10 ways I can share my faith this Christmas
Christmas is almost here again!!Cards, Presents, Decorations, Parties, even Carol Singing. And so many people missing the point completely! They’ve thrown out the baby!! So this year let’s make a real effort to reclaim Christmas for Christ!!
There is no better time to share the gospel. No other time of year gives us more or better opportunities! The name of Jesus Christ is on everybody’s lips. The world is celebrating HIS Birthday. Jesus is the reason for the season! People are giving cards and presents without realising they are in honour of the first and greatest Christmas present of all, God’s gift of His Son Jesus Christ. It’s our job as Christians to tell people the real meaning of Christmas. Nobody else is going to tell them. And if we waste this opportunity then our friends and neighbours may never hear the Good News at all!!
So let me give you “10 ways I can share my faith this Christmas”. Simple obvious ideas of ways we can use the evangelistic opportunities Christmas offers us all. You probably already do some of these. All of us could try something new this year, something we haven’t done before to share the gospel at Christmas time.
1. Cards
Send Christian cards! The table has a wide choice of cards.
2. Presents
The Difference Jesus makes – our book of testimonies. Take as many as you want to give.
Marina’s autobiography, “My light in the Darkness” – £5 each on the cards table.
3. “The Greatest Christmas Present” Booklet
The nativity stories as they appear in the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John, together several short messages explaining the real meaning of Christmas.
4. Invitation Cards
We have lots of special events between now and Christmas.
Our usual Christingle service at 4 pm on Sunday 16th December followed by Tea.
Carols and Cake on 18th December– an hour of singing your favourite carols and enjoying delicious cake – the perfect event to invite your friends and neighbours to – not a service, just singing carols and eating cake
Sunday before Christmas – Family service in the morning and Carols by Candlelight at 6.30
Christmas morning – 10.30 am
Of course we want to invite everybody to join in these events with us and we always produce Christmas cards. These are for you to give to your friends and neighbours. They give this Christmas picture, and details of all our Christmas events with a Christmas message inside as well as our website addresses and telephone numbers. We also want to deliver the cards around the streets and it would be great if you could help!
5. Party time
Hospitality – anything from a cup of tea and a mince pie to a dinner party. There’s no better time than Christmas to break the ice by inviting them over for a coffee some time. Tis the season to be jolly. It’s allowed!! You could even invite your minister along to meet some of your neighbours and not yet Christian friends.
6. Carol singing
Somebody wrote this.
“For many people, carols conjure up the almost forgotten magical, white Christmases of our childhood, exciting presents and a simple belief in the mystery of Christmas.”
That’s true. What’s more, many people know more words from Carols than they do from any other Christian hymns or songs. Carols contain the message of the gospel – and they are already being played in shops and shopping centres. What better way of starting a conversation about Jesus than the words of well-known carols: Words most of our friends and neighbours already know – but don’t understand.
As well as the carol events I’ve already mentioned we will be singing carols outside the Havengore shops on Saturday 16th December between 1 pm and 2 pm.
7. It’s CHRISTmas
Not X-mas – not X the unknown in some equation we have to solve, not X something mysterious and scary from the X-files, not X a mistake we’ve crossed out. It’s not X-mas, it’s CHRISTmas!!!– there wouldn’t be a Christmas without Christ..
8. Think of others
Think about other people this Christmas – neighbours, friends Neighbours are allowed to be nice to each other at Christmas! ADVENT OF KINDNESS – cards.
Start this morning! Make new friends in the church – talk to somebody you don’t know today!
9. Talk about Jesus
Gossip the gospel. Take every opportunity to tell people the real meaning of Christmas. Everybody is saying “Seasons Greetings” “Compliments of the Season” See if you can find something better to say to everybody than “Happy Christmas”. Be brave! You could try “Peace be with you” or “God Bless you this Christmas time!” You’re allowed to be religious! It’s Christmas!
Be ready to share your faith! We need to be ready to answer people’s questions. “How did you become a Christian?” “What difference does being a Christian make to your life? At Christmas we need to be ready to answer questions like “What does Christmas mean to you?” or “Do you really believe in the Virgin Birth?”
10. Pray
Always talk to God about your friends before you talk to your friends about God. Pray for opportunities to talk about Jesus this Christmas. Offer to pray for your non-Christian friends for anything they may need.
The world has forgotten the real meaning of Christmas. Shops and restaurants and television have hijacked Christmas. Let’s do our best to reclaim this Christmas for Christ.
And here are 10 obvious simple ways we can do it!