The Gospel & the Calendar

December 23, 2022

As we close out 2022, I'm thankful for the opportunities we have to proclaim the gospel and point people to the Lord Jesus Christ. Here in Marshalltown, we've organized a lot of gospel outreach around the calendar from September through January of the new year. We have:

• Octemberfest (late September)
• Halloween (here the trick-or-treating is always on October 31st)
• The Holiday Stroll (Saturday before Thanksgiving)
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas & New Years

Set up on Main Street with gospel tract candy bags

Close up-my pumpkins

I guess my approach has been to take advantage of the culture and redeem some of these as a way to get out the word of God. Halloween is a blatantly pagan holiday that our culture has taken and turned into a popular thrills & chills, dress up & candy giving & receiving event. I pray against the occult activity and demonic overtones while reaching out to my neighbors with the love of God and the gospel of Jesus. As you can see from the pictures, we don't hide our faith in Jesus: people know "what's up" when they come by.

Some new candy cane tracts this year

It's not for everyone. We have different skills and interests, and I'm good with all believers in Jesus using whatever creative way they can think of to reach the lost. We should encourage people to go for it & try ideas to evangelize while we have the strength, health, energy, and opportunity to do so. 

Mary & Sharon giving out hot chocolate and gospel tracts
inside the bookstore.

Frank & Bill: our fellow workers in Christ at The Holiday Stoll,
braving the cold out in front of the bookstore.

By the way, most of the Christmas holiday is pagan as well. I mean, it just is. Very little is organized around the reality that God fulfilled His promise in Genesis chapter 3 regarding the "seed of the woman", the promised Deliverer who would save us from our sins. I pray against the commercialism and greed, the misplaced hopes that possessions will make us happy, etc. I get it. But I will wish people a Merry Christmas while giving them a holiday-themed gospel tract, knowing that these little missionaries can get into their homes and speak to them about the things of Jesus when I cannot. "Give them the Reason for the Season."

12/21/22 downtown Marshalltown Iowa
looking west on Main Street

Some years things work out better than others. In the past we had a big group over for the Octemberfest outreach, but the last couple of years it's been just me and my light-up witnessing cross. The last 2 years we've had very mild weather for The Holiday Stroll, but this year is was 17 degrees without the wind chill. Most years I can get out on the corner by Walmart with witnessing crosses and free Bibles heading up to Christmas Eve, but right now is it -6 degrees Fahrenheit and feels like -30 with the wind chill, so no... not happening this year. That's okay. We plan and prepare and hope and then turn it over to our Almighty God for whatever He allows. And for whatever that is, we thank Him.

Thank you, Abba Father, for every opportunity and every soul we have tried to reach & bless with the hope we have in Jesus Christ. You are good, and we pray for those we've encountered in 2022 that they might come to know Jesus for who He is, the Savior of all who'll trust in Him. Amen.