Thanksgiving Day has come and gone. The leftovers have all been consumed or discarded, the pumpkins and turkeys have been replaced with evergreen trees and candy canes, and lists of gratitude have been exchanged for lists of wants. We have moved past Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Giving Tuesday , but advertising remains in high gear. Daily sales, specials and gimmicks continue to flood my inbox, Facebook feed, television, and newspapers. Advertisers tug at our heart strings with their sappy commercials and visions of a picture-perfect Christmas morning. Companies spend billions of dollars on advertisements during the holiday season.
In contrast, the advertising budget at American Reformed Church is one of our smallest line items, and for good reason. While we do advertise a few celebrations throughout the year in the local newspaper, and we communicate events via our Facebook page and website, when taking into consideration the people that we would like to reach, it would seem that all of these options fall short. In the retail world, all advertisements are not intended for all people. Companies have target audiences that their message is geared toward. Toy makers obviously advertise towards children; jewelry companies target young romantics. For us, an advertisement in the newspaper might inform the community that American Reformed Church is having a Candlelight Service at 4:30 PM on Christmas Eve, but our message is not limited to a specific hour nor is it intended for a specific portion of society. Just as the angel told the shepherds, “Behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for ALL people.”
So, how do you advertise a message to ALL people? That’s where you come in. YOU are God’s advertisement. Advertisements are made to convince people that a certain product or company is the best and to point out or create a need for their product or service. The same can be said of you. If you call yourself a Christian, people are watching and paying attention to you… how you spend your time, the things you say, the way you handle stressful situations, and the peace and joy that you have, or don’t have. Jesus must be obvious in the lives of Christians. Not just in church on Sunday morning, but in the classroom, on the playground, at our place of employment, with family and friends, and especially with those who rub us the wrong way. Not just in times of joy and pleasure and peace, but in times of pain and grief and hardship.
Jesus is the perfect advertisement for God. When one of his disciples asked Jesus to show them the Father, he replied, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). You have been commissioned to continue that advertisement. John 20:21 Jesus says, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”
So how are you doing at advertising Jesus? Don’t assume that someone else is going to tell your friend or coworker the Good News. Don’t focus on getting people to church so the pastor and worship team can advertise Jesus to them. Show them Christ in you.
Erin Jacobsma