Gospel.com Blog

Say “Christmas Eve” to me and I think meatballs. Mounds of delicious Swedish meatballs.

I also think of this hazy peaceful feeling that seems to crop up only on Christmas Eve, possibly due to the aforementioned meatballs. And then there’s singing Christmas carols in church whilst holding candles (all while failing to avoid the hot wax that has never been stopped by those silly little paper circle dresses).

Oh, and goodwill. I feel lots of goodwill on Christmas Eve.
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Here are a few Christmas articles and resources for you on this last Friday before Christmas.

First, two articles from Ravi Zacharias International Ministries:

The Silence of Christmas by Ravi Zacharias begins with a look on how perceptions of Christmas have changed in the United States.

The Mission of Christmas is a Christmas reflection by Betsy Childs

And from Winning at Home with Dan Seaborn:

An article about giving gifts like time and affection titled, Giving what you Can’t Wrap.

Family at Home is an article about difficult family relationships and how Christmas often exacerbates tensions.

A fun movie from Youth Ministry Exchange:

This video shows 100 Crying Children with Santa in ten minutes. They’ve prepared this as a free resource. Check out the link for more information.

John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

A lot of Gospel.com ministries work (or are based) in countries outside the U.S. Christmas in different parts of the world can look quite different than the tree-and-presents American version. Here are some Christmas resources that offer a slightly different take on this familiar holiday.

• What is Christmas like for Christians in Egypt? Arab World Ministries has an account of one Egyptian family’s Christmas that highlights some of the unique aspects of Christmas in the Arab world. Elsewhere on the same site is another good article about what Christmas means to Muslims—useful info for anybody involved in ministry to Muslims, or for somebody who’s just curious what Islam makes of this Jesus-focused holiday.
• The Pefeccionando a Los Santos de América Latin ministry works with local churches, missionary organizations, and institutions of higher learning in Latin America. They’ve put together an article that shows us a glimpse of what Christmas looks like in Mexico. Although Christmas traditions from the U.S. are influencing Mexican Christmas celebrations, there’s a lot of unique elements in the Mexican observation of Christmas that any Christian will find interesting.
• This third item is from the U.S., but offers a Christmas reflection from a part of the country that’s been radically changed by a natural disaster: it’s a short story about Christmas in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Nancy Leigh DeMoss has been doing a series called The King’s Dedication on her radio show Revive our Hearts that focuses on two often forgotten individuals in Christ’s life.

Simeon and Anna, who–I’ll admit–I was a bit hazy on, meet Jesus at the time of his purification. And after rereading the passage where we get to meet them, I have developed a new appreciation for their seemingly tireless devotion.

Advent is a season of contemplative expectation. We’re waiting to celebrate the birth of our savior, and this waiting was what Simeon and Anna had been doing their entire lives. So, when, for example, Simeon saw his savior it brought him such an all-consuming joy that it’s no wonder he burst into poetic prayer. From Luke 2:29-32:

Sovereign Lord, as you have promised,
you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles
and for glory to your people Israel.

You can read both their accounts in Luke 2:25-40. We featured this series yesterday, but another one of our community members, Back to the Bible, have perspectives on Jesus from the points of view of Simeon and Anna that are worth your time as well.

Need help getting into the holiday spirit this Christmas? If you’re looking for a little Christmas insight, take a look at these holiday essays and articles from various Gospel.com community ministries—they’re online Christmas classics that are freshly relevant each time the holidays roll around:

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For many churches, Christmas worship services are marked by special music, and that means there are lots of opportunities for members of the congregation to contribute their musical talents to the service. If you’re helping out with worship music this Christmas—whether you’re singing in a choir, playing an instrument in a brass ensemble, or playing in a worship band—the Farsipraise ministry has some good guides to using your musical talents well. They have practical advice for musicians playing the electric guitar, bass, brass, and more. Other essays address topics like using Gregorian chant in your service and teaching new songs to the congregation, both of which are relevant this time of year. If you find these useful, see their many other articles about music and worship.

Expectation is at the heart of Advent. And as the days fly by in December that expectation begins to swell. As a child, these days between Thanksgiving and Christmas were torturous; it was as if the entire world slowed down during the month of December. For me, the advent calendars did not help—They only served to increase my anticipation of the big day.

Now, as an adult these days have a sweetness to them. There are the fond memories of Christmases past, but there is also a renewed awe of what we’re expecting. Christmas, after all, is all about the savior of the world coming to reside among us, and it’s an awesome thought. If we haven’t done so already, we should set aside time to reflect on how this event has changed our lives and how we can then bring that excitement to others.
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One of the most recognizable elements of the Advent season is music—in fact, it’s unlikely you’ve made it this far into the holiday season without hearing Christmas music being played somewhere, whether it was at a church service or being piped over the PA system at the mall.

Listening to the music of Christmas can be a great way to walk yourself through the anticipation and eventual joy of the Advent season. Here are a few resources from the Gospel.com community to help you better appreciate the sounds of Christmas.

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Christmas is coming! For most of us, that means more than a little stress: there are presents to buy, family get-togethers to plan or attend, holiday traffic to contend with. For most of the “Christmas season,” it’s hard to find time to stop and take a deep breath, let alone ponder the spiritual significance of the holiday. It’s easy to put off quiet meditation and worship until Christmas Day itself—and even then, you’ll be lucky to get in a few hours of quiet before the relatives show up for the big Christmas dinner.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Christmas is a celebration of a world-changing event—the birth of Jesus Christ. If we put off thinking about the meaning of Christmas until December 25, we rob ourselves of a chance to experience the peace and joy of the Christmas story.

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