Dear Folks,
Here are some Christmas and Advent resources. They appear on the web as examples of things that are
important to engage when speaking of Christmas and Evangelism. They were used as part of a presentation in the third Leadership Forum in Winnipeg and I am happy to discuss the whole theme of Advent and Christmas resources if you wish.
There are three essential things to remember at Christmas. Each of these is essential for reaching out to
our neighbours. Unless engaged, they are missed opportunities of an enormous order.
1. Christmas Eve Service – 23 million Canadians belong to traditions that celebrate the Christmas
Eve Service. At least in its outline, they are similar to the one in this package. Obviously the Roman
Catholic Mass is somewhat different, but a service of carols, candlelight, Scripture and a brief sermon is
a dominant part of this culture which needs new breath breathed into it so that people might separate
Christmas sentimentality from a real experience of Jesus. If you look around you in your community you
will see mainstream and Roman Catholic Churches full on Christmas Eve, while we often see it as a non-
event. Incarnation means to be like Christ and one with the community. Christmas Eve service is an
essential beginning to that.
2. Participate with other Christians and non-Christians in community benevolence. If it is important to
unpack this, please feel free to call me, but I think the invitation is obvious.
3. Please reclaim Christmas and the commercialism there-in by celebrating the whole Christmas season
beginning with Advent. Marking the themes of the coming of Jesus within your service, preferably using
an Advent wreath, is a perfect way to route the congregation inter-generationally and an astoundingly
clear reminder for many of their faith experience, either elsewhere or in their childhood. If we do not
invite our churches to the process of Christmas, then we abandon them to the commercialism of the
secular retail world. Who do you want deciding these matters? Should Christmas be a Walmart of a
worship experience?
Here is some beginnings, please feel free to talk amongst yourselves and with me. Please feel free to
use the things therein as resources or where appropriate, complete copies.
Warmly,
In Christ,
Jeremy