity to share Your life-saving message with people."
"Making the most of every opportunity." (Ephesians 5:16)
Encouragement from the First Christmas
The story of the First Christmas introduces us to the first-ever messengers of Jesus' Good News - those shepherds (Luke 2:8-20)! And their example offers some big-time encouragement to you as you're the Christmas "ambassador for Christ" (2 Corinthians 5:20) to the people in your world.
- God's best messengers are ordinary folks, not spiritual superstars. God didn't pick prophets or priests to be the first to tell about Jesus - He picked the lowest of the low - shepherds!
- They just tell the story of their Jesus-experience. Not persuaders, preachers, Bible scholars - just ordinary folks telling their Jesus-story.
- Their message is all about Jesus. No more, no less. Not about church, your religion, their religion, their lifestyle.
Mobilizing for a Rescue Christmas
You in your circle of influence
- Write up your Hope Story - the difference Jesus makes in your life. Include it in your Christmas cards; Facebook link; post a creative version of it on YouTube.
- Pray for open doors.
- Link people to sites where they'll find the Christmas Gospel. (Hutchcraft.com will feature seasonal Gospel blogs; a new "Christmas Moments" each day; links to Christmas videos.)
- Think about who you know who's lonely and brokenhearted this Christmas season - think of ways you could show them you care.
- Direct people to Christmas music on a Christian radio station.
- Invite some lost folks over for dinner, followed by going together to a Christmas event where they'll hear the Gospel; then invite them to come back for dessert where you can talk about what you heard and felt there. Pray for an opportunity to share your Hope Story.
Your family in your neighborhood
- Make a different kind of Christmas list - of people you each know who don't know Jesus...who you want to show His love to this Christmas. Begin to pray together regularly for that list.
- Put together "Care Packages" to deliver to neighbors, widows, people out of work, people who've meant a lot to your children. Include something with "Christmas Gospel" in it - maybe even your brief Hope Story as a family. Possibly do some caroling.
- Have the children draw pictures or make cards for the neighbors, showing what Jesus means to them. It's amazing what kids can get away with saying!
- Plan a Christmas party for your kids' friends where you share Jesus' Good News through a video, a story, a testimony.
- Make a creative family video for YouTube where the children share what Jesus did.
Your church in your community
- Challenge your church - the small groups, the children's ministry, the youth ministry -to be intentional about presenting the Gospel this month and offering a way for people to indicate a commitment to Christ or a prayer request (a comment card).
- Our "Born to Rescue" booklet is designed for churches or individuals to give out during the season. It's full of some of Ron's signature stories - all Christmas stories - that present the Good News of Jesus. You can order them from AWordWithYou.com.
Make this Christmas a rescue Christmas - like the first Christmas! And give some people you care about the greatest gift of all - "the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).