“The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.” That’s the advice of Buddy in the beloved holiday film, Elf.
Buddy’s right. It is the best way to spread Christmas cheer. Everyone loves the familiar songs of the season. Here are two ways to tap into this love of Christmas music for outreach.
One, give a friend a copy of Repeat the Sounding Joy!
In four places in Luke’s account of the Christmas story, people break into song. This book draws out the meaning of each of those songs. John Parker and I wrote it a couple of years ago, so most subscribers to this newsletter already have a copy. But who can you give a copy to this year?
Bring a friend to the December services and they can pick up a copy for free. You can also buy books after the service for stocking stuffers. We’ll have a sale table in the gym during the coffee fellowship. Also, several of you have asked how to get additional copies of my new novel, The Last Man: A Novel of the 1927 Santa Claus Bank Robbery. So, we’ll have some of those on sale, too. If you’d rather order online, I’ll tell you how to do that at the end of this newsletter.
Second: Bring someone with you to “Come, Celebrate Christmas.”
At 10am on December 10, all the great musical talent of our church will come together to present songs that remind us that in the coming of Jesus “a light has dawned” (Matthew 4:16). Mark it on your calendar now!
The children's storyteller, Dr. Seuss, wrote of a Grinch who tried to steal Christmas from Whoville. The curmudgeon stole the decorations and the presents, and even the roast beast for the feast. And yet on Christmas morning—
Every Who down in Whoville,
the tall and the small,
was singing without any presents at all!
I hope you find your reason to sing this Christmas!
Can’t make it to the sale table at the Hillcrest coffee fellowship on Sundays? Get the Christmas book by clicking here and get The Last Man by clicking here.
Click here to check out Jane Rodgers’ article about my new novel in our state convention’s magazine, The Texan!
--Tom
Sign up here to receive Tom Goodman’s weekly devotional in your email inbox. Tom serves as pastor at Hillcrest Church in Austin, Texas. His sermons are available on YouTube and the HillcrestToGo Podcast and you can find him on Facebook and Twitter.