God calls us to share the “Christmas Spirit” all year long.  So why does the “Christmas Spirit” fail so quickly after the presents are opened?

Did you ever wonder why we give presents to people to celebrate Jesus’ birthday? I mean, for my birthday, I get presents. For your birthday, you get presents. So why do we receive gifts on Jesus’ birthday?

Years ago, I started having a birthday party for Jesus with my youth group. We brought in a cake with “Happy Birthday Jesus” written on it and everyone brought a gift to give Jesus.

The gifts were the best part. Everyone brought a wrapped box in for the party. We took turns placing our boxes under the tree. As we placed them, we told what we had brought for Jesus. Some might bring their love, devotion, praise, time, etc. Others might bring their bad habits (cussing, smoking, bullying, etc.) or something they need to let go of (ex-boyfriend, bitterness, feeling inadequate, etc.).

When all of the gifts were under the tree, we would pray and ask God to bless our gifts. We would thank God for His gift and we would thank Jesus for willingly coming to earth and giving up His riches and comfort for us.

After our prayer, we would all share one thing we counted as a blessing in our life. Then we played Christmas music and ate cake. Everyone had fun and seemed to carry the “Christmas Spirit” with them longer into the New Year.

Does the Denomination really matter that much? Is it worth all of the lost souls for us to be “right” in our Denomination. If we all believe Jesus died on the cross for our sins and that He is the only way to God, then why do we let the small differences stand between us?

Ephesians 4:11-13 ~ It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

The Bible doesn’t say “Baptist will lead the way or Methodist have all the answers. There is no rating system for denominations. The Bible doesn’t separate denominations into categories or standing with God.

1 Corinthians 1:11-13 ~ My brothers, some from Chloe’s household have informed me that there are quarrels among you. What I mean is this: One of you says, “I follow Paul”; another, “I follow Apollos”; another, “I follow Cephas”; still another, “I follow Christ”. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?

God wants us to all live in Harmony with each other. He wants us to spread His message of love by demonstrating love towards each other. How can we be effective witnesses for God if we are fighting with each other over silly things like carpet colors or how we should express our praise? As long as we keep Christ as our focus, it doesn’t matter what denomination we call ourselves.

Romans 12:16 ~ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

Psalm 133:1 ~ How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!

Let’s begin today. Who do you know that attends a church of a different denomination? Maybe they are Nazarene, Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran or Brethren? Can you be friends in Christ and stay focused on the thing you have in common; Jesus Christ? Can you put aside your differences and serve as One Body for Christ? It’s what we’ve all been called to do.

Ideas for building a relationship:

1. Build something together. A model airplane, a puzzle, a flowerbed, a table. Whatever you and your teens are capable of building, build.

2. Video games are very popular. Learn some of the hottest games and challenge your teens to a game. Be a good sport whether you win or lose, remember they are watching you.

3. Take a hike together. Pack a lunch and go for a hike. This is best with a group but if you have a good start on a relationship, you could do one on one or even invite a friend of theirs to come along.

4. Write a note. E-mail or snail-mail. Don’t we all like to get something from someone just because? Make it short and sweet (Thinking of you, Just wanted to say hi, etc.). You could also talk on the phone or text the teens. If you chose to talk on the phone, be sure to listen more than you talk.

5. Hang out after the school game with them and their friends (make sure they are o.k. with you being there).

6. Rent two movies to watch together. One you chose, one they chose. You can set boundaries like nothing higher than PG rating.

7. Volunteer at a rescue mission with your teens. This could be a soup kitchen, a clothes closet, etc. If you don’t have anything like this, take the teens to help someone with yard work. Make sure the person you are helping needs your help and wants it.

8. Take a teen with you when you grocery shop. This gives them a look into your life. It will help them feel like they are valued in the friendship.

9. Paint a mural together. Be sure the teen and you are skilled as artist before tackling this project. Be sure to get permission from whoever owns the wall you are painting. The youth groups Sunday School wall would be perfect.

10. Cook a meal together and then be brave enough to eat it with the teen. If it turns out well, maybe your teens and you could cook a meal for a family who is shut-in or a new mom who would appreciate not having to cook.

What are teens looking for today?

Teens today need a purpose. They need something they can believe in. They want something they can count on.

Do we have something real to offer them that fits what they are looking for?

Yes! Jesus gave us a purpose, the tell others about God and His love. Jesus is something they can believe in and not just because the Bible teaches it but because God is all around us. They can count on Jesus. He will never let us down or forsake us. People will disappoint us and betray us (even if they don’t mean to).

How do we share Jesus when we know we will fail our teens?

Be real with them. Be honest with them. Build a relationship built on trust and respect with them. Listen to them without judgment. Be a mentor.

How can I build a relationship with a teen.

First, you should always try to introduce yourself to their parents. This can be as simple as making sure they are there the first time you pick up their teen and you saying “Hi. My name is…and I’m the youth leader at…Thank you for letting me take…to…” This lets the parents know who you are, where your from, where you are taking their teen and that you appreciate them allowing you to spend time with their child. If the parents don’t want to meet you and have no interest in what their teen is doing or who with, then that teen needs you even more.

Now that you’ve put the parent at ease, it’s time to focus on the teen and building a relationship with that teen. Go to music store or meet them at their favorite music store. Let them show you what type of music they like. Show them what time you like. Maybe you both like some of the same music. Listen to the teen as they tell you why they like a certain song or group. You be surprised to learn something personal about them. Don’t force them to talk but listen if they do talk.

If the teen is comfortable with you visiting their school, have lunch with them once a week or so if your schedule allows it. Get to know their friends by listening more than talking. If they play a sport, go to their games. If they play an instrument, go to their concerts. If they are into art, take time to look at their work.

Invite your teen and one of their friends to go for a soda after school. Stop by McDonald’s and get them a snack and drink from the dollar menu. Nuggets and a Mt Dew can go a long way in helping the teens feel comfortable.

* TIPS and WARNINGS *

1. Find out what they like to do. Try to join them if your welcome and it doesn’t go against your beliefs (although, Jesus went where people neede Him not where they knew Him).

2. Get to know their friends (even if they go to another church). Remember, it isn’t about stealing away other Christians, it’s about building relationships with your teens.

3. Try to have all of your gatherings in public places. If you are have a get together at your house, have another adult not from your house present if possible. You want the teens and their parents to feel comfortable with you. Public places are safest and will help everyone be relaxed and ready to have fun getting to know each other.

4. If a teen’s parent is not supportive of you doing things with their teen, then try to get to know the teen when they are at church or in group settings unless the parent is completely against you spending time with their teen.

5. The most important tip is pray. Pray with them when you get together. Pray for them when you are away from them. Pray for their families. Pray for their schools. Pray for specific problems they may be dealing with.

6. Be honest. Never intentionally lie to your teens. They are smart and they will know if you are lying. They deal with teen drama all day so they’ve seen lying and manipulation, don’t become one more person they can’t trust.

To get your testimony ready (while helping your teens get their ready), you need to have your Bible, paper and a pen with you. Write out your testimony.

Set aside time each day to read over your testimony. Have your teens pair off with someone they are comfortable with sharing their testimony. Now have them practice sharing their testimony with each other. Encourage them to get together with their practice partner as much as possible and practice giving their testimony. They don’t want to become mundane when telling their story they just want to be comfortable sharing it with others.

Your testimony should include the following things:

1. Your acceptance of Christ. Where were you? Who was with you?  etc.

2. The freedom from guilt. How did you feel when you accepted Chirst?

3. Your faithfulness to God. Has your faith been tested? Was God there to help you?

4. The change in your life. What is new? What is different? Bad habits that you’ve given up?

5. Your deliverance from sin. How have you been saved? What were you saved from?

6. Your assurance of eternal life. How do you know you have eternal life?

Help your teens find scripture that supports what they believe. Help them memorize scripture that supports salvation and eternal life.

Pray for and with your teens as they put together their testimony and practice becoming comfortable sharing it. We are called to tell the world and go making disciples. Don’t leave your teens hanging!

Another great Missional Project for your teens is Crisis Care Kits. If you have never heard of this before, it is to help anyone who had lost everything due to floods, Hurricanes, or other natural disasters. Your teens would be responsible to collect small items of basic things a person might need (like shampoo, soap, hand towels, comb, a small stuffed toy, tissues, etc.). The teens would provide the 5 gallon Ziploc bags and people take a bag and fill it with items from a list you give them of specific things or they could donate a few things for a bag (again using a certain list you provide them). When you have 12 bags, they go into a box (banana boxes work great) and you ship them off to the collection site where they store them until a natural disaster happens. Many of our bags went to New Orleans and other places after “Katrina” hit. If you are interested in signing your youth group up or for more information, go to the website www.nazarenemissions.org. Although this is a program started in the Nazarene Church, you could turn it into something your church could do. The important thing is that people are helped in their time of need.

Have your youth group “adopt” a family. If there isn’t a family in need at your church, then go to a school and get information on a family (just ages of the children, sizes, etc. ~ never more than their first name) and gather Christmas gifts for them. If you know the family, the whole family can receive gifts. Have the gifts dropped off unwrapped at your church and have the teens wrap them. This is so you can be sure the gifts are new and appropriate. The last thing you want a small child to open on Christmas morning is a bottle of wine or something equally inappropriate. Then on Christmas Eve (or a day close to Christmas Eve) go Christmas Caroling and deliver the gifts. Hold back a few gifts and give them to the parents to have something from “Santa” for Christmas morning. If you don’t put your names on the gifts (leave “from” blank) then the parents can give the gifts to their children. Getting patted on the back isn’t the goal. Giving a great Christmas to someone who might not have a Christmas is the goal. The gifts themselves were not as important as the giving. Bibles make great gifts, just keep in mind that children may prefer a “Veggie Tale” video or a Child’s Bible to a King James Bible. Teens might prefer a Christian CD (in their style of music: Rap, Rock, etc.) or a Christian T-shirt to socks. Be creative and thoughtful to what the receiver of the gift might want or like.

For Thanksgiving,  “adopt” a family and provide a dinner for them (with all the food you normally have for Thanksgiving). Again, get donations and have the teens deliver it. You can prepare the food and deliver it on Thanksgiving (check with the family to make sure this would be convenient) or take the food to the family a few days before Thanksgiving (again checking to see what the family would prefer). You may find you end up with enough food for the family to have many meals after Thanksgiving as well. Limit food donations to non-parishable food and take money donations for the Turkey and other parishable foods (keep in mind that the family may not have the staples we take for granted like eggs, milk, butter, etc.). Once you have purchased all of the food for that day (don’t forget dessert), use the rest of the food to buy things the family can use later like crackers, bread, cheese, sugar, salt, peanut butter, etc.

For other holidays, keep it simple but think of how you can helpothers in need. For Valentine’s Day, give a food love offering to a family in need. For Halloween, host a Harvest party as an alternative and invite kid’s who are less fortunate or those who maybe won’t do anything that night. If you have the funds, open to the whole community. For Easter, host a Spring Fling. Have games and prizes, food and rides (blow-up bouncy rides). Face painting and egg hunts are fun as well. New Years Eve is a fun time to have a great meal for the less fortunate or have a Teen Lock-in so they have something safe to do and do’t get into trouble.

* Whatever you do to celebrate the holidays, incorporate giving and serving your community. Remember, we can’t out-give God but we can be generous with what God gives us.

* Use your talents to give and serve. Be creative and try to do something at least once a quarter for someone else. If your youth group is large enough or they really get into giving, try to do something every month.

This event is a great way for your youth group to give back to those who give so much through the year. What could be more fitting for a mission event?

We started this tradition by  inviting the whole police force (Town, County, Deputy, Forestry Service and the State Police that worked our area) to come to our church for an appreciation dinner. The following year we invited the fire and rescue workers for our area and did the same for them. We continued to take turns year after year.

Your teens should take care of all of the details with guidance from the adults. Let them help cook, set up and wait on everyone who comes. Get food donations from your church members and have a few adults help (one adult help in the parking lot with 2 teens to direct parking, one adult keep the tea and water pitchers full so the teens can keep the glasses filled, one adult fill the food bowls so the teens can keep the food coming to the tables, etc.). Give the departments a framed certificate of thanks and appreciation from your youth group (or a plaque if you can afford it) and, if you can afford it, buy a small gift for the department or something small for each person who comes.

* Keep in mind that certain times and days of the year may be busier for law officers and rescue workers. Winter may be a time when weather keeps them busy. Summer may have more travelers keeping them busy. Check with the Departments you are hosting to see what day of the week and time of the year works for them.

* If you have the volunteers, a large enough youth group, and the money/donations, you might want to consider giving them a choice of meat or have a vegetable plate available. We always served family style (put bowls and platters of food on the table and they serve themselves passing the bowls/platters around the table) but you can serve plated meals (your servers have plates with a serving on them and one plate is all the get) or you can set up a buffet if you have the room.

An easy and fun thing to do as a group is to visit Nursing Homes. If you can go every week to a different Nursing Home rotate between 4 different ones in your town and when there is a 5th week, rotate to another Nursing Home in your area. We went to the Nursing Homes on Sunday afternoons but you choose the best day for your youth group and your local Nursing Homes. When you go to a Nursing Home, sing songs, play games, do crafts, etc. Have a plan before you get there. For every holiday, we had a small gift for each resident (these were things like cards, hand lotion, a small box of chocolate, a small craft item, etc. ~ It’s important to find out if anyone is on a special diet or if anyone has any allergies before choosing the gifts). At one of the Nursing Homes, each teen “adopted” a grandparent. This was someone they gave special attention to and would visit at other times besides just with the group. They would also bring something special for that “grandparent’s” birthday.

Another great Missional activity to do was to take a group around the neighborhood offering our services. We would rake leaves in the fall, shovel sidewalks in the winter, clean flower beds in the spring and mow lawns and pull weeds in the summer. We tried to find families who couldn’t afford to pay for these things or elderly families who struggled with these things. We never accepted payment for our work. If someone in our church needed painting done and our teens were old enough we would volunteer to help there as well. We always made sure an adult went with the teens to supervise and protect our teens. As a “thank you” to the teens for their hard work, I would take them for Pizza Hut pizza or plan a day of fun for them. The people you help should never reward the teens but it’s o.k. for you to show you appreciate all they do.

Tips & Warnings
1. Check your local and state laws before doing these things.
2. If you try to help someone or do something for them and they are not comfortable with it, ask if you can leave your name and church number in case they change their minds, then leave.
3. Always (no matter how old your teen is) send an adult with your youth group. This protects them from harm as well as from being falsely accused of something.
4. Keep in mind that if you or your youth group cause damage to anyone or their property, you will be responsible for damages.

There are four important lessons to teach teens and MANY different Bible studies, lesson plans and other material to help you with this important task. These four things are Love, Respect, Self-Image and Service.

You can make your own Bible Study with the following Scriptures:

LOVE: Luke 10:27; John 13:34-35; 1 John 3:1; 1 John 4:17-19; Matthew 5:43-48; Matthew 22:37-40; Psalm 136; 1 Corinthians 13 . These Scripture references, and many others, show us how God loves us and commands us to love others. If we love Jesus, then we should love ourselves and others. If we believe we were created in God’s image, we cannot love God and not love ourselves.

RESPECT: Proverbs 15:5; Proverbs 19:23; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; Leviticus 19:3. In these Scriptures, God clearly wants us to respect others and ourselves. When we do this, we show respect to God. Give ways they can show respect. Encourage teens to listen to people when they talk, obey their parents and hold their tongues from sarcastic or rude comments.

SELF-IMAGE: 1 Samuel 16:7; Psalm 139:13-16; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. Again, if we cannot see ourselves as God sees us, then how can we think well of God for we are made in God’s image.  Helping teens see the beautiful creation God has made them and is still molding them into is very important. Without that positive image, they cannot truly accept the call God has for them. They must see themselves as capable, strong (in Christ), and worthy before they can humble themselves to serve others.

SERVICE: Deuteronomy 11:13; Deuteronomy 13:4; Matthew 6:24; Galatians 5:13-14; 1 Peter 4:11. We are all called to serve God and others as Jesus would serve. Teach teens to look for needs and to serve as they are able. Teach them to see the world as Jesus sees the world. Are there people who are hungry? Can they arrange for a meal to be provided?

* The key to getting them excited is simple: let them help plan, decide and carry out the service.