Making Meaningful Christmas Memories

Check an article by Lynne Thompson helping us turn Christmas right side up...

Regardless of age, it transports us back to our childhood: tinsel on the tree, stockings hung by the fireplace, colorful packages needing to be shaken, and traditional celebrations with faithful friends and relatives. For our children, this holiday is still being written upon their future memories. This is why we as parents need to make sure that what they remember is packaged in precious truths about how God's love reached out to a dying world, one silent night in a town called Bethlehem.

How shepherds watching their flocks received a surprise visit from heavenly creatures, showing that God is for everyone, regardless of their social stature. How angels announced peace for mankind, on whom God's favor rests, proving that our Intelligent Designer isn't the kind to create things and then walk away. How good news about our savior spread throughout the world, explaining why we still celebrate today.

So this Christmas, as you reveal the greatest love story ever told, try these fun-filled age-appropriate activities that will direct children, and adults, back to the true meaning of the holiday, when we celebrate Emmanuel, God who is with us.

Ages 0-3
In order to avoid making Christmas a "don't touch holiday" for little ones, give them fun things they can touch.
Move glass ornaments and lights up to higher branches on the Christmas tree, and help your child make fun decorations for the bottom.
String pieces of colored tissue paper cut into squares onto shoestrings to hang as garland.
Get out the glitter and make paper ornaments.
Mold a nativity scene from clay dough and display in a prominent place. Tell the story of Christmas while you do this.
Decorate cookies and build gingerbread houses together as a family.

Ages 4-7
Help your little ones focus on others this season by making use of those Christmas cards received in the mail. Place the cards in a basket on the dinner table; taking turns each night drawing one out. Then pray together for that person or family.
Also, start a family tradition by picking out a new holiday picture book to read each Christmas Eve. Some of my favorites are:
10 Minutes to Showtime, by Tricia Goyer
The Crippled Lamb, by Max Lucado
The Stable Where Jesus was Born, by Rhonda Gowler Greene
The Christmas Rose, by William H. Hooks

Ages 8-12
Ring in an international Christmas by assigning a country to each child. Besides reporting about how that country celebrates the holiday, he or she can prepare a seasonal dish to share, or demonstrate a song or folkdance. Then pray for the people of that culture so that they too might understand the meaning of God's love.

Ages 13-18
This age group is old enough to bundle up and go caroling. During each visit allow for a few seasonal songs and readings from the scriptures proclaiming the birth of the newborn king. Besides visiting the neighbors, teens may want to stop by the local convalescent home, hospital, or homeless shelter.

All Ages
Many families choose to celebrate Advent – the days leading up to Christmas Day. There are fun Advent calendars on the market, some with doors that open and play songs, others that hide chocolate candies or other treats. Consider making each Sunday leading up to Christmas special by lighting a candle, reading passages from scripture, and serving a yummy dessert. A great resource for Advent celebrations is the book, Just 25 Days 'Til Christmas: An Advent Celebration for the Entire Family, by Rebecca Hayford Bauer.

WORSHIP CHRIST MORE THIS CHRISTMAS

Advent Conspiracy news from
Rick McKinley Pastor Imago Dei Community

Here at Advent Conspiracy [AC] we get lots of questions about “How?” people can become co-conspirators. … it is an important question! But what I would like to do is frame that question with a much more important question. “Why?” would someone join the conspiracy?

At the heart of the Christmas story is one of the greatest theological mysteries. God with us. The very birth of Christ has led us down the road to deep theological inquiry as to the nature of the incarnation. At the heart of it all: God is now with us. He is present among us, loving, redeeming, saving, reconciling, convicting and displaying the glory of His Kingdom in a world that is sin swept and heartbroken.

The reason that any of us would go through all this work: being more thoughtful and creative in giving gifts so we spend less and give more; re-distributing funds to well water projects where the least of these live in such great need the reason we do all of that has one simple answer… To Worship Christ More.

The Advent Conspiracy is not just about fixing the world’s problems or becoming activists by resisting consumerism. At the heart of what we are doing is worshipping the God who is now with us. The point of the story of Christ’s birth is profound and transformational. The birth of Christ gave us access into knowing God through Jesus. We can solve lots of problems and live different lives in our culture but if it is not aiming at this one thing then we may be missing everything. God gave us a son so we could know Him and worship Him.

As Christ followers we get to enter that mystery this Christmas. Somehow between spending less, giving more and loving all, we keep coming back to why we are doing it. And there we find the answer. An answer that hushed the shepherds, angered the rulers, and caused the Angels to start singing in a blaze of glory. Because lying there in a feed trough among the steaming dung and smoking nostrils of farm animals, lay the greatest gift the world has ever known. God in the flesh, coming to put our lives and world back together.

This Christmas here is the invitation. Never forget why we are doing all this. As your kids are making gifts, tell them about the greatest gift, as you avoid the crowded malls spend that time re-telling the story, and as we collectively display the love of God through meeting basic needs so others may live, we are telling the world that we give because God gave. And who God gave us was His Son the Christ. The invitation is simply-

This Christmas join us as we worship Christ more.

Zion

Ahhhhh....today I leave to go to Zion National park for a couple of days. That place is refreshing to my soul. Going with a friend who Pastors at Green Valley Baptist to plan our joint men's retreat to be held there early next year. Should be fun.

Spend less

During the Advent Conspiracy we are asking the church to:
Worship fully
Spend less
Give more
Love all

I have been on a spend less journey for over a year now. For me this is all about freedom. I want to be free to make the most of the money that is entrusted to me by God. After all, it all belongs to Him anyway. I want to be free to invest it in loving ways for my family and God's Kingdom. Simplifying my life has become an important expression of discipleship for the Bennett family. I must say, I feel a lot better having set a path of less debt and more generocity. I think God is pleased as well.

Chris

Christmas incarnated

This is a great story from one of our newer believer in our church:

Aloha Pastor Chris,

I pray that this letter finds you doing well this week and surrounded with an abundance of aloha spirit. I am writing to tell you how excited I am to find out that my ohana is part of a conspiracy and did not even know it. You may recall that last CHRISTmas was our first one since we were saved and we wanted to honor our Father by celebrating the true meaning. What an amazing, educational life changing experience we ended up with.

My whole life Christmas was about presents and stressing out over getting everything done before everyone arrived. Last year after the combination of some life situations paired with God’s word at your sermons we made a drastic decision to NOT buy presents for our ohana. Now when you have five kids it truly is a drastic decision. Now the theme of my parenting has always been “Break the Cycle” and I decided this tradition will be one of those to break.

First, we started by going through every closet in our house gathering coats, blankets and clothes that we could give to someone in need. Although, I had just been laid off and money was is a hardship we recognized that we still have food on the table, we have a home to keep us safe and warm; but most of all we still have each other.

Next, we purchased an Interactive Nativity set to learn and understand the story Jesus’ birth. We now know and understand why each person is there and what happened to them. It is no longer just another Christmas decoration. The more we learned the more every single decoration, song and even card took a unique transformation because for the first time ever I saw and heard GOD in it all!

We then took the kids to the mall for the Angel tree. Each one picked an angel that was their same gender and age to buy a present for. They had to choose a gift that they wanted for themselves but had to hand it over to someone else that was less fortunate. No problem for the toddler, no problem for the teen-ager but a challenge for the 6 year old dinosaur fanatic who just found the ultimate dinosaur set. Jordan struggled with it and even tried to bargain with us but reluctantly handed it over to the lady at the Angel Tree. I think he left some fingernail marks on the packaging in the process. After it was all said and done Jordan gleamed with pride to all who knew his experience and that was a gift to me as his mother.

We did not have a lonely Christmas tree stripped of its gifts though. Each one of us sat down and wrote out a prayer for each family member. We took those prayers, wrapped them up and placed them under the tree for Christmas morning. We now had priceless gifts to present one another and did not have to wrestle anyone down in a store and acquire more debt for it. Even up to this point I still heard the enemy’s whispers in my ear. He wanted me to think that I was robbing my kids of gifts and that they would be embarrassed at school. He almost convinced me a couple of times but I stood firm.

Of course we plan to do this again this year and even take it up a notch with service to others. It pleases me to know that we are not alone in this and that it is being promoted throughout the Christian community. Our new Christmas tradition even has a name too, Advent. I pray that this spreads like a wild fire on a gusty day and we take back the meaning of Christmas. No more consuming to show love but truly showing love through actions and not materials. The video for Advent Christmas makes me smile uncontrollably because I know for myself what they are trying to say. Having presence with your ohana (FAMILY) on Christmas morning instead of presents creates emotions that cannot be explained it has to be lived.

In closing, I will answer to your challenge for this Advent CHRISTmas with a simple…. ‘A’ole pilikia (no trouble)

Blessed wishes & Mele Kalikimaka,

Lani Hinkes

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