This Christmas - Week 2

INTRO VIDEO

INTRODUCTION

3 MINUTES

Is anybody else in the Christmas spirit already? Staying up late and sleeping in. Eating all sorts of cookies and delicious foods. Putting up Christmas decorations and lights. Watching Christmas movies. Giving and receiving gifts.

Yeah, even though it is hard for me for many reasons, I am starting to get into the Christmas spirit just a little bit, as well. It’s hard not to during this time of year! I even found myself humming Silent Night Tuesday while I was at the High School.

But here’s the thing: Every year the same thing happens. Christmas ends. The gifts get put away, and boxes and wrapping paper thrown out. School starts again. And other than that one neighbor who keeps their Christmas lights blinking until late February, most people pack away their decorations.

Sometimes it feels like the Christmas spirit gets packed away with everything else when the holiday season ends.

TENSION

2 MINUTES

And you know what else seems to get packed away with our Christmas decorations? Our spirit of generosity and giving! So much of the Christmas season is about giving. We give gifts to the people we love. We give our time to serving those in need, or showing up to church more often, or spending time with our families while we’re home from school over the break. We give our money or possessions to families or charities that need it for Christmas.

Think about it! What’s the most awesome gift you’re giving to someone this Christmas? It doesn’t have to be the most expensive gift! Maybe it’s just something particularly thoughtful—something that you know will mean a lot to the person who receives it. Something you know they’ll love!

You probably felt amazing when you bought it or made it, right? Even thinking about giving your gift to that person fills you with joy and excitement. That’s how generosity can make us feel. And while that feeling isn’t the only reason to give, it sure does feel good to do something nice for someone you care about, doesn’t it?

But then what happens? You give them the gift, and they love it. Everybody feels awesome, right? And then, the moment is gone. Just like that, all the good feelings of generosity start to fade away. Why is it that something that seems so good is so temporary?

I mean, wouldn’t it be great if that feeling we get from giving during Christmas could last more than just a season? Wouldn’t it be great if we could experience the joy of generosity all year long? To give other people that joy as we give? I’m sure you’ll agree that being generous all year long sounds great, but it’s not always an easy thing to do. So how do we do it? How do we continue to be generous when the Christmas season ends?

TRUTH

4 MINUTES

Well, I think Bible can give us some guidance when it comes to generosity! Whether you’ve grown up in church or you’re new to this whole faith thing, you may be familiar with some parts of the Christmas story. The Christmas stories we have in the Bible were written by two of Jesus’ followers named Matthew and Luke. And in their stories, both of these men gave us the details surrounding Jesus’ birth. They tell the story of Mary, Joseph, the angels, and a baby born and placed in a manger. A lot of us have heard that before, right?

Today, I want to look at what another one of Jesus’ followers—a guy named John—wrote about the Christmas story. John didn’t give the details that Matthew and Luke did. Instead, he focused on the story behind the story—on what it all really meant.

He started by telling us what Jesus brought with Him when God sent Him to Earth that first Christmas. Take a look:

In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it (John 1:4-5 NIV).

The gift of Jesus demonstrates God’s amazing generosity to us. And Jesus is massively generous to us by turning on the light! It’s His light that He brought to the world to share with all of us.

Now I realize that talking about a person as a “light” might seem a little confusing. So, let’s unpack that a bit! Think about the different things that light provides us. It brightens up a dark space, allows us to see things clearly, and even warms up cold spaces. When you’re in a dark or cold place, what happens when the light comes on? The room is filled with warmth, comfort, and light, right?

The light changes everything.

It reveals truth, showing us how things really are. It provides warmth. It gives direction, helping us see which way we should go. And, of course, shining a light gets rid of the darkness in a space!

Since Jesus is the light of the world, that means He does all these same things for us. He brings all of these fantastic realities into the world and into our lives. Jesus, being continually generous, wants to bring comfort, hope, and love into to our lives. He wants to help us see things clearly and give us direction. And what’s even better is that His light can’t be put out by anything. It’s more powerful than anything we might encounter. Pretty cool, right?

You see, Jesus’ light isn’t something we only experience at Christmas. It isn’t something that only comes with remembering the gift of His birth. Jesus’ light is available to us all year long!

How do I know? Take a look at another passage in John:

From his abundance we have all received one gracious blessing after another (John 1:16 NLT).

Jesus has so much for us. An abundance (or a whole lot!) of light, and grace, and love that He gives us with an endless supply of blessings. He’s the gift that actually keeps on giving. His generosity is given to us all year long.

But we don’t always reflect Jesus’ spirit of giving in our own lives. Here’s what I mean.

INTERACTIVE: Never-Ending Generosity

[Display the 12-month calendar.] Normally we give the most during the holiday season; so we’re talking a maximum of two months. Just November and December. [Gesture to or use a laser-pointer to bring attention to those two months.] I get it. During these months we feel warm and fuzzy. The spirit of giving is in full-force around Christmas! But it’s only about 60 days out of the year. What about the rest of the year? [Gesture to bring attention to the other 10 months of the year.] What about the other 300 or-so days? That’s a long time, and it’s the majority of our year! Do we just forget about those days? Do we just say, “Hey, I’ve done what I was supposed to do. I was generous around Christmas time, so we’re all good!”

Well, Jesus’ generosity is given to us all year long. And our generosity toward others can work the same way! The happy feeling we get from being generous with our time or possessions isn’t a feeling reserved just for Christmas. [Motion to the November/December areas on the calendar.] It’s something we can have all the time when we follow Jesus’ example. [Motion to the entire calendar.]

APPLICATION

2 MINUTES

You see, generosity should happen all year long. But giving wrapped up presents like we do at Christmas isn’t the only way to live this out. Instead, we can be generous with others when we, like Jesus, bring light into the world. Being generous all year long means continually making choices and behaving in a way that brings light to others.

What does that look like? Maybe it’s offering a kind word to someone you know who needs it. Maybe it’s sharing your clothes with your sister more often. Maybe it’s offering that new kid a seat at your lunch table. Maybe it’s serving in your community with your Small Group. Things like that—both big and small—shine a little bit of light on the people who receive them.

Now, here’s a helpful thing to remember about this generosity stuff: Being generous doesn’t always come easy! And it can take practice.

In other words, if you want to develop a part of your character so that it becomes a regular thing in your life, you have to practice it. You have to play the piano a lot to get good at it. You have to shoot a lot of hoops in order for you to become a successful basketball player. You have to solve harder and harder math problems to become a brilliant mathlete.

In the same way, you can become more generous in your life all the time by practicing. Start this Christmas by doing something intentionally generous. [Point to the December area of the calendar.] Then do it again tomorrow. And then keep being generous into the New Year. [Point to the January area of the calendar.] And then keep it going into the next month. [Motion to the February area of the calendar.] Imagine if you could continue that spirit of generosity throughout the whole year! [Motion to the rest of the months on the calendar.]

Maybe it’s here in Bartlesville, or at your school, or with your friends or family members. Commit to trying to do one generous thing a month, a week, or even every day. Whatever that looks like for you, commit to starting somewhere. Then make a plan to continue doing it year-round. Make it a habit! When you do, you’ll shine God’s light on those around you, not just this Christmas, but throughout the whole year.

LANDING

1 MINUTE

Remember, generosity should happen all year long.

So as we get ready to pray, I want you to think about this question: What’s one thing I can do all year long that shows generosity to others?

Let’s pray.