Get This Christmas Right - Week 1

Here is some extra stuff that is available for your lesson...

Bigger and "mo better" have become the American way leading some to spend their entire lives chasing "stuff." Greed is a cycle that never ends: desire, buy, desire something new.
For some this cycle is not a major issue, but for others it leads to lives that lack meaning. During the Christmas season, those who are not usually tempted can easily find themselves lost as every commercial, magazine ad, and radio jingle encourages us to buy, buy, buy. So, how do we break the cycle? Self-less giving is God's answer to greed and materialism. Jesus provided the ultimate example of this type of giving when he sacrificed his life for each one of us. If we can learn to give to others throughout the Christmas season, we can choose to lose the race for more "stuff" and find the real meaning of the season -- the birth of Jesus Christ.

Can you remember all the presents you recevied last year at Christmas? If there was one special present that was something you truly wanted, how long did it make you happy?


Think back throughout your lifetime, can you remember can instances where you have given sacrificially or been the recipient of self-less giving? During the Christmas season, many of us feel pressured to find the a present for everyone on our list, often so we can simply check them off of our list. How is sacrificial givining different than what we are encouraged to do during the holidays? Does it feel different?