Zimbabwe: Matters of Faith - How to Flourish This Festive Season As a Follower of Jesus

14 December 2024
The Herald (Harare)
By Tumelo Matsitse

In one way or another, we all look forward to the festive season.

It is a time when people wind down and enjoy a good time. The festive season is highly anticipated, because navigating the 365 days we have each year is difficult and often exhausting.

For most of us, we joyfully limp into the festive season.

With that said, how can followers of Jesus Christ celebrate the festive season? Or, as the title asks, how can they flourish in this time?

Three ways for Christians to properly enjoy their festive season:

Most of us joyfully limp into the festive season.

With thankful reflection

The festive season offers us an opportunity to reaflect on God's goodness throughout the year past. That makes it a time when we can "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will God in Christ Jesus for you" (1 Thessalonians 5:18).

Have there been difficult circumstances for you to navigate this year? Maybe you lost a loved one; or you experienced severe affliction; or you felt that you were losing the fight against a particular sin. However, amid those testing circumstances you grew and witnessed the work of God in your life (James 1:2-4). So why not give thanks to God?

Reflect with gratitude on the mercies of God.

On the other hand, maybe as you look back you can see answered prayers. This festive season, why not review your prayer list and rejoice in some of the prayers that God has answered? Then praise God.

Reflecting on the year gone and being amazed by the undeserved kindness of God in our lives will produce hearts overflowing with thankfulness. So, this festive season, reflect with gratitude on the mercies of God. For "his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness" (Lamentations 3:22-23).

Let loose, the right way

Why do I say this? Our world presents the festive season as an opportunity to indulge in reckless, godless living. Self-indulgence is the anthem of the season. To illustrate this, I will give three examples. Firstly, consider the consumption of alcohol. Think about that end-of-year office party, where alcohol will be available by the bucket-loads. Getting drunk will be very easy. But this is not how those who follow Christ ought to live (Ephesians 5:18).

Self-indulgence is the anthem of the season.

Secondly, consider the area of sexual purity. Two people may get into a kind of "friends with benefits" relationship for the holidays. It is often sexual, disregarding the God's view of sex and marriage.

In other words, the temptation to compromise your sexual purity will be heightened in the festive season. Everyone is doing it, right? But we ought to flee sexual immorality and glorify God in our bodies (1 Corinthians 7:18, 20).

Thirdly, the world encourages impulsive spending at year-end. Your money will be pursued in all sorts of ways: the promotion of endless specials; the aggressively appealing hospitality industry; and tireless retailers peddling what you do not need.

So, throughout the festive season bear Paul's words in mind, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is" (Ephesians 5:15-17).

Celebrate Christ with non-believers

Finally, we can flourish this festive season by intentionally celebrating Jesus before our unbelieving world and neighbours. As followers of Jesus, we may have differing views about Christmas. But we can all agree that Christmas is still one of the best times to deliberately make much of our Lord Jesus in the company of those who do not know him. The Christmas season should be marked by festivities centred on Christ.

Deliberately make much of our Lord Jesus in the company of those who do not know him.

December provides us with a great opportunity to invite friends, family, and colleagues to church, because we want them to hear and see why we celebrate the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus.

So celebrate Jesus with the world. Tell them he came to the world to "save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). Joyfully point to "the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). For "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). - TGC Africa

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