The Words Repeat

I heard the bells on Christmas Day
Their old, familiar carols play,
And wild and sweet
The words repeat
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

If I imagine Christmas before television commercials and junk mail, I imagine one that gathers and sings, the truer gospel message of incarnational living closer to the heart. 

So many lately have been shocked with an urgency to make Christmas change. We believe we’ve been blessed so we can be a blessing. We believe that Christ lives within and that we have some good, good news to share with the poor.

Long ago, the words repeated about the gospel, the good news, were these: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor,” (Isaiah 61:1 and Luke 4:18 NIV). 

Long ago, when John the Baptist heard about Jesus and wanted to know if He was really the One, Jesus replied, “Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.” 

While we here at Christmas Change continue to spruce things up at ChristmasChange.com, please begin to consider your Christmas budget for the year and also consider what it means for you to live out the Gospel, especially in regard to this season.

What does a life of return even mean? That’s what we want to explore here. Why is it so hard to make Christmas about Jesus, about giving? How can we give more? What traditions can we initiate within our family and church cultures to instill the truth (the wonder) of Christ’s coming to actually bring peace on earth, good-will to men?

We’re honored to be joined by an amazing group of bloggers, listed in the blog roll in the sidebar. Check them out. Please continue to pray for us as we compile a family curriculum to celebrate and live out the Gospel for the month of December. Please pray that this movement becomes one that encourages a Life of Return to the heart of God. 

We would also love for you to keep up with this conversation by becoming a fan of Christmas Change on facebook, following us on twitter,  and by subscribing to the Christmas Change Blog. You can also help spread the word by tweeting #ChristmasChange and by adding the button from the sidebar.

Thank you. Please jump on into conversation in the comments, and always feel free to email us at christmaschangeblog@gmail.com

written by Amber Haines from theRunaMuck

Tagged as: Giving, Incarnational Living, the Gospel