Christmas is coming! That means we’re getting close to the time when we remember and celebrate the birth of Jesus, who came into the world to save sinners (like you and me!). It’s a wonderful time of joy when we can be thankful to God for his grace towards us
However, this important and true meaning of the festive season is often forgotten. And sometimes, Christmas ends up being little more than an excuse to get presents, spend excessive amounts of money, and stuff ourselves with Christmas treats
So if you’re a Christian, I want to encourage you to use Christmas this year to help point people back to the true meaning of Christmas! And school is a great place to start.
Here are three easy ways you can help your classmates remember the reason for the season:
1. Get ready to answer questions
Many young Christians struggle to point their friends to Jesus.
But at Christmas, some people start asking their Christian friends about what they believe. So why don’t you spend some time getting ready to share the gospel this Christmas by reading a book?
I recommend Lee Strobel’s little book The Case for Christmas, which will equip you with relevant, reliable and well-explained information to answer your classmates’ questions about the existence of Jesus, his miraculous birth and why he came to earth. Take this suggestion to the next level by giving a copy of the book to an interested friend and reading it with them!
2. Give Christmas cards
When I was in primary school, Christmas was a very important time on the social calendar. Every year, we would each buy big packs of Christmas cards and write messages to all our friends, sometimes including a candy cane or chocolate elf. It always became a bit of a competition to see who received the most cards!
Give this primary school tradition a twist by reviving it at your school! But make sure you buy or make cards featuring, for example, an image of the nativity scene, rather than a picture of a cartoon reindeer! It’s a small thing, but it will put the true meaning behind Christmas into people’s minds. You could also write a relevant Bible verse inside the card, such as one referencing Christmas, or one about why Jesus came. Take this suggestion to the next level by including an invitation to your church’s Christmas services in the envelope!
3. Join your Christian group in handing out Christmas treats
If you’re part of a Christian group at your school, suggest that as a group, you hand out Christmas treats to the students in the last week of school!
You might need to get permission from your principal to do this, but a great idea is to hand out candy canes with a card attached sharing the Christian meaning of candy canes (shaped like a ‘J’ for Jesus, red because he suffers for us, white because he washes us clean of our sins, shaped like a shepherd’s staff because he guides us – check out this page for a more complete explanation.)
Take this suggestion to the next level by also using the opportunity to invite students to an end-of-year Christmas party where a student or Christian teacher can give a quick talk about true meaning of Christmas.
What have you done to spread Christmas joy at your school? What might you try this year? Leave your comments below!