September 10,  2014
Christmas Miracle Mission 

The Calling
Repeatedly, in the gospels, Jesus commands his disciples to love. Here at Advent we define a "disciple" as "one whose life is centering on loving God and loving others." This definition is derived directly from Jesus' Great Commandment to love God and Love your neighbor as yourself. 
(Matthew 22:34-40)

 

What if we did that? What if we, individually and as a congregation, looked for tangible and specific ways to obey Jesus and love our neighbors exactly like we love ourselves?   One result:  We would experience the joy of loving, living and giving like Jesus. Christmas 2014 provides us with an opportunity to do just that.

 

Some time around mid-October, retailers will begin their annual Christmas campaigns. Even if we want to resist the consumeristic pull of the Christmas season, by the time November rolls around it just feels inevitable. Advertisers pump massive resources into coercing us (and our children and grandchildren) into wanting more and more "stuff." We collapse under the pressure for a bigger and better "Christmas," which usually means spending a whole lot of money on gifts that will be broken or forgotten by Valentine's Day. In the end, we treat Christmas like it's OUR birthday.

 
The Challenge -- GAIHN a New Perspective

This year could be different! Celebrate your birthday on your birthday and remember that Christmas is when we celebrate Jesus' birthday. This Christmas we could give a different kind of gift.  Here's how: 

The challenge before us is to have a "slim Christmas" by cutting our Christmas spending in half. This would help us to focus more on what truly matters, remember the true reason for the season, and teach our children that being a disciple of Jesus makes us different.




We could track our "halved" Christmas spending and give an equal amount for a special Christmas Miracle Offering at our Christmas Eve services. In other words, we could love our neighbors as we love ourselves...dollar for dollar. This would be an offering that would be over and above our normal tithes and offerings, a second-mile gift. As a congregation, we will already be sacrificing our offerings for Christmas Eve services, which normally go to operations. Add to that the fact that twenty percent of our operations budget comes in during the month of December, and it is easy to see why it is imperative that the Christmas Miracle Mission be over and above normal giving. 
100% of the Christmas Miracle Offering would be used to build or purchase and remodel a home that would be dedicated as transitional housing for homeless families through a partnership with the Greenville Area Interfaith Hospitality Network (GAIHN). Over time, this home would offer countless families a hand-up to help them get back on their feet until they can afford permanent housing.   
    

In this way, we will not only GAIHN a new perspective on Christmas, but also obey the Great Commandment:  Love God, Love Others.
The Impact

This will be life-changing for people of all ages at Advent. Resisting the materialistic pull of "stuff" at Christmas will lead to deeper meaning, perhaps even deeper discipleship. When we are faithful to Jesus' commands and the call of discipleship, we are always changed. But, the change won't stop with us. We will also change the world!  

 

Because we have been intimately involved in GAIHN, we know firsthand the needs of homeless families in our area and the life-altering relationships that are engendered when a family is rescued from homelessness. Cycles of poverty are broken. Hope becomes reality.   Lives are changed.  That would truly be a Christmas Miracle! 

 

Be a part of The Christmas Miracle Mission.  Love your neighbor as yourself and  GAIHN a new perspective on Christmas.