Can Christ Outshine the Christmas Glow? [30]

Host: TJ Freeman

Summary: In this episode of Back to Rurality, TJ Freeman, a rural pastor, reflects on the holiday season's mixed feelings and emphasizes making the most of it to point people to Christ. He shares personal stories, traditions, and practical steps to help listeners glorify God during the holidays. Using the acronym 'GLOW,' Freeman encourages his audience to remember the true reason for Christmas and how to navigate difficult circumstances with faith.

Key Points:

• Christmas as a Tradition: Oftentimes during the holidays we can lose ourselves in the traditions surrounding a holiday and forget what the holiday is actually about. We can get lost in what we’re doing or what we are feeling, with our pausing to think about Christ (Colossians 3:17).
• Seeing Christ in the Holidays: We can start to focus our gaze back on Christ this Christmas by thinking of the acronym: GLOW. GLOW stands for Give generously (2 Corinthians 9:7), look for the lonely (Matthew 24:40), orient your activities around Christ, and witness in the wonder (John 1:14). 

Listener Takeaways:

• Remember to give cheerfully, especially to your local church. It can be really encouraging to give financially or to give your time to serve your church. 
• Invite people into your home this holiday season, especially if you know they might be alone this year. Have them over for Thanksgiving or for a holiday movie.
• Be looking for opportunities for things that naturally point to Christ. It could be the star on the top of your tree, or another special holiday tradition. Look for Christ in them. 
• Take the opportunity to witness to others. Tell them about Jesus this holiday season. 

Connect with Us:

• Website: backtorurality.com
• Social Media: Facebook
• Email: tj@brainerdinstitute.com

Transcript

It's that time of year, the time where you gather around with family to celebrate the holidays. And for some, it really is the most wonderful time of the year. You look forward to every moment, from the turkey dinner, to the sparkling mistletoe, to the family traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation, and the new ones you've been making yourself.

For others, the holiday season is much harder. It can be marked by loneliness, It can be filled with stress. It can even be a time where you're filled with grief. Whether you thrive on tradition or just try to survive the holidays, here's a question for all of us. Are we making the most of this season to point people to Christ?

Christmas is not just a celebration. It's a wonderful opportunity to shine the light of Christ into a really dark place.

Well, hello, my name is TJ Freeman, and this is Back to Rurality, a podcast where we explore what it means to live for God's glory in the small, out of the way places He's planted us. I'm actually a rural pastor. And that means, like you, I live in the middle of nowhere. I know how you're feeling. 

And at Christmastime, we have a special opportunity to make Christ known in the world. In the middle of nowhere, which is what he's put us here to do. So I don't know if you're one of the ones where you find that Christmas is steeped in joy and tradition. You know, you've had your tree up since like a month before Thanksgiving.

You put the lights out in the front lawn so that your electric bill just goes crazy. Your schedule has been full of getting together with the family and you're listening to all kinds of Christmas music, or maybe you're the one who's been struggling, you've been dreading this thing. You knew that December was coming a long time ago and every time you think about it, it just kind of sends a shiver down your spine or puts you into a little bit of a depression.

Well, no matter where you find yourself, you need to recognize that the Lord has brought you into this season for a reason. You like how I rhymed it? Today, we're going to look at how we can make the most out of the season, regardless of how you feel about it or what your circumstances look like. And. You know, for me, I like tradition.

I think. I enjoy certain things for my wife and kids. We like to go get the Christmas tree together and cut it down and then get shrimp. One of the few times we go out and we, we unload, baby, we get some shrimp and we bring them home. We set up the tree, we eat the shrimp, and then we watch the definitively Best Christmas movie of all times, which of course is, that's right, Elf.

If you said something else, listen, I'm going to be praying for you. Anyway, that's a tradition that we have and we enjoy it. It's a fun time. Other times I don't care so much about tradition and I'm going to back away from Christmas to share a time. I just goofed this up here this last week. It's hunting season here in Pennsylvania.

I have a bittersweet relationship with hunting season. I enjoy venison. I like the cost of venison. It's pretty low. You still got to pay for the tags and all that stuff. But generally venison is cheaper and healthier than other meat. You can fight me on that later. If you disagree, I'm not as passionate about venison as I am about the movie elf, so you're pretty safe.

 I enjoy being out there, but sometimes when I'm hunting, I just want to get the meat in the freezer. That's my objective. I'm not thinking about tradition that is hunting. I'm not thinking about that at all. Well, I went with a group of friends, all brothers from my church here this last week, hunting.

And we went out into the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon, which is grand. And it is a Canyon and it is in Pennsylvania. And there's not a lot of deer out there and we wandered around the woods. And here's what I found myself doing. We would push out a little section of woods, have a couple of guys walk through and guys waiting on the other end to see if any deer came out.

And when the deer didn't come out, I found myself getting frustrated because my objective was get some meat in the freezer. And then the guys would stand around the tailgate of the trucks talking and laughing and I'm like, what are we doing? We're here to get the deer and if we're standing by the truck ain't no deer coming out. Well, I reflected on that later and I realized there's something fun about standing around with guys in the woods, just a little bit removed from life.

And whether you get meat in the freezer or not, really isn't the objective when it comes down to the tradition of hunting. It's nice to be able to come home with some venison. Man, to get some time in the woods with some guys, that really is a blessing. And I just reflected on that as I was preparing for this episode.

And I thought, man, I did the same thing. Rather than thinking about how I can see Christ. and show Christ in the midst of this traditional thing that I'm doing, I was just focused on the thing itself. And I think that's what we do a lot during the Christmas season. During the holidays, we can focus on those traditions and whether that makes us feel good or feels bad.

In either case, we're focused on the tradition itself. And the Bible says something about that. It tells us not to do that. The things in this life are not meant to be made ultimate. Christ actually is ultimate. And if you listen to these words from the Apostle Paul in the book of Colossians 3, you'll see what I mean.

This is Colossians 3, 17. It says, whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Whether you sit around the table and eat turkey, whether you hang up the mistletoe, whether you have relatives to share this holiday experience with, whether you're out in the woods with a bunch of guys hoping to chase a deer, whatever you do, in word or deed, Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.

Just reminds us that we're meant to be pointed to Christ in everything we do, and the holidays are a special time to do that. It's not about our traditions.

It's not about our joy. Hopefully, those things are present and good. But what it is, is no matter what your circumstances are, seeing Christ, doing things in His name to give Him glory, and giving thanks to God for the opportunity to do that. I have a holiday word for you that is going to form an acronym that will help you remember how to see Christ and point others to Christ during the holiday season. Are you ready for it? It's the word glow. Glow.

That's a holiday word, right? The glowing snow? I think things around Christmas tend to shimmer and shine. Well, here's the glow. Number one, give generously. Ooh, that's a surprise. Give generously.

I know that we realize it's better to give than to receive at Christmas, but there is an awful lot of emphasis on presence and it's just a good time for us to remember, like we celebrate at Advent, Christ gave himself for us and we are meant to give as a reflection of what Christ has done for us. Paul talks about this to the Corinthian church, 2nd Corinthians 9 7.

He says each one of us, One must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. So don't be an Ebenezer Scrooge. Give cheerfully. Think of ways that you can give gifts to other people. It doesn't have to be something super duper expensive, just something you think about.

You can make them something. You can buy them something. You can take them to a meal. Remember to be a cheerful giver and use it as an opportunity to show the love of Christ to other people in your life. Also, if you are part of a local church, It's a really good time to give to the work of ministry.

That's something we're meant to do all the time, particularly at Christmas when we think about a special kind of giving. It really serves to help support the work that God has called your church to do. If you can give a little more cheerfully to your church, give to your community.

Do it though, no matter who you give to with a generous, cheerful heart. So glow, give generously. The L. Look for the lonely. I was so encouraged. When I heard how many people were inviting lonely folks from church to their home on Thanksgiving. I heard it over and over and over again. People asking, what are you doing for Thanksgiving?

If it's somebody who is potentially going to be by themselves, would you please come to my house? We'd love to have you over for our Thanksgiving meal. I'm sure that Christmas will be the same. Make sure that even if your table is full, if there are people in your community or in your church who might feel forgotten, invite them over.

Have them for a meal. Maybe it's not your main meal even but you just say hey Tuesday, we're gonna throw a little bit of a celebration in light of Christmas. Would you come over Have a meal with us. Maybe you send somebody a card you take them out to dinner, But look for those who are lonely and invest in them. And by the way, if you are gonna have some people over for a meal This is gonna maybe make you a little uncomfortable to try, But what if you just read a little bit from the book of Luke, chapter 2, about Christmas, and then prayed?

You might not feel that comfortable praying in front of other people, but the Lord has called us to be in his word and to pray. One of the ways that you can see Christ and show Christ at Christmas is by reading the word and praying with people that you might not normally get to do that with. But remember to look for the lonely.

Jesus said in Matthew 25, 40, Truly I say to you, as you did it for one of the least of my brothers, you did it to me. When we serve those who are lonely, those who are, what Jesus says here, might be the least of my brothers, those who are overlooked easily, something like that, you're really serving the Lord and you're glorifying him in that way.

So glow, give generously, look for the lonely. Oh, orient your activities around Christ. You know, your traditions are great, but you might forget in those traditions to connect them to something with more purpose than, hey, we brought a tree into the house. For instance, maybe when you put the star on the tree, you take just a quick opportunity to say, you know, this is, this is amazing.

symbolic. We put this star up here because the tree it points us to Christ. And as you look upward to that star, you're reminded to look to Christ. You could make a connection to the star that hung over Christ when he was born in Bethlehem, something like that. You know, not every single little thing like, okay, now we're laying the skirt under the tree, the way that the baby Jesus was laid in Mary's lap.

You know, you can get weird with it, but when there are opportunities for things that sort of naturally do point to Christ, take that opportunity to make that connection. When my family sits down to eat the shrimp, you know, we're praising the Lord. You could say, I praise the Lord that we don't have to worry about the fact that shrimp were unclean before.

But more importantly, you know, God's provided this for us. And we're so thankful to be able to sit together as a family and do this. So glow, give generously, look for the lonely, orient your activities around Christ, and finally the W, witness in the wonder. It's the most wonderful time of year. Use that to point to the most wonderful Savior.

Witness to others in this time. You can talk more easily about your faith and about Christ during Christmas because everybody knows that this is about Him. Now, you may be tempted to say, therefore I feel less comfortable because everyone is sort of expecting me to say that. Hey, don't worry about that.

Let them expect it and just you fulfill their every thought of what might happen. You point them to Christ during the Christmas season by witnessing about Him. The Bible talks about the way that Christ came in John one 14, it says, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory.

Glory as of the only son from the Father full of grace and truth is. As overdone as you feel it may be to talk about Christ at Christmas, it actually is the reason that we celebrate this time because the word became flesh and dwelt among us. And we've seen his glory. If you're a Christian, if God has shown you his glory, if you've been saved by the mercies of Christ, use this wonderful natural opportunity to point others to him.

So you're going to glow this Christmas. You're going to give generously, look for the lonely. Orient your activities around Christ and witness in the wonder. And when it comes down to the comfort of tradition, whether you feel like, I love the tradition or I don't, think about how you can glow in the midst of that.

When it comes to something like busyness, that could really stand in the way. That could feel like it's dimming. your light a little bit. Remember what the psalmist says in Psalm 46, "be still and know that I am God." You know, you slow down and you build in some time. to reflect upon the season, so that you're glorifying Christ, seeing Him, and helping others to see Him as well.

Just a special word to those who are hurting during this time. There are circumstances in life that can make holidays really, really tough. And if you're dealing with some of those circumstances, or if you're living a life that makes the holidays tough, it can be really, really tough. I'm sorry that you're walking through that, and I want to weep with those who weep.

I recognize that there is a pain that you feel that may be unique to you, and it feels like the whole world is on this high, and you wish you could be there, but you can't. Want to encourage you that the Bible is just as true in your difficult circumstances as it would be if everything felt right during this time of year.

And as you look to Christ, let his kindness and goodness and glory Rewrite some of the pain that you're feeling in the midst of that pain realize that that pain is is partly there To help drive you to christ so that you see him and you behold his glory And even in the sense of your pain and hurt you still have a sense of awe and wonder and joy and delight Because christ is so delightful.

He is the object of your greatest affection. He is your reward For all of eternity, and he's given you a taste of that here now, and you can begin to be transformed by the renewal of your mind. As you take those feelings and those thoughts that creep in, and filter them through Scripture, and see that what comes out after the filtering process is a lot to be joyful and thankful for.

A lot that you can trust in because of what Christ has done for you. And you, you may not have the same traditions. You may not be able to sit around a full table. You may have people you really miss. You may have all kinds of things. You might have financial trouble and you couldn't get a gift for your kid.

I mean, there's all kinds of issues you might be dealing with. Some major health thing. Christ is bigger than it all and the holidays are meant to point you to Jesus. So don't be robbed of this wonderful opportunity to see Christ because your circumstances are trying to tell you that you can't find the same joy that other people seem to have.

So you know what you can do? You can glow as well. Yes, I like those cheesy little words. And whether you like them or not, you're gonna remember them. You better go out there and glow. Well, guess what? We are, on this episode, wrapping up. the first season of Back to Rurality. So as I do, let me just reflect on what we've covered this year, gone through 21 days of rural reset, talking about what it means, really, to live for the glory of God.

And if you haven't listened to all 21 of those episodes, they start in episode three. I'd encourage you to go back and listen. It's just some of the basics about what it means to be a Christian, to help us have a restored sense of love for Christ and a passion for His glory. We've talked about what that means for us as people who live in the middle of nowhere and how God wants to use us in a special way.

to make him known where we live, a place that not that many people live and not that many people are going to, but we're here and we're here for the glory of God. Well, this Christmas season, I challenge you to carry those lessons into whatever your holiday events look like. If you're not part of a healthy church, I hope that you can find one where you can worship this holiday season.

And if that's just not a possibility, do your best to be the Church, to make Christ known in everything that you do. Get together with a couple other Christians and pray, read the Bible together, and celebrate the great work that Christ has done. Thanks for joining me on this journey. I hope you'll come back for season two, launching January 22nd.

 And then we're going to dive deeper into what it means to bring God glory in the middle of nowhere. We'll have some interviews, which I think will be fun on the next season. I'm really looking forward to those. And, can't wait to see you there. So come on back January 22nd.

Until then, may your holidays be filled with the hope and joy of Christ. For now, though, let's get back to life, back to rurality.