Most common complaint I hear about the Christmas season? It’s too busy!
I get it. And for a ministry family, Christmas is our Superbowl. It’s a time when we lead in the celebration of the birth of our Savior. But it’s also a time when our neighbors who don’t know Jesus might dare step into the doorway of our church for a children’s program, a family event or a Christmas Eve service. It’s a time when those that have experienced loss are especially sensitive and might be willing to entertain the possibility of hope in a Savior.
So as you are looking ahead at the coming “Christmas Crazy” and maybe wishing it would all just slow down, consider flipping the script.
Let’s flip the script in two ways. The first is one you can guess and could probably write your own article on. The second might take you by surprise but will bring a welcomed freshness to your holiday celebration – if you take advantage of our challenge to you.
So first, flipping the script on the busyness that the holidays bring means taking intentional moments to abide. To carve out time, however short it might be, to richly dwell in His presence. Maybe that means taking a walk in the cold, savoring the crispness of the night air, just remembering of His coming to earth and taking this moment to thank Him for it. That one night walk might be your moment. Or maybe it’s a moment before the family gets up and about, where you can remember the One who came for you. Your Wonderful Counselor, Your Mighty God, Your Everlasting Father, Your Prince of Peace. Take that quiet moment to thank Him for how He has been EACH of those to you, this past year.
Instead of expecting a total revamp of how you experience the holidays, why not ask the Lord to give you a “moment”? A one-moment gift where you experience His presence and are reminded of His delight in you.
The second way we can flip the script this year is by taking a challenge. Instead of seeing your role as a ministry family as a long string of events, stuff to be at, obligations to be honored, and maybe a time when we see even less of their dad, your husband, than usual – let’s turn this one on its head.
Sometime during Thanksgiving week, gather your family and work through this conversation together. For us, it’ll be with our adult kids, their significant others, all who have their own homes but who will come for some special meals and traditions that we do as a family.
During your time together, talk about what ways you “get” to serve Jesus that are different from other families. What are things your family “gets” to do during the holidays that other families in the church may not get to do. Maybe it’s decorating the church or making food for those serving on Christmas Eve. For us and for a season, it was building an epic stage set to move people into worship and celebration. If you can’t think of any, maybe it’s time to create some. When you can see these as opportunities, they become your family’s Christmas gift to Jesus. Something that only your family can do and offer to Him.
Then talk together about the things you do during the Christmas season that mean the most to you, the things that help you to celebrate Jesus. These don’t have to be the most somber – in fact they probably shouldn’t be. After all, we are announcing the coming of a King. And it was a big deal when Jerusalem announced the coming of King Jesus into the city, by shouting “Hosanna, Hosanna” and laying down palm branches.
As a family, walk through these other questions together. Maybe choose a kid to be your “scribe” and record what you all decide as a family.
We hope this time together will serve to remind you that while there are sacrifices that God has called your family to during this season, there are also rich privileges and opportunities to see God work, up close. If only we have the eyes to see.
