Although the mad dash to Christmas has already begun, this year’s Black Friday spend frenzy is going to be crazier than ever. Many stores are not only following last year’s trend of actually opening the late evening of Thanksgiving, but many are opening for those elusive deals as early as 6pm! Which means-- as people are gathering with family and friends to eat a meal, they are also calculating how to get their holiday shopping done early. I can just picture it, Dad’s cutting into the Turkey and we are urging him to hurry because Walmart is almost open! It is totally wrecking the rest and relaxation of Thanksgiving Day! Not to mention the thousands of people who are forced to work even earlier or later on Thursday! ‘Tis the season, right?‘ Actually no! Advent-those 4 weeks leading up to Christmas Day- and Christmas are seasons in the church purposed to help us prepare for the birth of Jesus! Jesus, Immanuel, God with us came to this earth and moved into our neighborhood so that we could experience real life transformation throughout the world. It wasn’t about savings and Santa! The birth of Jesus was about changing the world! This Christmas, instead of treating Christmas like it’s your birthday (even if it is), I want to challenge you to focus on others: spend more time with your family and friends, enjoy the benefits of deep relationships, come to church, and give to others. This year we have a couple ways that you can give to others and be the difference in someone’s life:
The Christmas Shop: This year we will be partnering with over 20 families on December 7 at the Delhi Campus to give families the opportunity to shop for Christmas. Not only are we in need of donations for the shop but we also need servants to help serve the day of the event. We especially need personal shoppers (people to help families shop) and a couple of adults to help with children’s activities. We will have activities for the children while parents shop. In addition to shopping, families will enjoy a meal and be invited to attend Saturday Night Worship!
Imagine No Malaria: United Methodists world-wide are participating in this campaign to eradicate Malaria. Over the next three years, Shiloh will be saving lives through something as simple as mosquito netting and medication. We urge you to give generously to the Imagine No Malaria campaign because each contribution literally saves lives. We will be taking donations to Imagine No Malaria through Christmas Eve. So write a check to Shiloh United Methodist Church and write in the memo Imagine No Malaria or go to our website: www.shilohumc.com and click on the WeShare icon to give to the campaign online.
Christmas is not our birthday! So let’s not focus on the chaos of overspending, but rather let’s invest our time and our resources on things that really make a difference in our lives and the lives of others. Be the difference!
On mission with you,
Pastor Rachel
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