Christmas is coming--reach out and share it!

Then the angel of the LORD spoke very solemnly to Jeshua and said, "This is what the LORD Almighty says: If you follow my ways and carefully serve me, then you will be given authority over my Temple and its courtyards…Listen to me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests. You are symbols of things to come. Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. Now look at the jewel I have set before Jeshua, a single stone with seven facets. I will engrave an inscription on it, says the LORD Almighty, and I will remove the sins of this land in a single day. And on that day, says the LORD Almighty, each of you will invite your neighbor to sit with you peacefully under your own grapevine and fig tree" (Zechariah 3:6-10).

The Advent season points our thoughts towards Christmas. Actually, merchandisers have probably had you thinking about Christmas for quite a while by now. But the most important element of your holiday planning is this—how will you greet the Lord on Christmas Eve? Will you come to worship the baby Jesus with family or friends or by yourself? Or will you bring a guest to kneel with you at the manger’s side and gaze with wonder at the face of God?

Bringing visitors with you to God’s house is rarely easier than at Christmas time. During the holidays, people are more open to religious messages. Over the next few weeks, people are friendlier and more willing to chat with strangers. Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to introduce an unbeliever to the Savior.

Everyone reading this knows someone who doesn’t go to church. Every one of you has seen a person at work or down the road that is a stranger to you, whose church affiliation, if any, is unknown. This Christmas, God has given you the opportunity to lead someone new towards His waiting arms. But I know already that most of you don’t want to.

One reason why is that our society has become terrified of personal contact. Some people won’t offer a welcoming touch because they fear being accused of sexual harassment. Others avoid talking to strangers because they worry about being attacked. Many guard their privacy fiercely out of concern over identity theft.

I don’t deny that the world is a dangerous place, filled with criminals of every stripe. I understand the need to teach our children to be cautious around strangers, and for women who are alone to be aware of their surroundings. But frankly, I think that we are becoming too paranoid. Everywhere you look there are surveillance cameras. Do they really make you feel more secure, or do they just stir up worry about why someone else thought they were necessary?

Jesus warned His followers to live cautiously: I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard against men (Matthew 10:16-17). But we must not let caution raise barriers between us. Jesus has given every believer an important task—we are to share His love with others. How can we share the love of Christ if we are afraid to talk with strangers? How can we demonstrate His love if we are constantly on the defensive?

When we let fear isolate us from each other, the devil smiles—he is pleased, because He knows that we are not trusting Christ to protect us. Psalm 46 illustrates the kind of trust God looks for in our hearts: God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear.

Jesus has given us work to do—reach out and offer His love to others. Certainly He will support us in doing His will! So don’t be afraid to speak with strangers. In 1st Thessalonians chapter 2, Paul reveals the reason a Christian reaches out to others: We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well. Don’t pull back from offering a hand to someone in need. Be willing to open up and share how Jesus has freed you from guilt and depression and fear. Be cautious, but don’t be afraid—that stranger might one day thank you in heaven for reaching out to him now.

I know that opening a conversation with someone you don’t know can be challenging. Our modern world, for all its advances, actually helps us keep each other at arm’s length. Television. Cell phones. The Internet. These three forms of technology are uniting the world, yet at the same time they are isolating us from each other. Reporters can show you live what is happening in an isolated African village. By going online, you can enter a chat room and communicate with people who live in several different countries, all at the same time. With so many people having cell phones, you don’t even need to know where somebody is in order to speak with him. Yet this technology also has a drawback—increasingly, it is replacing face-to-face contact between people.

There are many who are shy. For them, telecommunication can become a safety blanket. It is much easier to watch TV alone at home than to go out on a date. You can log on to a chat room and read what other people are saying without revealing anything about yourself, or you can assume a fake identity with no one being the wiser. Modern technology allows shy people to stay comfortably trapped in their isolation.

But it isn’t only the shy who are affected—the frantic pace of modern life is making it harder for families and friends to spend time together in the same room. Telecommunication allows parents to talk to children they never eat with, and share gossip with friends who work different shifts or have moved far away. Modern technology allows busy people to fit their relationships into their hectic schedules.

But how can this be healthy? Is text messaging really superior to a comforting hug? Don’t we demonstrate how much family and friends mean to us by arranging our schedule around them, instead of giving them a few minutes on the cell phone while we are in the supermarket? Jesus wasn’t content to just watch us from heaven—on the very first Christmas He came here to walk with us, eat with us, hold us in His arms. And when He returned to His Father’s side after dying for our sins, He did not leave us alone, He gave us the Church—a group of people who keep gathering in His name to support each other with His love!

Don’t use your television or cell phone or Internet connection to satisfy your need for human contact. Use the TV for getting the news. Reserve your cell phone for emergencies. Use the Internet to do research. But make time in your schedule for face-to-face contact with people, both the ones you love and those who are presently strangers to you. Jesus did not ‘phone in’ His love for you.

Of course, there is another hurdle we have to overcome—we value our privacy. In fact, we can get fanatical about our privacy. We won’t let phone directories publish our numbers. Hospital staff are prevented from sharing any information about a patient’s health with visitors.

Now I realize the importance of protecting financial information so that criminals cannot misuse it. I understand wanting to avoid the annoying calls of telemarketers. But look at the problems caused by having an unlisted phone number—old friends may have no way of finding you after years of separation. And how can a doctor or hospital reach you in an emergency if they are treating a loved one who is unconscious?

All of us are interconnected with others—our family members, those we work with, the people in our booster club. We support them and they depend on us. You have a responsibility to the other people on your bowling team. You have a responsibility to your fellow church members. Life is a network of connections between people who depend on each other. Excessive privacy can break down these lines of mutual support. If no one knows that you are sick, how can they pray for you or visit you in the hospital? If you can’t be contacted by phone, how will your friends let you know that an activity has been rescheduled? Even worse, there are times when we want to hide from our responsibilities, and privacy makes such hiding possible. How many of your friends avoid people they don’t want to deal with by getting a cell phone and not giving out their number?

Thankfully, God does not hide Himself from us. He knows that we depend on Him constantly, whether we realize it or not. And so He is always attentive to our needs—Jesus said, My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working (John 5:7). God makes Himself available to us 24/7. We can pray to Him any time, anywhere; we can receive His Words of promise, reassurance, and hope whenever we open a copy of His Bible.

Don’t let a desire for privacy isolate you from others; remember that God said, it is not good for the man to be alone (Genesis 2:18).

We live in a mobile society. Our communities are constantly fluctuating as people we’ve known for years move away and are replaced with strangers. For some long-time residents, the passage of time can make you feel like a stranger in your own neighborhood. But these changes are actually opportunities provided by God.

Strangers at work and living down the street—these individuals can bring good things to your life. What skills do they have to share with the community? Everyone is a creation of God, uniquely gifted by the Lord to carry out a duty of His design. But you’ll never find out what a newcomer can bring to the table if you don’t get to know him.

Even more importantly, each new face that enters your life presents a fresh opportunity for church work. Sure, you can put money in the collection plate to support a missionary in some faraway place. But that’s so antiseptic and impersonal. There is nothing more exciting than the opportunity to share your faith in Christ with someone who has never heard the Gospel before. When you meet a stranger, it is a golden opportunity for you to personally carry out the Great Commission: make disciples of all nations. In America, every community is a hodgepodge of many nations, all within convenient reach of your hands and voice.

No matter where you live or work, there are strangers all around you. What wonderful possibilities they present! Why should you be content with a small circle of old friends when your life could be enriched by adding someone new and interesting? Every stranger you meet offers such potential. And don’t forget that God tells us to reach out to strangers, because by loving them we show our love for Him. Illustrating the Day of Judgment, Jesus shares the following words: Then the King will say to those on his right, `Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home…I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you were doing it to me!' (Matthew 25:34-40) And listen to what Hebrews chapter 13 tells us: Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Each stranger in your life is a potential blessing—speak to them, get to know them, and invite them to meet the Savior before this year is out.