Faith

December Things

Dec 22, 2024

Today is a bright, cold, almost-winter day. Zoey is curled under the windowsill and my fuzzy socks and hot hazelnut coffee are indicators that I might as well curl up beside her. I love this time of year, and although not everything is perfect and family is spread out across the country, I am still inherently happy. I am still inherently here.

The girls and I served at our local church last week. I’m in a small group that focuses on outreach and so I bring them with me from time to time. We drew uplifting artwork—me terribly, them amazingly—on cardboard boxes filled with household items like blankets and canned goods.

Seventy families signed up to receive these Christmas boxes. While the children play in a separate part of the church, these parents will be able to “shop” these boxes for necessities and gifts to put under the tree, free of charge. Of course, the gospel message will also be presented.

As I take my modern luxuries for granted—like crafting the perfect hazelnut latte at home—other men, women, and children struggle to find warmth. It is a good reminder of Matthew 20:28, “Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” This is the meaning of the cross. This is the joy of Christmas.

So, I’m letting this notion settle deeply over me this December and well into the new year. As my family attends December things, events like a lantern festival or a Christmas musical, I hope to also schedule times to serve together—intermingling our hot cocoa strolls with delivering goodies to our neighbors, shopping for presents while praying for friends, near and far, doing Christmas crafts and baking sugar cookies while also using some of our time to support a cause.

Providing material items and drawing pictures won’t alter the state of the world at large. But it will change seventy individual worlds this Christmas. That’s the gospel lived out and its worth celebrating. So here’s to finding more people to serve in 2025. Merry Christmas!

Dec 22, 2024 | Faith