Since the first of the year I have had about a dozen phone consultations with pastors who are either in a Go Cluster or are engaged with me in some other way. One thing I have heard over and over is that not much progress was made from Thanksgiving through New Year’s regarding moving the vision and strategy for revitalization forward. The reason given, of course, is that it was the holiday season and everyone was busy with the typical things churches do over the holidays.
OK – I get that. In fact, I had much the same thinking when I was pastoring. But now I’m having second thoughts. I suppose the question I’d like to consider is, “How can the holidays be leveraged to move the church toward greater vision, vitality and effectiveness?”
It occurs to me that the holiday season, dominated by Christmas, of course, celebrates a time that might be considered a time of great vision and strategy from God Himself. God has a vision of a redeemed family that spends eternity with Him. What is the single most significant strategy that God has employed? The Incarnation – the sending of Jesus to live a holy life, die an atoning death, to be raised from the dead to establish resurrection, and to ascend into heaven so that the Holy Spirit could be sent. If that isn’t visionary and strategic I don’t know what is!
In the church we lament that Christmas has been commercialized and we want to put Christ back into Christmas. I attended a tree lighting at a local mall with my granddaughter and the announcer counted down to the lighting of the “Community Tree.” Fine – I want to see Christ put back into Christmas, but I’m beginning to think we need to put God’s vision and strategy that is in Christ back in Christmas. Let’s not tread ministry water during the Christmas season. Let’s embrace the Christmas season as a great time to move the Gospel forward.
