We heard a powerful sermon last Sunday about taking simple opportunities to proclaim our faith. If someone asks, for example, “What are you doing for Christmas?” you’d normally reply to with something like, “going to grandma’s house,” but you can up your Christian game by saying “celebrating the birth of the greatest man ever born!” On the way home from church Sheilla mentioned that we’re fortunate to be involved with an organization that’s always proclaiming our faith, building and renovating houses around the world, all in Jesus’ name.

And then it struck me. That’s how we can honor the Great Commission, that we spread the Gospel to all the world. That’s a big assignment and a hard one to get our arms around. But by the simple act of helping God’s people in need to have a decent place to live, we’re part of the way there. To complete the act, though, we have to acknowledge the Lord’s place in the work we do, we have to proclaim our faith. And that’s not hard to do.

If, for example, we’re asked why it is that we’re spending our Saturdays on a work site or traveling afar to build a house, we can respond, “because Jesus told us to love one another, and this is an act of love.” Or if we’re asked why we support The Fuller Center, we can say “because it’s a Christian organization that allows me to put my faith into action.” And we can remember to start every work day and every board and committee meeting with a word of prayer. Here in Americus we start the day with devotions, just to get our minds right for the work to come.

There are other ways to proclaim our faith, especially during this Christmas season. Some say that there’s a war on Christmas, although I imagine the war started the day Jesus rose from the dead. It does seem to be accelerating, though, so those of us who hold on to Christmas as a Holy Day, not just a holiday, can share with our friends and loved ones just how joyful it is to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

And that is the joy that all of us here wish you and yours this Christmas. May the day be filled with gratitude for the gift of a Savior, and may that joy abide with us throughout the coming year.