Skip to main content

Christmas Card

You may have heard Christians say, "They will know us by our love." They are referring to John 13:35.  It says, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."  

This is a verse that has been on my mind lately. As the holiday season gets rolling the pace of life seems to pick up.  The "to do" list includes decorations, baking, and shopping for gifts. There are Christmas parties to attend and movies to watch. It's easy to get caught up in the litany of things to do and pass over the opportunity presented by the season.  

As the shopping centers get crowded and tempers rise, we have a chance to be different.  By sharing kindness and grace we can make a small impact in our circles. The things of this world take over in our modern Christmas season. By anchoring ourselves in Jesus we can be different when someone runs into us with a shopping cart or cuts us off in the parking lot. 

They say supply chain will impact the gifts you may want to give.  This seems to add to the frenzied mentality. I think it is a tremendous opportunity for us as Christians. We can purposely choose to give another gift this Christmas season. A gift that will never break or fade away. When you are staring at a shelf with the last of the season's hottest item, be the glimmer of light and let them have it.

We get to love and show the world that we follow Jesus.  Maybe by our example, someone will choose to check out church this Christmas and hear the Gospel for the first time. Through our kindness someone who has been hurt by the church may decide to give it another try. They may see that there is an entire group of people who love in a way that they stand out from the rest of the world.  

Last week Pastor Tim shared that we have these cards with our Christmas service times printed on them.  I encourage you to take a handful and share them with people you encounter. Embrace the season and the opportunity it presents.  Choose to show love in the me-centric, materialistic modern Christmas season.  Let everyone know you follow Jesus by the way you love and live. Then do something bold and invite them to join us at Westside. 

Merry Christmas,

Matt



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Right In Front of Me

There is one character in the story of the night of Jesus' arrest that sticks out. He seems insignificant to what is happening. He’s almost an interruption in the story. He is only mentioned by name in one of the four gospels, even though the description of what occurred is in all four gospels.  Malchus is his name. He works for the people who want Jesus dead. His job, with his compadres, is to seize Jesus and bring him back to the high priest. There he would be subject to questioning, a trial of sorts.  As Malchus and his posse are approaching, Peter takes action to protect Jesus. “With that, one of Jesus' companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear” (Matthew 26:51). Jesus immediately tells Peter and the rest of his disciples to stop with the violence.  I wonder what Malchus thought at this point. I imagine his was in shock, I would guess he was surprised. He had just been attacked and surely is bleeding ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Glow Differently

I saw this quote recently, “You glow differently when your confidence is fueled by belief in yourself instead of validation from others.” I found myself wrestling with it. I completely agree with the concept that the validation of my worth is not established by the thoughts of others. While I think a positive self image is important, I do not think that it is what really makes me “glow differently.” I hope I glow differently because of whom I believe in, rather than what I believe of myself.  The author of Titus says, “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:4-7) . Love and kindness entered the world in the form of a m...
Post a Comment
Read more

Grits

This past Saturday I got the chance to catch up with my friend at breakfast. We connected months ago over grits, of all things. I learned he really didn't care for grits. Turns out his parents used to make him eat them quite often and in many forms. As he has grown older he's made the conscious decision, he's had enough grits for a lifetime. On the other hand, I really enjoy grits. They are a wonderful breakfast food with butter, salt, and pepper. For dinner, you can't beat some good shrimp and grits. I have a recipe for jambalaya grits that will put a smile on anyone's face. It is like jambalaya meets cheese grits. Yum! My friend and I joke about grits everytime we see each other. I offer him some and he politely refuses. Of course, I respect his wishes and don't give him any grits. How do you offer someone grits? Do you insist they eat and like them because you eat them? Do you put them on their plate anyway? Do you treat them differently bec...
Post a Comment
Read more