Christmas is one of the EASIEST times to talk to your non-Christian friends and acquaintances about Jesus. As always, evangelism must involve genuinely loving others, so at every turn your aim includes being sincerely curious about the opinions and views of others (rather than baiting people into a quick conversation merely to blitz them with a perfunctory statement about Christianity). And it is also very helpful for you to remember that you are NOT responsible for the work of regeneration, your responsibility is to initiate the conversation, be authentically interested in what others have to say, and to share what you have seen and heard about your King and Savior!

So why is Christmas such a ripe time to chat with people about Jesus? It’s HIS birthday! Though materialism and consumerism metastasize during the month of December and various other entertainments divide our attention, the fact remains – the fullness of God in helpless babe is the pervasive theme of sundry songs and services. How hard would it be to simply ask someone (even a stranger), “What is your favorite Christmas song?” Even if they say, “Rudolph the red nose reindeer,” you can still have a conversation with them about why, and you can wonder with them about the origin and intention of this story about an anomalous reindeer, whose greatest insecurity was leveraged to pull-off the impossible. Of course there is a good chance they’ll say, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” or “Joy to the World,” or “Silent Night,” etc., at which point you have a wide open door to discuss the lyrics and substance of the song(s) with them. It is genuinely enjoyable to invite your conversation partner to actually consider the original Christmas story, because if you’re able to experience any degree of imaginatively inhabiting the history of Christmas then you will find yourself engrossed in the intrigue of things like: Zechariah’s doubt and subsequent inability to talk for a time, the scandal of John being named “John” instead of “Zechariah Jr.”, the feelings of dismay and bewilderment that Mary felt while talking to Gabriel, the tension and turmoil that Joseph experienced upon discovering that his fiance was pregnant (and he wasn’t the biological father!), the unexpected registration decree of Caesar Augustus which forced Joseph and Mary to travel to Bethlehem – thus fulfilling the birth-location prophecy of the Christ, the odd moment when strange shepherd men came to visit and worship a foreign baby sleeping in a feeding trough, the strange man named Simeon saying impossible-sounding stuff about your baby when you take him for a routine appointment at the temple, the terror of discovering that the governing authorities are aggressively committed to killing your newborn – forcing you to become a refugee, etc., etc., etc.

God has teed up opportunities for you to talk about Jesus all over the place: songs on the radio, the Christmas music incessantly playing in stores and restaurants, the nativity scenes prominently displayed in people’s front yards …even the “secular” activities, entertainments, and decorations are options for substantive and winsome discussion.

So give it shot …just start with something basic like, “What’s your favorite Christmas song?” and see where the conversation goes.

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” [Romans 10:14-15]