At Christmas, one of the things that should distinguish a follower of the teachings of Jesus is a love that reaches out to the marginalized and the forgotten – these are the people of our neighbourhoods, our schools, our cities, and around the world, and sometimes it’s us. Jesus was born into a poor but loving family, and we see him lavishly loving the poor, the hurting, the lonely. We are called to serve in humble, generous ways and we can spread God’s love through the way we choose to celebrate Christmas. When we show up and love in Jesus’s name, God shows up.
We love because He first loved us – 1 John 4:19
From our Ministry Team
- We are part of a conspiracy to do Christmas differently. We want to worship fully Jesus, spend less on us, and give more to our loved ones
- This week’s aim is to love all
- Jesus came for all people. If we are to faithfully follow Jesus we will love and serve all people, as a reminder of how much God loves us
Activity: Create some special Christmas cards for people like teachers, shopkeepers, or neighbours you don’t yet know well. Write them an encouraging note and draw a picture. Thank them for how they help your community and wish them a Merry Christmas
Bible Readings
Prayer
Lord, open our hearts and ears to Mary’s Song
May we humble ourselves as we individually and collectively love and serve others this Advent and ongoing
Reflection
In Luke, ‘Mary’s Song’ praises God’s greatness and God’s action in her life, calling herself blessed. Hmm, a nobody, a peasant girl, disgraced as unmarried and pregnant, becoming a mother that watches her son die, rejected and shamed?
Yet Mary stills feels honoured by God, a God whose redemptive work begins here on earth – feeding the hungry, offering dignity to the lowly, disrupting the world’s power structures; one whose challenge of the powerful can be saving. Mary sings of a God who seeks to equally share power, resources, dignity and asks us all to humble ourselves accordingly – a God who loves us as we are but does not leave us as we are, one who offers freedom through God’s salvation
Some ideas to help us Love all (from the website)
- Donate the money you saved from spending less
- Invite someone to church with you this week. Share a meal together after
- Be the person with an extra dose of patience this week. Listen well to others, offer grace
- Read Matthew 25. Notice how much Jesus cares about the way we love and serve others
- Ask your local church what serving opportunities there are and how you can get involved
- Pray for families around the world that are in need: single mums, refugees, villages without clean water, the homeless in your city
- Find a local organization to volunteer at. Go with your family, friends, or small group. Then talk about the experience and see what you learned