Christmas Caroling

Christmas Caroling in Review

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How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth! 
Isaiah 52:7

You might not think your feet are beautiful, but God does, when you share the good news of Jesus! And no time that is easier than at Christmas as well as the best time of year to do so in nursing home ministry outreach. Doors that have been either closed, or somewhat restricted to the gospel for the rest of the year, crack open just a little in the month of December. Though it is getting close to the holiday, it is still not too late to consider a last-minute Christmas caroling, gift giving or other special program in your community. In our experiences this year with three Christmas outreaches to different senior communities around our area we found some valuable lessons that I hope will be of help to you.

  1.  Preparation – Yes, spontaneity is wonderful and just grabbing a guitar and heading for the nearest nursing home might work, a little planning doesn’t hurt a bit. Though I know by heart most of the music and lyrics, I do sometimes struggle with second verse and recalling what key a song is in. Multiply that by the number of folks in your group and you will find that creating a set of song sheets for your people makes for a much happier and more confident caroling experience. We also include handing out, hand-written cards to every single person, and this year that was well over 200 people. That requires, enlisting volunteers to help buy the cards, write the cards and hand them out. I also have found it best to get our spot on the calendar a month or more in advance, but if you haven’t already done so, don’t despair. Ask the activity director at the home you are considering visiting what spots are still available and jump on whatever is left. What may seem chaotic to our schedules is often in God’s perfect timing!
  • Presentation – We are going into homes to sing about Jesus and share the most amazing and important story in all of history. How we share the good news, needs to be beautiful, not just in the musical quality but also in a joyful outpouring of our love for Jesus. People need to be reminded that God has not forgotten them, that they are precious to Him and loved by others. Ask God to give you ideas on how to express His grace to others in practical ways. One of our volunteers came loaded with a hundred candy canes. After being told that we couldn’t share them with the residents, they came upon a large Girl Scout troop coming In after us and those kids were delighted to take them off our hands! They may not remember any of our names, but they went home with a sweet impression of our group!
  • Follow Up – How you follow up after the holidays can either give affirmation to the message of the gospel or cast doubt on how true it is. What we sing about during the Christmas season, must be followed up with service throughout the year. If weekly visits are not practical, try bi-weekly or even once a month. Every time you return, you are saying, “You matter to God, you matter to me, and we are here for you with the news that no matter what happens, our God reigns and He loves you!”

The First Noel

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And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. Luke 2:7 NKJV

The First Noel is a traditional English carol likely dating from the 14th century. Now that is a long time ago! The version we sing today, stems from a revision done in 1823 by Davies Gilbert and William Sandys. But no matter who wrote the words, the beauty of this special song shines brightly, not only in the East, but also in the hearts of all who have followed the star and found the Lord Jesus for themselves. I hope you will be blessed by our little team of volunteers, who came out Sunday, and then again on Wednesday night to sing at several different facilities around our community. We have one more to sing for tonight, so please pray that our voices hold out!!

An Unexpected Blessing

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Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
John 1:48 ESV

As some of you know, we are knee-deep in Christmas caroling at nursing homes. (Which helps explain the avalanche of videos I’ve been posting). Here is an inside peek, Today’s event was such a lesson in unexpected blessings that I could hardly wait to share. This morning we arrived at a facility, to which a couple from our church recently moved. Though we had never done a program there, the activities director heard that I do music and so she invited us for caroling. Filled with excitement, song books, and gifts, five of us, showed up ready for some Christmas cheer, but we were met at the office with a notice that there had been another Covid outbreak. But before the groans and disappointment took over, we learned that two of us could come in if we tested negative (took 15 minutes) and we had to sing only in the halls and with masks on.

Of course, just as Nathaneal asked if anything good could come from Nazareth, I wondered what good could possibly come from the abrupt turnabout of our plans. But God is a much better planner than any of us, and we found that by trailing the director through the wards, we actually were able to sing for many residents who could not have made it down to the dining hall. Then on our way out we met some would-be carolers who had stopped in from a nearby facility. They were being turned away at the door, so Santa and I went outside and sang with them instead. We left exhausted and yet filled with the sense, that God had blessed us unexpectedly way beyond anything we could have imagined or planned. It just remined me that we must hold not only our possessions, but also our plans lightly. When we let God take control of the direction of our one-horse open sleigh, we will be amazed at what He has in mind for a destination!

Photo by Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels.com