By Mark A. TaylorÂ
No, this is not more pressure to get your shopping done early. Instead, here”s a list of possibilities for making your December a little less hectic and a little more meaningful.
You may decide to follow my advice every day from now till the Big Day. But if only a couple of these ideas sound good to you, that”s enough. The point is to refocus, relax, and remember why we”re celebrating in the first place.
Today, December 2″”Make a list of several neighbors and decide how you”ll connect with at least one of them during the holidays. Possibilities: invite them for coffee or a meal; take them a Christmas treat.
December 3″”Read Luke 1:1-25. Thank God for a time he surprised you with his intervention in your life. Ask him to help you with the obstacle you”re facing now.
December 4″” Listen to today”s episode of Beyond the Standard. Three guests will talk about how to make a difference among those living in poverty. Log on here at 11 a.m. Eastern.
December 5″” Invite a non-Christian or new Christian to attend a Christmas program at your church or in the community.
December 6″”Sleep in. Or take a 15-minute nap with a favorite Christmas collection playing softly in the background.
December 7″” Take a moment to walk through some part of your church building you usually don”t visit. Maybe it”s the children”s wing, the baptismal changing rooms, or the kitchen. Ask God to bring Christmas cheer and peace to those using these rooms this month.
December 8″”Speaking of church, think about how hectic this season is for your preacher and other staff members. Grab a Christmas card and send it, along with a small gift card, to at least one person on your church staff with a note of thanks.
December 9″”Read Luke 1:26-38 and ponder Mary”s words, “Nothing is impossible with God.” Jot down the “impossible” challenge you”re facing and ask God to show you how to handle it.
December 10″” Memorize the words to at least one stanza of a favorite Christmas carol or chorus. Repeat the words to yourself while you”re driving to work or in the shower.
December 11″”Two weeks till Christmas! Make a list of all the to-dos still on your list. Cross off at least one of them and decide not to do it.
December 12″” Send a thank-you note and a gift card to one of your church”s elders. Of all the workers in the church, they are the most taken for granted.
December 13″”Take a walk. Thank God for your legs to walk, eyes to see your surroundings, and ears to hear the sounds of nature or traffic.
December 14″” After church today, take someone new to lunch. Maybe it”s a widow or a newly married couple or a visitor. Before bed tonight, ask God to bless your new friend.
December 15″”Subscribe to Christian Standard for a college student or a member of your church staff. See all the options here.
December 16″”Read Luke 1:39-56. Read again Mary”s song (vv. 46-55) out loud. Ponder the “great things” God has done for you. Thank him for the mercy you”ve seen in your life.
December 17″”Download one new Christmas song or purchase a new Christmas CD.
December 18″”Read (or read again), Alan Ahlgrim”s sermon, “Overwhelmed by Christmas,” page 40 in the December Christian Standard. (Or find it here.)
December 19″”Read Matthew 1:18-25. Consider all the factors that made the first Christmas difficult for Mary and Joseph. Thank God for what they were willing to endure so that Jesus could come.
December 20″”Jot down a list of simple prayer requests for those receiving Christmas presents from you or your family this year.
December 21″”Take notes on the preacher”s sermon this morning. Look them over again before you go to bed tonight.
December 22″”Read Dan Schantz”s “What to Give the Person Who Has Everything” from page 36 of the December Christian Standard (or find it here).
December 23″” Consider one person important to your life that you probably don”t know: the garbage collector, mail deliverer, janitor at work, or snow plow driver. Ask God to bless him or her with the peace that comes from understanding the truth about Christmas.
December 24″”Read Jim Tune”s Christmas meditation, available only at our website.
December 25″”Read the traditional Christmas story, Luke 2:1-20, in a new way: from an unfamiliar translation, as a responsive reading with those at your Christmas table, or by assigning different people in your group to read the words of the angel or angels, the shepherds, and the narrator.
Love this!
Good stuff!