STUDENT MINISTRY: Christmas Time is Around the Corner
With Halloween in the rearview mirror, it is now time for us to focus our attention on the celebration of Christmas and how we can optimize the holiday for ministry impact. There is no mandate from Scripture to celebrate the birth of Jesus, but it does provide opportunities for us to talk about Him and to share Christ’s love with a lonely and hurting world. This is especially true in the lives of students who may not know much about Jesus and His birth, but they do understand love when they experience it and know of Christmas.
How do we make the most out of the holiday season? What can we do to make Christmas count? Here are some ideas:
• Share biblical messages. As you teach your students during this time, it is all the more important to give your students the facts and truth of the Bible — Jesus was prophesied about, His birth was heralded and He was born of a virgin. Those biblical facts are important as we help shore up our students’ biblical knowledge. It is not enough to simply share messages about the themes of Christmas. Let’s give our students the Bible.
• Look for needs to be met in our local church body. To help your students understand service, it is important to start by investigating the church you are connected with. The “one anothers” of Scripture point us to helping and serving one another. That is a lesson our students need to learn while they are in student ministry. It may be a single parent needing a night out to do some Christmas shopping. It may be a widow who needs some company. It might be an elderly church member who needs some leaves raked and repairs done.
• Look for opportunities for students to serve in the community. It doesn’t simply need to be something you or your students want to do. It should be something the community needs. See where God is working and join Him there. Henry Blackaby shared that concept, and it still holds true today. If we aren’t careful, we will simply seek out those things we like to do and make us feel good. Our goal should be to seek out ways to love our neighbors and neighborhoods in a way that provides value to the community.
• Don’t forget the fun. There is great joy in celebrating Jesus’ entry into the world. As you work with students and children, there are plenty of ways to embrace the joy of the season. Look for God-honoring ways to do just that.
I’m not sure what the holidays look like at your church, but with some intentionality, they can be used to make an impact for the gospel.
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Dan Carson
BMA Youth Department Director Dan Carson writes a weekly column titled, Student Ministry Matters, through which he inspires, challenges, and informs BMA of Arkansas churches and church staff about all things pertaining to student ministry.
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