Talk about Faith this Christmas

It’s easy to forget that people of other faiths living around us might not really know what Christians believe about Christmas.

Take Maryam and Mohammad for example. They arrived in America in September as International Students from Saudi Arabia. By Christmas, they had concluded that Christians believe in an omnipresent idol named Santa Claus, a being with endless resources to provide presents to all on Christmas Eve. They sincerely believed that Christians decorated trees and worshipped at church so that they could attract Santa’s favor.

An Authentic Witness

Then Laura, their volunteer English language conversation partner, invited them to dinner at her home, followed by a Christmas Eve service at her church. Curious about all things related to Christians and Christmas, Maryam and Mohammad eagerly accepted.

At Laura’s home and later in church, Maryam and Mohammad listened intently to the words of Christmas songs. They were surprised not to hear anything about Santa.

Instead, they heard songs like “Holy Night,” “Joy to the world,” and “Come all ye faithful.” For the first time, they heard the Christmas story read from Luke [1:26]-38 and 2:1-20. At Laura’s suggestion, they downloaded a free Bible app (bible.is) to read the Holy Bible in their own language as well as English.

Full of curious questions, Maryam and Mohammad wholeheartedly embraced the entire Christmas experience. As the evening unfolded, they excitedly posted pictures and stories on social media for their family and friends back home in Saudi Arabia to see.

“We thought Christmas was about Santa Claus!” shared Maryam.

Through Laura’s authentic Christian witness, Maryam, Mohammad, and their families back home heard the real reason for the season. And we’re praying the Gospel seeds Laura faithfully planted will grow.

Can you talk about faith this Christmas?

Friends, there are millions of people like Maryam and Mohammad who don’t know about Jesus. They have misconceptions about Christmas too.

Most will never be invited into a Christian’s home for the holidays, nor will they hear the story of Jesus. You can change that!

How to start faith conversations

Imagine what could happen when you invite just one non-Believing family, like Maryam and Mohammad, into your home for Christmas. Through your loving Christian witness, God can use you to have an extraordinary life-changing impact locally and globally.

Start small! Invite a nearby other-faith neighbor, co-worker, refugee, or international student and their family to a Christmas meal at your home and to a special Christmas service.

• Read the Christmas story together from Luke [1:26]-38 and 2:1-20.
• Share a free Bible app they can download to their phone to read more of God’s revelation any time on their own. Laura helped Maryam and Mohammad download “bible.is,” and they were so excited to see the Bible was in their native language as well as English.
• Share a prayer request for the upcoming year. Then invite your friend to share a request of their own. Pray with your friend, in Jesus’ name.

“As Christians, we pray in the name of Jesus, who is at the right hand of God, interceding for us. God’s Holy Word in Romans [8:34] says, “Who then is the one who condemns? No one Christ Jesus who died – more than that, who was raised to life – is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”

Be intentional about sharing your faith this Christmas. Start by praying for divine appointments and fresh opportunities to talk about your faith with other-faith friends.