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Psalm 96:3
“Declare His glory among the nations, his marvelous deeds among all peoples.”
Well, the holiday season is in full swing. The advertisements are everywhere, the radio is playing Christmas music, and most people are dealing with some combination of travel plans, decorations, shopping, dinners, vacations, and parties between now and the New Year. Our US economy has even come to depend on this season and tracks it pretty carefully. While I do not care much for the whole commercialization of the holiday season, I really do enjoy the holiday season within our church.
From Thanksgiving service to children’s programs, to Advent, I love the way our church puts the focus on where our blessings come from and celebrating God’s perfect plan for our salvation through His Son. I love the special offerings, the toy and food drives, and the way we are intentional about focusing on giving out of the abundance we have been blessed with. Without God, how could there even be a moment of true thankfulness? Who would we be thankful to? How would Christmas feel if we didn’t know the real reason behind it? I don’t think it would be very fun and it certainly would not be very fulfilling. No matter how bad of a day, week, or year we have, the source of our blessings and salvation is being presented and celebrated every Sunday in our worship services.
I think it speaks volumes to our local community when our parking lot is packed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. How many people drive by and wonder, “What do they have going on there that they would put off their meal or party to gather together?” Don’t we want these people to experience it for themselves? Is there a better time to invite someone to church than the holiday season?
This is where we as a congregation come in. If we never invite people, they may never come. For every 10 people we invite, we may be lucky if 1 actually comes through the door. But 1 is still better than none. It’s not always easy or comfortable, especially when you’ve invited people before and had no takers. But our job is to be ambassadors, representatives of God. God through the Holy Spirit will take care of the rest. Let’s not keep the gift that was freely given to us a secret, let’s go share it with those around us.