We’re Teaching This:
What
is it about this time of year that causes us to feel a little more generous? We
naturally think about helping families in need by providing Christmas presents
or a meal, we visit soup kitchens, donate clothes, or drop food off at the
local food pantry. Studies show we give more money and clothing to charity in
December than any other time. But why? In the Gospel of John, we find a part of
the Christmas story that doesn’t always make it into the nativity scene. Long
before Mary and Joseph made it to Bethlehem. Long before there were choirs of
angels visiting shepherd or wise men making their way from the East, Christmas
began with a single decision made on our behalf. A decision God made to give. That
simple but monumental decision has shaped this season ever since. And when we
begin to understand all God has given to us, we can’t help but bring that
tradition that began with His generosity into our present.
Session 1 Summary: Bell-Ringers (12/10)
This time of
year, there are opportunities to be generous on nearly every corner. Enter the bell-ringers. You
know who I’m talking about. They stand in front of the mall, Walmart, and most
grocery stores—sometimes dressed as Santa—and ring their bell in hopes that
someone will drop some spare change in their bucket to benefit the charity they
represent. There’s a part of us that loves the bell-ringers. There is something
inside us that feels like part of Christmas is jumping in to help our fellow
human. But as much as we love the idea
of giving, there is also a part of us that cringes when the subject comes up. It’s
not that we hate helping people. It’s just that the whole idea of giving comes
with a lot of guilt. We feel guilty when we don’t give, don’t want to give, or don’t have much to
give. In his Gospel, John describes God’s choice to be generous to us by
sending His son. When we take a closer look at the very first Christmas and
God’s gift to us, we find that He doesn’t just ask for our generosity. He
demonstrates His.
Session 2 Summary: Christmas Lights (12/17)
The only downside to Christmas is when it’s over.
One day, every house is decorated and every street has twinkling lights. Then,
all of a sudden, it’s gone. Lights go back in the box. Decorations are packed
in the garage, and it’s almost as if the Christmas Spirit was never there. But
there is more to the Christmas Spirit than just Santa suits and strands of
lights. For many of us, Christmas is a time of giving, celebrating the ultimate
gift God gave us. But around the same time that the tree comes down, it seems
our generous Christmas spirit goes back in the box as well. The needs around us haven’t disappeared. It’s
just that our motivation, our natural inclination to help others, gets shelved
after the holidays. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In fact, according
John, Jesus modeled a generosity that was just the opposite and following His
example means we take our generosity off the shelf and put it into practice
during this month and all of the ones that follow.
Think About This:
By Sarah Anderson
Have
you ever noticed that when it comes to our children—no matter what their
age—the things we expect our children to enjoy and thank us for the most are usually
the very things that go unnoticed or unappreciated? I’ve started noticing it in
my own preschool aged kids that when I pull out my best parenting tricks, my
best memory-making ideas, it is sometimes met with them being bored, not
impressed, and lacking gratitude.
The
problem I face as a parent, and the problem all of us face to one degree or
another, is what pastor Andy Stanley
refers to as the tendency to raise experientially
rich kids, but instead of raising
relationally rich ones. In other words, in our effort to want to give our
kids everything we create the chance for them to have some pretty amazing
experiences but often neglect actually connecting
with them.
This
becomes all the more complicated as our children become teenagers and appear to
want neither experiences nor relationships with us.
It’s
hard not to take personally. But I’ve found that what students express as
“wants” or “don’t wants” often doesn’t reflect their true desires. While they appear indifferent, that isn’t
always the case. Our students, regardless of their age, temperament or
wiring, are needing purposeful and committed relationships—with us. Strong
relationships with their parents now
will lay the groundwork for strong relationships in the future.
They
need to know—though they aren’t often willing to ask us directly—that we like them and we want to hang out with them Maybe they aren’t looking for some big
expensive vacation or experience. Maybe they don’t need anything that
dramatic—just the chance for us to be with them and a chance to make a
connection.
Try This
Maybe
your student moving out of the house feels like it is a long way off. It could
be several years away, or it could be in a matter of months. Try thinking about
their time with you in terms of the number of holidays you have while they
still live in your house. Your teenager maybe four years from moving out, but
that means you only have four Christmases left.
“When you know how much
time you have left, you tend to do more with the time you have now.”
Reggie Joiner
Take
some time this holiday season to sit down with your student and together come
up with a tradition you can repeat for the Christmas seasons you have left. It
doesn’t have to be anything big, expensive or super time-consuming. But it does
have to be something your teenager wants
to do—and something that gives you the chance to have shared experience
together and further your relationship as well.