How you can use Santa to spread Good News...

I love Christmas, says Phil Worthington, people, decorations, food, presents – every bit of it. I am full of Christmas spirit from about September onwards, and I genuinely started my Christmas shopping in April this year! I also love Jesus, and I think Christmas is one of the easiest times of year to tell people about him, so I want to share a few tips with you on how I do that.

In the classic Christmas film ‘Home Alone’, one of the criminals likes to leave his calling card. Well, if I have a calling card, it’s probably Christmas trees. You can tell which churches I pastored, because I left behind at least 30 Christmas trees in each one! For the pastors who have followed me, that might feel criminal (sorry guys!), but it really is all about evangelism!

I am aware that each year the real message of Christmas, the celebration of Jesus’ birth, of God coming to Earth, seems to get edged out a little bit more, but I am a firm believer that God is into redemption wherever possible, and so was the early church. The pagans celebrated eternal life in winter, by bringing holly and evergreen trees indoors; the Romans had a time of feasting and gift-giving from 17-25 December, in honour of Saturn; and so the church took all of those ideas and redeemed them as ‘Christ’s Mass’ – dedicated to Jesus who brings eternal life, and who is the true God worthy of celebration.

So, Christmas trees were originally pagan, but for years they have been redeemed by the church to signpost people to Jesus. The same applies to all the other Christmas traditions, some started as pagan but have been redeemed, some (like Santa) started as Christian and just need reclaiming.

Getting organisations to decorate trees is a great way of engaging with the local community, especially schools, which is why I have filled churches with trees! Decorating trees is easy to invite people to, as it feels familiar and safe, but it also creates a personal connection between the church and the people decorating the tree – it makes them feel at home. Then they feel more comfortable in your church, and with inviting their friends and family too.

Having Santa tell people about the gospel (as the original St Nicholas would have done) uses a symbol they recognise to teach them about things they may have forgotten. He’s not a pagan symbol, he is a Christian saint who gave gifts to show the love of Christ, so it’s not hard to include that story as you give gifts to children.

Like most things, context is everything. If you use the gospel as your context, you can use all your favourite Christmas traditions to explain it.

Strategy, not lethargy

I know planning Christmas events can feel like a burden ‒ how do you do it in a fresh and exciting way? How do you make sure you have a good range of Christmas events? How do you survive Christmas without being overwhelmed?

Well, here are four tips:

Christmas is one time of year where traditions become important to most people. So, rather than worrying about making something new, why not make something lasting? If you can’t do everything, do one thing really well ‒ be the place that people go to year after year because you always have the best Christingle, the best carol service, the best Christmas Tree Festival. Make coming to your church at Christmas a vital tradition that cannot be skipped.

Rather than getting overwhelmed by doing lots of events, treat it as one event with different parts. For example, do carolling while leafleting for your events, have a children’s event where they make cards to give to people who are isolated, then give them out at a Christmas meal for isolated people. A school’s event can be decorating Christmas trees and making Christingles, then a family event can be lighting the Christingles and tree lights while singing carols. Keep it all connected, and it will keep people connected.

Do your Christmas programme in the first two weeks of December or start even earlier if you are reaching out to schools. If you wait until too close to Christmas Day, everyone is too tired and too busy to get involved ‒ including you. Christmas Eve services can be great outreach, but keep it simple, and Christmas Day services should be a relaxed time with your church family.

If you are filling your church with people, make sure you have something to invite them to in the New Year. An Alpha course is always good, but anything that keeps people engaged is good. Remind them that Jesus is for life, not just for Christmas!

Joy to the world

Ultimately, if you feel weary and burned out at Christmas, you might be doing it wrong. Paul famously talks about the church being like a body, with each part being different but vital. I think that also applies to the church as a whole. We are not in competition with the other churches, we are part of the body with them – all of us part of God’s Kingdom.

One church might be better at being quiet and reflective, another church might be better at being loud and joyful, another church might be excellent at social programmes. Rather than competing, collaborate – be Kingdom-minded. Share your marketing, participate in their events and invite them to participate in yours. Share the burden, and the joy.

If you feel grumpy and weary at Christmas, your events will too. But, if you do what you do best, things that bring you joy, then you can share that joy with the world.

This article first appeared in Direction Magazine. For further details, please click here.