Adding Hope to the Holidays

    

During the holiday season, it is so easy to become overwhelmed with busyness.  It is significantly important as Christians that we set our eyes on Jesus.  Our thinking is critical, not only for our sake but for the sake of those who place no importance on His birth.   How often do we lose sight of the truth behind Christmas?  Although December 25^th is probably not Jesus' real birthday, it is the day we set aside to recognize the best gift one could ever receive.  For that reason, our energy surrounding a Christ-centered Christmas is important.

     This past weekend’s Sunday School lesson focused on the angels' visits both to Mary and Joseph.  We spoke about how Mary had set her plans for the future aside to make Gods’ purpose her mission.   We talked about how God brought Joseph to the right understanding of Mary’s commitment and how he, too, was obedient to God’s plans.  I wanted these fifth graders to see how they, also, could be a part of Gods’ plan.  We’ve been teaching about how Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but through Him.  Asking the kids to consider how their friends view Christmas, it was unanimously decided that most people focus on their presents.  I held up a small wrapped gift indicating that we would use that focus to give a gift that would help their friends focus on Jesus, if only for a moment.  I had laid wrapping paper, a small box, packing materials, a label, a bow, a small heart that said, “All My Hope Is In Jesus, BEST GIFT EVER!,” a small label and scotch tape in front of each of them.  Alongside theses materials, I had laid a double-sided printed copy of Luke 2:1-38, which is the Biblical account of Jesus birth and dedication.  Printed instructions on the top of this sheet of paper, "Read On Christmas, and Remember Why We Celebrate."  Each student was also given a slightly modified version of this same gift to place in the branches of their own Christmas tree.

     It was a fun activity to teach many of the kids how to wrap their first gift.  We laughed at our inexperience.  As we wrapped, many of the kids were quick to compliment each others’ gift wrapping skills.  We talked about which friend had come to mind while they were wrapping their gifts.  We wanted to make sure that we focused on those who rarely if never thought about Jesus.  We talked about Gods’ wishes for us to spread the good news found in our Bibles.  Our attention should be placed on how we can provide valuable information to a lost world.  

     The blessing of this lesson came when most of the kids have left the Sunday School room and one young man remained behind (a 5^th grader).  He was super excited about giving his gift to a specific friend that he had already entered on the package label.  Then his eye spotted the gift that had been wrapped and left behind on the desk.  There was no one to claim the package that had been nicely wrapped, so when he asked if he could have that gift too because he had another friend, I knew the only reasonable answer was ‘yes.’  God granted me a gift when I experienced his enthusiasm.

     The next morning, I greeted his mother and told her how impressed I had become of her young son, who often engaged with the Sunday School lesson and what a joy it was to see his excitement.  She shared with me that he brought the two gifts to her attention and explained what we had done.  She said that he was delighted with the project as he had not yet figured out how to talk to his friends about Jesus, and now he had a plan.  I wished that all of the kids would have understood the relevance of the gift they have and how important it is to share.  Even adults have difficulty being ambassadors for Christ.  If you’ve experienced the same desire as this young man to share Christ with his friends, feel free to duplicate this idea.  Jesus is the most amazing gift we can offer to anyone.