Why I don’t celebrate Christmas

I am a citizen of the Kingdom of God. A daughter of the Most High King. I have been reconciled to God by the forgiveness of my sins through the death of His Son Jesus Christ. I strive daily to live according to the principles outlined in the Bible.

I do not celebrate Christmas because I do not believe that it has anything to do with Jesus.

I have no problem celebrating the birth of Christ. It is beyond my understanding how the fullness of the sovereign God, Creator of the universe, could be contained in a human body (Colossians 2:9), yet this is what happened when Jesus came to earth. He willingly left His place in heaven where He was equal to God, and subjected Himself to becoming a human, all so that He could be the payment for my sins (Philippians 2:6-11). This is something worth celebrating every day of the year, not just on December 25^th.

I celebrate Jesus by serving others who are in need. Instead of buying gifts for people just because “It’s Christmas”, I use the funds that God has blessed me with to support an orphanage in Haiti which cares for children who were orphaned by the earthquake in 2010. Instead of buying new furniture and appliances, I support an outreach effort in Kenya which ministers to the needs of persons living with HIV who have been neglected by their families. Instead of spending money on fancy Christmas dinners, I contribute towards an organisation that is working with survivors of ebola in Liberia to ensure that they do not starve due to famine. Instead of purchasing decorations for my home, I choose to be a blessing to a single mother with four children.

So please forgive me if I don’t send out “Merry Christmas” greetings, and if I don’t get into the “Christmas spirit”. To me, this time of year is full of persons indulging in excess while turning a blind eye to persons who are in need, and I prefer not to be a part of it.

For those who choose to celebrate, I would like to challenge you to do so by placing Jesus at the center of your festivities, not just looking to your own interests, but to the interests of others (Philippians 2:4). And to not limit this serving of others to December 25^th, but to do so every day of your life.

Matthew 25:37-40: Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Blessing after blessing

As I reflect on the school term that has passed, I recognise that there is much to give God thanks for. One year ago, ISCF Grenada had recently been relaunched, volunteers were being sourced, and there was only one functioning ISCF group. At present, we have groups in the community college and six secondary schools. We have over 40 persons who are committed to the ministry in various ways - serving as Board members, sponsors, prayer and financial supporters, camp counsellors and volunteers.

Cheryl Jessemy and Arlene Marcell have been of great help in the school ministry, building  relationships with students and facilitating sessions. They have also served as volunteers at our national student rallies and ISCF Camps.

Cheryl with Happy Hill students

 Cheryl has a great love for ministry to young people, and is very excited about serving the Grenadian students through this avenue. Whenever she is unable to come to a school visit, the students ask, "Where is de next teacher?" One even said, "I think I like her better than you!" :)

Arlene has adopted the group at Westerhall Secondary as her 'baby'. In October, she conducted a session entitled "Is there really a God?" looking at looking at how creation, the Bible and Jesus all pointed to the existence of God. Arlene also shared about the reality of heaven and hell. There were many questions, such as “Why didn’t God just make all of us go to heaven instead of giving us a choice?” The discussion extended beyond the allocated time into the next period, since they did not have a teacher. By the end of the meeting, eleven students indicated that they wanted to surrender their lives to Christ!

Talking with students who committed their lives
to Christ about plans for follow up

One of the mottos of ISCF is "Students reaching students". This is a distinctive which sets ISCF apart from other youth organisations, with a focus on developing the leadership potential of students while they are in school, and have the opportunity to reach their fellow students. At Boca Secondary, under the guidance of sponsor Don-Rae Wilkinson, members of the Executive have started sharing the message at ISCF meetings. They meet on Mondays to discuss the topic for Wednesday, and take turns in presenting truths from God's word about issues which are relevant to their peers.

Boca students listening attentively as Hope shares about purpose.

Beacon High School is a private Christian school, but many of the students there are not believers. As members of the Executive have found out, the majority of their peers have no interest in learning more about God. This term the Executive decided to focus their energies on reaching out to the Form 1 students, and were able to conduct sessions on Bullying and Self Respect.

Ariel and Danielle leading ISCF meeting at Beacon High School

At the T.A. Marryshow Community College, sponsor Mae Patterson has also been encouraging members of the Community College Christian Fellowship (CCCF) to share their faith with their classmates. The preparation for these sessions are evident as the students deliver the message in a way that is engaging and appreciated by those who attend. There is much interaction as students feel free to share their view points when the meetings are conducted by one of their own.

Shanika sharing on the topic "Taking a stand for righteousness"

 I am also encouraged by the "little things", like last week Monday on the way to Happy Hill, I noticed there were many students on the road, indicating that school had been dismissed early. I wondered if the ISCF students had gone home, thereby making my journey a 'waste'. When I arrived, I was plesantly surprised to see that the students had not only been waiting for me since 1pm, but they had also encouraged two new persons to stay back for the meeting as well! We had a vibrant discussion on Jesus' teachings about forgiveness, and addressed concerns about how to forgive when you had been deeply hurt. Blessings like these are evidence to me that God is clearly at work through this student ministry.

Playing a game before the session on Forgivenss

Special thanks to all who have partnered with us in this journey to re-start the work of ISCF in Grenada. We give God all the glory and honor for the growth seen in this ministry over the past year.