I love words, and words carry power.
But action itself speaks, meets needs, and shares God’s love (and, yes, His Word in action) in affective ways.
With less than a week until Christmas, we might be tempted to say, “I didn’t serve as much or as well as I wanted this season. And now it’s too late.”
It’s not too late! Below are several ideas you can implement this week to share God’s love and His word through serving others. Build these activities into family time, and worship through serving others with His heart.
Sharing the Word with Action
Here are a few ways we can serve people now and share God’s love through action:
- One of our team writers, Teri Lynne, shares 10 Ways to Help in Your Community on her personal blog. These ideas require little planning and most can be implemented in an afternoon.
- Grab a few friends and/or family members and go caroling in a neighborhood. When you carol, choose songs spreading the joy of the season. Sing one or two, wish the neighbors a “Merry Christmas,” and then move on to the next house! It’s a non-pushy, fun way to spread word of His birth.
- Set up Christmas lights between two trees or in your yard simply forming the word “peace,” “joy,” or “love.”
- Prioritize your emphasis on the season and intentionally renew your focus on Him daily, inwardly and as an outward example. Christmas is not about a certain number of gifts or how busy we can be, but is about celebrating His birth, presences, and grace. (Verses that help me when I begin to feel stressed: Luke 2:10, Luke 10:41-42, and Ephesians 2:8-9.)
- Make homemade gifts with your kids with the Word included, like these chalk pastel paintings, this “Joy” word sign, this Christmas carol plaque, or this verse-a-day gift.
- Lead a group of (willing) neighborhood kids or a church preschool class in nativity-focused games and activities, like this Find and Fill Nativity Lesson.
- If it’s cold enough if your area, make a few of these beautiful ice ornaments and include wooden letters spelling out “joy” or “peace.”
- Stick these tags on your gifts and give away the bookmarks!
- Donate to worth-while and Christ-focused causes.
A few ideas you can jump in on now and save for next year:
- Random Acts of Kindness Advent Calendar from Christmas.yourway.net. I love this focus on giving, rather than receiving.
- Gather enough nativity-based Christmas books from the library (or purchase over several years) to read one a night with your children as an advent plan to focus on His Word in the weeks leading up to Christmas Day. (Three resources: 20 Christ-Centered Read Alouds, another list of Christ-focused Christmas books for toddlers and preschoolers, and an advent reading plan based off of [amazon_link id=”0310708257″ target=”_blank” ]The Jesus Storybook Bible[/amazon_link].)
- Save up and shop sales throughout year to sponsor a family at Christmas or fill an Operation Christmas Child shoebox or two.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – John 1:14
How are you and your family sharing God’s Word through service this season (and throughout the year)? What’s one way you include His Word in your gifts or actions? Share in the comments below.
People aren’t using lining up to serve in Childcare for Christmas Eve services at our church, but we are using the chance to serve together and to share the Christmas story in an appropriately “small” way to the small ones of our church who aren’t with their parents that night.
That’s a great way to serve, Julie! I feel there’s no “small” way to serve, right? :-)
You are so right that it’s not too late! We’ve been collecting art we’ve made over the last weeks. We give it to my aunt who then goes to decorate the rehab portion of the local hospital – with our artwork! Sometimes one or more of the children accompany her. Wonderful ideas and encouragement here. Thanks for including our chalk pastels!
That’s a great idea, Tricia! I imagine those in the hospital love the cheer your family’s paintings bring.
And thank you for stopping by! I’ve been enjoying your chalk pastels series on your blog.
The world has become so impersonal that people are taken aback by acts of kindness. The simplest of things like letting someone in front of me at the grocery store are so unexpected now, yet are everyday opportunities I can use to be Jesus to someone. The shock on their faces blesses me more than the act itself blesses them. I just love to love on people!
You’re right. I’m even surprised when someone does such an act of kindness. And since it’s so rare/unexpected, we have the opportunity to bless even more, don’t we? Thanks for your comment!