12.18.2012

6 Practical Ways to Serve This Christmas

I love Christmas. What I do not love is how commercialized it has become. I think it's great that we can exchange gifts with one another but my question has always been : who are we really celebrating ? Jesus or ourselves ? And while we do this we are surrounded by people who are hurting ; ones who have never known the love of a person let alone the unrelenting love of an eternal God.  It just makes me wonder. Anyway, this is not a criticism of anyone at all, so please do not get offended at me.

I was sitting here this evening thinking of practical things I can do this Christmas to help someone OTHER THAN myself and I came up with this list. I may not get to do all these things but I pray that by the grace of God I will be able to at least do two or three of them.

I hope it triggers some ideas for you as well.

  1. Baby-sit for a family that has just had a baby. I am sure they will appreciate a much-needed break.
  2. Serve at a homeless shelter.
  3. Make a meal and find some homeless people to give it to.
  4. Call a friend/family member you have not heard from in a while. Tell them you thought of them and just wanted to let them know that they are loved . People feel lonely around Christmas and so this is an excellent way of reminding them that they are loved by someone.
  5. Go out of your way to talk to someone in your church, workplace or neighborhood you have never had an opportunity to speak with.
  6. Pray for missionaries in remote nations who are sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is not easy for them to be away from at their families as they do the noble work of sending the gospel to places many of us would never want to live.
The goal is not to feel good about ourselves. The goal is to serve like Jesus did when He walked the earth.

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Matthew 25:37-40
Merry Christmas Friends. Love you all.
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12 comments:

Gazebos said...

It sounds good and I would definitely go for the 5 and 6 one. It really makes my mind relax and brings happy in that lovely day.

Michell Pulliam said...

So true Gertrude! We can get so caught up in Christmas that we forget what it is truly about...showing others His love and giving of ourselves. To me, that in itself is the best gift ever. Thanks for sharing! ;-)

Sabrina1108 said...

These are all amazing ideas! I know what you mean by the commercialized aspect of christmas. This is definitely a time to serve one another. Many of the things you've listed can last a lot longer than the material items we are saturated with in advertising.

Unknown said...

Gertrude I love this post and it is so true. People actually become depressed because of what they cannot do based on the commercialism of the holiday. And they do lose the true meaning. I have written a couple of similar posts on my blog too about this same subject.
http://www.writingmydreams.com/

Taylor @ On page SEO said...

That is surely something I must do and I even haven’t thought of this before. I can tell you one thing that you’ll get a lot of merits for doing stuff according to that list and I really appreciate your work.

Bev said...

hi, i following the "almost friday" blog hop. i would love for you to visit my blog and follow if you like it.

http://www.blackinkpaperie.blogspot.com

thanks
new follower bev

Kirra said...

Great suggestions! Your blog looks great. I'll be adding your blog to my RSS feed.

I came by from the Almost Friday blog hop.

Gertrude N said...

Hi Kirra, it was nice of you to stop by and say hi. God bless you and have a great weekend and Christmas !

Anonymous said...

Praying for missionaries is very crucial. Most Christians put them on the back burner when it comes to their prayer life. I watch a movie on youtube called the forgotten ones and that changed my view on job of missionaries. It is a must that we pray for them. I like that you added that to your list.

Sara said...

Thanks for the reminder! I found you from Missional Women's link!

Cramer Coffee and Jesus said...

I love these ideas! Sometimes at Christmas, we can get caught up in what WE want when in all reality, we have everything we need and should be serving others! Glad I found your blog from the Weekend Blog hop! glad to be your newest follower :)

Rebecca said...

Love these ideas and the heart behind them!

"Who are we really celebrating?". . .a great question to ponder this holiday season.