I’ve only been doing the pastor thing for 42 years and I can’t speak for every pastor’s experience but my experience with Christmastime has been rich. I love the Christmas season!
5 Reasons I Love Christmastime
1. The sounds of Christmas are glorious!
How can you beat, “O Come All Ye Faithful,” “Silent Night,” or “Joy to The World” as calls to worship and devotion? Bring on the 24-hour-Christmas–music radio stations.
Christmas carols are singable – even for those who can’t hold a tune. Most everybody knows at least the first verse from a dozen carols. The music is majestic and the lyrics are hallmarked by expectation, joy, faith and wonder.
I worked with some of the best choir directors at Christmas, like Sean Morton at North Pointe and Emmanuel Fonte of the Singing Christmas Tree.
2. Christmas and kids make an inspirational combination.
We loved our kids at North Pointe. Christmas was a great opportunity for children to deliver a profound message that adults can appreciate. I had a front row seat for all the kids’ performances. They sang, acted and bee-bopped their way through the meaning of Christmas. What fun presentations!
Looking at their joyous faces and the effort they put out to get their lines and notes right makes parents proud. Thank you to Pastor Charity and your teams for helping kids tell the story of Christmas.
3. Charity ramps up at Christmas.
Think of all the people who volunteer, especially because it’s Christmastime. All ages and stages of faith get involved to sing in choirs, serve hot chocolate, pack Christmas baskets or Samaritan Purse shoeboxes and make sweets to share.
The Salvation Army Christmas Kettles, 630CHED’s Santas Anonymous, The Festival of Trees and of all the free turkey dinners served to the homeless, to name a few efforts, are driven by volunteers.
Christmastime is community building.
4. Tis the season to care.
Christians care all year round and especially at Christmas. People donate gifts and money to be given away anonymously at Christmas to families in need.
One family who was a recipient of anonymous generosity said, “Thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We are so sincere in our gratitude to you and everyone that does this for families. It brings tears to my eyes how much people care and do.”
5. Christmas brings hope even in grief.
As a pastor I know too well that blue can be the colour of Christmas.
Almost every year of my ministry I have officiated a funeral around Christmas time. My mom unexpectedly passed away six days before Christmas. I remember our family driving by houses brilliantly shining with Christmas lights where people were celebrating while we were grieving.
As much as her death hurt, there was help in the hope that she had passed from life to death to life again because of Christmas. Jesus was born to be the Savior. He was my mom’s Savior.
I love Christmas because “God so loved the world that he gave His only Son, Jesus.”
What do you love most about the Christmas season? Please leave a comment below.
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drops mic… well said (written) my friend!
Looking forward to the 2015 Singing Christmas Tree! The SCT has been a wonderful connector to stay in touch with so many friends like you beyond North Pointe.
My mom attended the Christmas concert by the kids yesterday. She loved it. She was sitting behind you, Pastor Bob, in the second service. She was the lady hooting and cheering for the kids. She’s not a believer. She went up to Pastor Charity after the event to tell her how wonderful the performance was. Pastor Charity hugged her, and my mom began to cry. I too began to cry with her. Afterward she said, “I don’t know why I’m crying, it’s silly really.” I know why she was crying. I know that the spirit of God moved her heart through the music and the kids. I know the message from Pastor Charity touched her heart. Thank you! Thank you for all your hard work. Who would know the simple story, presented in such a fun way, would touch a heart so deeply.
That’s awesome, Adena. I am so glad she was having fun at the presentation and in the midst of that God was touching her heart. I saw her go up to PC on the stairs of the platform and hug her. Pretty cool!
Adena, I was also sitting near your mom and I am so glad she was there. I hoot and holler too so we had company! 😉
Your story brought tears to my eyes.
I adore the kids productions at school and church, the lights on homes and trees in the neighborhood, and most of all my heart is overwhelmed by the Nativity.
This year, Caeleb will be a shepherd in the Nativity at his new school. I expect to be bawling with joy!
May God use every performance, song and display to remind those seeking Him that He is in this season!
Only parents understand “bawling with joy” as a good thing. Enjoy.
I read the blog you referred to, ‘8 Reasons why Pastors Struggle During the Christmas Season’ and thought, ‘how blessed we are to have a Pastor that Loves Christmas’. Then I went on and read ’11 Reasons Pastors Struggle on Easter’, and was feeling doubly grateful, knowing you love Easter even more! But, by the time I finished reading the comments and reflected on what I read, I had a growing compassion for less experienced Pastors in more difficult situations, and their families.
I am glad Pastors are human and can admit they get tired, cranky, burned out and need prayer, spiritual help and understanding, even during Christmas and Easter. Pastors are ordinary human beings who have a Theology Degree, Special Training, and Unique Experience. I don’t expect or want them to be Super Humans. I think the ones who think they are get in trouble. Once I confessed to a Pastor that I was ashamed of myself because I was so angry I swore under my breath (sometimes it got audible). The most helpful thing he did was admit he’d done it too! I didn’t think less of him. I thought more of him. He was an honest human being who understood my situation.
The thing I love most about Christmas, is celebrating that God became human. When I read the Christmas story or see it acted out by sweet innocent children I know God loves me and my poor humble working class family. I don’t have to be ashamed of who I am because God chose to become like me. Jesus made being human a God thing. He became just like me so I could become more like Him. Just like pastors and the rest of us, Jesus lived with personal struggles in a suffering world to fulfill His purpose on earth. Then He died, saved us from sin, sent the Holy Spirit to transform us, and gave us eternal life. What’s not to love?
Thanks, Shirley! I am looking forward to seeing you and your family sometime at North Pointe’s Christmas events this season.