In the Bible Jesus is a living example of what it looks like to give and serve others generously. As Christians, we are called to live a life that follows Jesus’s example. This means we are called to give and to serve. While we should be striving to do this year-round, at Christmas time we tend to be inspired to do this even more.
If you are feeling the spark of generosity and kindness this Christmas season, we want to help further inspire you with some ways you can serve others and spread the love of Jesus this time of year. Hopefully, you will even feel led to continue serving others into the new year.
“It is more blessed to give than to receive” Acts 20:35
There are three main ways you can give to others. You can give of your time, your talent, or your treasure.
This is such good news. So many discount themselves from giving to others because they don’t have extra funds. Well, it costs nothing to volunteer your time. Or maybe you feel too busy but can donate money to a good cause.
No one is unqualified to serve others.
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:45
Let’s look at some practical ways you can give of your time, talent, or treasure to serve others this holiday season. (And year-round!)
Serve Within Your Church
One of the best places to start when you’re ready to get involved in serving others is your own church home. Chances are, there are serving teams that could benefit from your investment of time and talent. Most churches have serving roles established from children’s ministry to cafe volunteers. And this need only increases during the Christmas season.
Volunteer With Local Organizations
We need people actively serving both within the church and outside the church. Local organizations that are serving your community are a wonderful thing to support. This will look different based on your local community and where you live. Does your community have a local food shelf, serve holiday meals, and sponsor Christmas gifts for families in need? All of these can be great places to fill needs and serve others in the name of Jesus!
Invite People Into Your Home
Do you have the gift of hospitality? How can you use that gift to serve others? Inviting people into your home can be a wonderful way to physically serve them a meal or bless them with a time of community or listening ear. Those who don’t have family near the Holidays will be especially blessed by being invited to your family traditions.
Use your Gifts and Talents in Creative Ways
Unfortunately, people disqualify themselves from serving, thinking they have nothing of value to offer, but with a little creativity, we truly believe everyone has something they can offer to others.
Maybe you love to bake, you could sell baked goods to raise money for a local charity. Or deliver cookies to nursing homes, police stations, or schools in your area. Do you love to work on cars? You could offer your time and talent to lower-income families who need car maintenance. When God is using you to serve others, a little creativity goes a very long way.
Serve on The Mission Field
In Matthew 28 we are instructed to “go and make disciples all over the world.” There are countless serving opportunities in our own backyards and local communities, but if you multiply that in communities all around the world, the needs are endless.
Whether you’re working to meet physical or spiritual needs, a global mission trip is a great way to really transform your perspective in so many ways. The overall goal of a mission trip is to serve a certain community, but more often than not, you will find the people you are serving are also serving you. This is one of many examples of how God wants to use serving others as a way to build your own faith and relationship with Him.
Donate to Those in Need
Many of the serving opportunities we have talked about are about using your time and talents to serve others in multiple ways. But we understand sometimes you don’t have the time. Life can get busy as you balance multiple areas. In those seasons, we don’t want serving others to overwhelm you, but we also don’t want to forget about it.
Donating items or financially supporting churches and organizations are great ways to continue to keep your heart aligned with the mission of serving others when you don’t have the time to invest in it.
We know God can multiply our dollars and resources when they are placed in his hands.
Acts of Kindness
Another simple way to keep serving at the forefront of our busy lives and the holiday season is to get in the habit of mixing acts of kindness into our daily lives. This is an especially fun and easy way to involve kids in serving others.
Whether you pay for the person behind you in the drive-thru, leave thank you notes for your mailman, or shovel your neighbor’s driveway, your children will notice these regular acts of kindness and grow up knowing this is an important thing to incorporate in our lives!
Torchable Connections
Torchable exists to connect individuals, groups, churches, and communities. Oftentimes we see people desiring to serve their communities, but believe it or not, it can be hard to know where to start or even find opportunities to serve.
Torchable is an app designed to connect you to local churches and organizations. Whether you are looking for a church to attend on Christmas or seeking out volunteer opportunities, Torchable can help you become the hand and feet of Christ this Christmas season.