Teaching Our
Children About The
True Meaning Of Christmas
by Martha Matthews
The stores are
putting up their holiday decorations. Yule Tide carols are
being piped in via Muzac to shopping malls across America.
Ah, yes, the holiday rush is on. It's that time of year when
the lines are long and shoppers are irritable. There are
parties to go to, cards to write, baking to be done, a tree to
get, lights to be hung and presents to wrap. Then there is
the deluge of television advertisements that tell us what we must
buy in order to make our loved ones happy. The world has
taken Christmas and turned it into a celebration of consumerism.
For many children, Christmas is about what presents they are going
to get. They have no idea what it is really about.
What can we do as parents to make sure our children know the true
meaning of Christmas?
The answer
lies in what we do as parents to put Christ at the center of our
Christmas. If we're too busy with holiday preparations to
spend time teaching our children what Christmas is really about,
then we can't expect them to know the truth. The world will
teach them its rendition and it won't be about Jesus. But if
we take the time to put Christ at the center of our family's
holiday, we will be giving our children the greatest Christmas
gift of all: knowing Jesus. Here are some ways you can teach
your children the true meaning of Christmas.
Begin by
reading the account of Jesus' birth in the Bible with your
children. Next, discuss Jesus' life; how he loved people and
did things for others. To make Christmas come alive for
them, teach them to imitating Jesus by doing things for others.
Read the scriptures and the examples below for inspiration.
Make sure that whatever you choose to do will impact the life of
the person you are doing it for in a meaningful way.
-
Teach them
to give: "In everything I did, I showed you that by this
kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words
the Lord Jesus himself said: `It is more blessed to give than
to receive.' " Acts 20:35 (NIV).
-
Have
them choose one of their own toys (in good condition) to
give to a child who has none. You choose an item of your
own, such as a coat or shoes to give to a homeless person.
-
Help a
less fortunate family for Christmas by providing all the
fixings for a Christmas meal, presents for the children and
clothes if needed.
-
Pack bag
lunches to give out to the homeless. Include a
sandwich, juice box, cheese and crackers, Wet Ones, bus
pass, a list of addresses where they can get a hot meal and
shower, change for a phone call, and invitation to church.
-
Teach them
to share: "Command them to do good, to be rich in good
deeds, and to be generous and willing to share." 1
Timothy 6:18.
-
Take a
basket of homemade cookies to a neighbor you don't know well
and invite them to church.
-
Have a
friend over for dinner who doesn't know about Jesus and
share the Good News with them.
-
Invite a
military person who is away from home to spend Christmas
dinner at your house.
-
Teach them
to care: "A father to the fatherless, a defender of
widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely
in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but
the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land." Psalms
68:5-6.
-
Visit
a Children's Hospital. Bring cookies, toys and games
to play.
-
Bring
toys and clothes to an orphanage.
-
Bring a
meal to someone who has a chronic illness.
-
Teach them
to serve: "Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants
to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever
wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of
Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his
life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:26-28. (NIV)
-
Volunteer
to make and serve a meal at a homeless shelter
-
Spending
an afternoon at a senior citizens' home. Bring cookies and
reading material, sing Christmas songs and serve in any way
that may be needed.
-
Take an
elderly person shopping.
-
Do yard
work, pet care or housework for someone who is not
physically able to do those things for themselves.
By teaching
our children to imitate Jesus this Christmas season, we
will keep the true meaning of Christmas alive for this generation
and for the next.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Martha Matthews is the Editor
of Christian-Homemaking.com, a website with resources dedicated to
Christian homemaking. She also has a free monthly newsletter for
Christian wives called The Wives of Excellence Newsletter.
To subscribe send a blank email towivesofexcellence-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
Or visit http://www.christian-homemaking.com
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