Christmas in Children’s Ministry is hard.
It is filled with joy, remembrance, worship, unspoken expectations, and deep grief.
As ministry leaders, you are called to be many things to many people all at once.
It is easy to become overwhelmed or unphased spiritually by the Christmas season.
It’s easy to focus on the wrong things.
Did we pick the right songs to sing, the right musical?
Should we host the party?
Did the right number of people show up?
Yet somehow, we risk missing the incredible gifts in the moments in the middle.
These moments touch our hearts, remind us of the truth, and give us the perspective that we couldn’t have on our own.
They happen when we least expect it, and are never planned.
While we are rushing around trying to make everything special for everyone else, we can miss what’s happening in our own hearts or the hearts of those around us.
Like the child who sees Jesus as real for the first time; the mom that needed to hear of Mary’s sacrifice in a new way and feel comforted; the neighbor who walks into a church after being away for the Savior for so many years and feels like they are home.
So many gifts are given in this season, yet the best ones come from our Lord.
I hope that amid the complex and busy season of Christmas, you catch glimpses of the Lord’s gifts.
That the moments in the middle would remind you of his goodness.
That you can see these small wonders and you, too, would feel seen and honored.
