Family Christmas

This year was my first time to experience Family Christmas at Freedom Christian. I’m going to be honest, I was a little worried. Let me explain. We’ve all experienced that moment where there’s a movie we want to see but we can’t get to it right away.  It seems like all our friends, relatives, neighbors, and casual acquaintances want to do is gush over how awesome it is and how much we’re going to love it.  By the time we finally get to see the movie, it usually ends up falling a little flat because the expectations that were set could never be reached. For several weeks leading up to Family Christmas, I felt similarly bombarded by glowing reviews of how much I was going to love it. Likewise, I grew concerned it could never live up to the hype.

I am pleased to say that Family Christmas exceeded my expectations at every level.  Hearing the stories, feeling the emotions, and seeing the deep expressions of humble gratitude from those being honored filled my heart with a great measure of joy.  As we celebrated just a few of the amazing members of our church, there was a feeling of unity and love in the room that was tangible in a way I have not often experienced.

I think we forget sometimes how exciting it truly is to be a Christian.  In this world, some may feel they may never be more than bean counters or pencil pushers.  In the Kingdom of God, however, all of us can be heroes. We get to help rescue people and save their lives. We get to engage in spiritual warfare that really makes a difference in the world. We get to speak encouragement into each other’s lives that helps us reach the full potential of all God has in store. Days like Sunday help remind us of the real impact that the great people in this church are making in the world. Furthermore, they inspire us to reach greater heights for God’s glory.

Prior to Sunday, I was kind of surprised when Pastor Aaron had told me that 10-20 people make decisions to follow Christ each year at Family Christmas.  While I expected it to be a powerful and exciting time for our church family, the idea of Family Christmas never struck me as particularly “evangelistic”.  When I think about it now, it makes perfect sense.  People want to know that they matter.  They want to feel like they are loved and like they have a place to belong.  People want to believe that they can make a difference in their world.  People also need to see that Jesus is more than just a character in a book.  On Sunday, Family Christmas showed them all of those things were not only possible, but were to be expected as a part of the Family of Christ.

So I’ll leave us with this challenge: Let’s keep this same spirit alive throughout the year.  Our church does an exceptional job in so many areas already, but I believe we can do even better.

Jesus said in John 13:34-35:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

In 2015, let’s be a church that outwardly displays the unity and love of Christ among our congregation for the world to see.  When we see a need we can meet, let’s meet it.  When we notice a brother or sister doing a great job at something, let’s write them a note and tell them how much we appreciate all they do.  When we see a young person striving to better themselves and do something great, let’s be there with an encouraging word. Let’s constantly seek to show people how much they matter, and how much of a difference they make in our lives.  Let’s be heroes--because the world needs a place like that to come home to for Family Christmas.

Written by: Pastor Travis Buerky