We’ve all seen these kind of yard signs pop up from time to time proudly proclaiming the arrival of a new child. Parents and grandparents overcome with joy make a bold public display so the world knows that love has arrived making this house into a home.
Christmas is just like this, or at least it should be. Christmas is not something we can put under a tree or hide away in church sanctuaries. Christmas is about Jesus and his birth. It is life changing, mysterious, and holy all at the same time. It is pure joy. So this year I wanted to do something rather unusual to announce to people who think they already know all there is to Christmas that something unusual is happening in a very unusual church. So I thought of yard signs. Why yard signs? Well…
Christmas should be Personal. Jesus isn’t a theory, another weekend activity or even a lifestyle. Jesus is a person looking for someone to love. As members of Mt Pleasant, we are Jesus’ family, brothers and sisters alike, learning to love one another as a family. So yes, I think Christmas is very personal because it transforms us from a crowd into a family! “To all who did receive him, he gave the right to become children of God.” Jn 1:12
Christmas should be Public. Have you ever known anyone who was ashamed of their new born child? Jesus is not found hidden only behind stain-glassed windows. Jesus is a person, alive and active in our lives. Jesus wants to meet your friends, go where you go, be where you are. In return, Jesus will teach you to see people as he sees them, say things he would have said, and do thing he would have done. I don’t want to be a closet Christian or Sunday Morning consumer. So yes, I think Christmas is very public because that’s where Jesus is.
Christmas should be Persuasive. Being a parent is incredibly demanding. It requires personal sacrifices, emotional strength, and a love that will be tested again and again. But that has never stopped people from desperately wanting to become parents. There is a deeper kind of love we all want that only comes through sacrifice and suffering. Until you know what you’re willing to die for, you haven’t really found what to live for. So yes, I think Christmas is very persuasive because it reveals God’s love!
What better way to announce to our friends that Christmas is about Jesus? Imagine the impact if 150 “It’s a Boy!” yard signs begin popping up around town in a yard like yours! Would it make people curious, would it start a conversation, would it challenge people to rethink Christmas? I sincerely hope so!
If you’re up to the Christmas Challenge, then stop by the church and pick up your yard sign (they’re free). Let’s be a bit unusual and help our community to believe again in Christmas and Christians again!
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