Do you find evangelism intimidating? Christmas is the perfect opportunity to witness without feeling a drop of intimidation or fear. I love many things about Christmas, and most of those things centre on the remarkable opportunity we have to sing God’s praises wherever we go. A thrill runs up my spine when I hear the gospel being broadcast in just about every public venue, reaching those who have yet not heard the gospel or those whose hearts are closed to the Good News. Christmas is the time when the walls of cynicism, doubt, and rationalism tumble.
I know I am not the only one so inclined to hum along to the carols blaring in most stores. Christmas is the one time of year we as Christians are free to shout the gospel from the rooftops without being silenced by the political correctness police.
A few years ago, my church’s home group asked me to create song sheets for a Christmas party. I wrote out most of the lyrics from memory alone. Stanza after stanza of familiar carols tripped easily from my fingertips. Those songs were as much a part of my Christmas’ as were holiday baking and twinkling Christmas lights.
However, as I proofread my work later that day, I paused. I saw the songs in a new light. So many of the carols I sang from rote carried the good news of salvation and freedom that the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ provided for us! Since that day. For example, ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’ proclaims the whole gospel in four stanzas! What a song to use as a witness to others! What a boost to one’s faith! I can never sing a Christmas carol without being full of gratitude and wonder.
Isaiah 55:10-11
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven,
And do not return there without watering the earth
And making it produce and sprout,
And providing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;
So will My word be which goes out of My mouth;
It will not return to Me empty,
Without accomplishing what I desire,
And without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it.”
Don’t be timid in declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ during the Christmas season. Proclaim His truth by singing the traditional Christmas songs of our faith with the same attention you would give any other song of worship. Sing them as if you were preaching the gospel! It doesn’t matter if you sing off-key; your heart is never off-key when you sing praises to the Lord! Sing with the surety that as you worship, God plants seeds in the hearts of those around you. Yes, the old favourites warm our hearts with Christmas memories, but they also hold the potential to fan into flame God’s presence in hearts that are have grown cold.
I’ve created a Spotify Playlist for the Christmas season. Enjoy! Here is my “Christ-Centered Christmas” Playlist on Spotify! And here is a site that has many of the lyrics of your favourite carols. http://christmas-carol-words.com/
May God bless you as you bring the promise and hope of Christmas into a world that desperately needs good news, now more than ever. Introduce others to the light of the World has the power to dispel all darkness.
All Bible references, unless indicated, are from the NASB 1995 edition.
Until next week,
©2021 Katherine Walden
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