When I was in pastoral ministry, my holiday season began on Christmas Eve, once the church services were finally over. Until then, I made sure that everything was in place for a month of special services, all culminating with a few blowout Christmas Eve services. It was life in the fast lane, to be sure.
And while I don’t regret serving people in this manner, I discovered that I will never experience all the joy the season offers unless I’m intentional.
Resolutely intentional.
The beauty of the Christmas season doesn’t just show up magically. We have to posture ourselves to receive it.
You’re already working hard so that everyone ELSE will experience Christmas. But when will YOU experience it?
In this blog series, I’ll offer some intentional actions that won’t require anything more than a few minutes of your time. They’re crafted so that you can make them happen online, right now.
So while this series is for everyone to experience, I’m writing each post with a bent toward people who get paid to serve in a church, or people who volunteer at higher levels on a church worship team, production team, or staff team.
READ THE STORY
Take a moment and breathe in the the story of Christmas. Read the first part here (Luke 1:26-38). It’s so simple, but reading the Christmas narrative while NOT producing a church service is so important to do. Don’t hurry. Let it seep into you. Drop yourself into the story, and don’t be in a hurry to climb out.
GIVE A GIFT
Second, give a piece of yourself away. Do this by finding someone who follows you on Twitter or Facebook – someone whom YOU DON’T KNOW, or you barely know. Send them a DM or a direct email. Simply say, “Thanks for following me. I’m honored. Hope you have a great Christmas.” Or something like that. And if you think that’s a stupid idea, and are prone to glossing over it, then please at least take the time to ask yourself, “Why am I pushing back against this?”
The truth is simple: We’ll never experience Christmas without two things: The Story, and a gift that’s given. But when you work in a church, those are the first two things that can take a back seat.
I’ll continue to write these posts, each with a tweak on the Story, and the gift you give. And it’s my deepest hope and prayer that you won’t get to December 26th and think, “What just happened?”
If you want to spread the word to your ministry friends and coworkers, please do that. You can link them here, or copy it all and call it your own. I don’t really care. Just help me get the word out.
Merry (intentional) Christmas!
