Who’s on your Christmas gift list?  Better yet, who SHOULD be on that list?  No, I’m not suggesting you put me on your list. (LOL)  But I am suggesting someone else you might want to add.
You might recall that last Fall I mentioned something called “turning bodies into neighbors.”  The idea is to list the eight people outside your home who are the closest to you physically when they put their head on the pillow each night.  Think of it like a tic-tac-toe game, with you in the middle.

Hopefully you can fill in the other eight boxes with actual names.  (If not, Christmas is a great opportunity to introduce yourself with a plate of cookies or other seasonal treats.)  Those eight “bodies” can become real neighbors through your intentional efforts, like giving them a gift.  One of the greatest gifts you can give them is the gift of prayer. Maybe you know exactly how to pray for them.  Maybe you don’t. But you can pray.  For a list of suggestions see here.

The other great gift you can give them is an invitation.  That’s right, an invitation to experience a December to remember.  It could be an invitation to our annual PowerHouse FX Production, “Put a Bow On It.”  (If you do that, be sure you can get enough free tickets by checking here.)  Or, invite them to one of our four Christmas Eve gatherings (2:00, 3:30, 5:30 and 7:00 pm).  Don’t underestimate what God might do if you simply offer the gift of an invitation.  Then leave the results up to him.

We’ll have printed and digital invitations available shortly.  But even without them you can still invite.  That would be a powerful way to turn bodies into neighbors.

I’m praying for all of us as we consider how to give a very different kind of gift this year…a gift that will never stop giving life.

-Pastor Mark