19 Fun Missional Ideas That You Can Do This Christmas
WELCOME to The Seedhead from Alex and Hannah at Dandelion Resourcing -
a weekly confidence booster to help you step into naturally
supernatural discipleship and mission!
In issue #171 of The Seedhead we’re giving you a bunch of ideas for living missionally THIS Christmas!
Let’s dive in…
Christmas is the easiest time of year to be on mission -
here's how to maximize it this year!
"And the angel said unto them, 'Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.'"
(Luke 2:10)
We love Christmas!
Superficially there is so much fun and beauty going on. But it’s pretty easy to delve beneath the veneer and to talk about the real reason for the season.
In fact, Christmas is one of the easiest times of year to be doing evangelism and pointing your lost friends to Jesus!
However, most Christians fail to be intentional about seizing the opportunity. This means they miss out on all the adventure and joy of seeing others draw closer to Jesus - which is such a shame.
Effective evangelism is always rooted in relationships, so with several of these ideas the goal is to purely do that. Then with some people you’ll have the opportunity to go a bit deeper, and we have options for that too!
As you read through these 19 Christmas outreach ideas, think about how to adapt and make them practically work in your context. Then pick a couple and go for it!
Christmas Caroling - think about who would like to do the singing and who would like to be sung to. You can end with hot chocolate and cookies, or even hand them out as you go!
Prayer walk your place of mission.
Rally neighbors to serve a needy household.
Organize a community giving event.
Cookie decorating and exchange party.
Gingerbread house making party.
Christmas tree ornament brunch - host a crafting session to make something fun like a Christmas decoration.
Birthday party for Jesus - host a party with food, games and a cake, and ask guests to bring a gift to donate to a child in need. This works very well for families with preschooler or younger elementary age kids.
Host a Christmas quiz, trivia, or bingo night.
Invite people to a carol service, or to watch a nativity play, or a Christian-themed Christmas movie.
Chalk Christmas messages on a driveway or sidewalk.
Reach out to those who are alone for the holidays. Invite them to join in for some part of your Christmas day, e.g. brunch, the main meal, or wine and dessert in the evening.
Prophetic Christmas cards - hand write cards to friends and neighbors, and as you do so ask the Holy Spirit for inspiration about what to write. Even if the recipients seem a long way from Jesus, you can use phrases such as, “As we enter a new year, my hope for you is…” and then share the prophetic insight without calling it that. If they are more open, you can introduce it with something like, “I’m praying for you all that…”.
Prophetic gift giving - ask the Lord to inspire your gift giving e.g. you could give a peace lily and when you give it you could say “I’m praying that this would be a tangible sign of God’s peace in your home this year.”
Organize a Christmas time walk or outing.
White elephant party - a fun opportunity to exchange unwanted or silly gifts!
Host an ‘open house’ and ask people to bring a drink or snack to share.
Give $25 ‘seed money’ to those you lead to invest in the place where they’re on mission, through gifts, acts of service or organizing a party.
Host an evening by the fire pit sharing the highlights of this year and what you’re hoping for the new year.
Reflect and Act
As you bring to mind lost friends, neighbors, and colleagues, ask Jesus:
Who specifically have you placed in my life to invest into this Christmas?
How can I have fun with them and encourage them?
What sort of spiritual conversation could we have in this Christmas season?
Let us know what you do (or have done), and we’ll update this list in the future.
“A generous soul will prosper, and he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” (Proverbs 11:25)
Blessings,
Alex + Hannah
ALEX AND HANNAH ABSALOM
