Christmas Eve, Tuesday, December 24, 2024
“Christmas Eve is for Non-Church People”
If yesterday’s Devotion didn’t get to you, maybe this one will. Christmas Eve has arrived. What are your plans? Are you going to church? I bet you are, or you wouldn’t be reading a devotion.
Although Easter is typically the biggest attendance day of the year, Christmas Eve will attract more rebels, nonchurchgoers, and anti-church believers to a service than any other time of year. I love these folks. They don’t buy into the significance of Christmas, but they’ll go to church today because of a fear of upsetting Santa (or Mama) before he (or she) arrives later tonight.
I kid you not. Church haters will be open to attending church tonight. Do you know anyone like that? I bet you do!
It’s really amazing to witness the power of Christmas. We often poke fun at our Christmas villains, like Grinch, Scrooge, and the Herdmans. However, we also love them because they turn from their evil ways and finally welcome God’s Love into their heart at Christmas.
I know. This doesn’t sound like a normal Christmas Eve devotion… And it’s not supposed to. All of us know people who loathe the idea of church, faith, or anything squishy like that. Some are angry with God (for valid reasons) or have deep pains from something that happened to them in a church context. Other faith-haters just won’t admit that they need some help, even if it is from some invisible and intangible source that we call, “LORD”.
Today is the day to invite that person to church. They probably aren’t expecting an invitation, but deep down inside them, the Holy Spirit is gently working on their hearts. Statistics consistently show that most non-churchgoers feel left out when their friends and family (who are church people) don’t invite them to church.
One of the emotions they experience is that we, that’s right, you and me, don’t care enough about them to issue an invitation. In other words, many church-haters think that you and I don’t think the church-hater is “good enough” to merit an invitation to church. I know that sounds strange to us, but it’s a very painful reality for them.
Today, bring the Christmas Story alive in someone’s heart. Consider inviting someone to church who doesn’t want to go. Offer to pick them up and take them with you. If you have to, bribe them with a nice meal afterward, or something similar. Do whatever you must, but give them the best invitation you can.
If they accept our invitation, we may be giving them the gift of Eternal Life. If they turn us down, at least they know that we care enough about them to invite them. It’s a no-lose proposition today. Don’t pass it up. This only happens once a year. Today is our chance to make a difference in the life of someone that God wants and needs!
“Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:17, NRSV)