While thousands of bargain hunters hit the stores for Black Friday deals, several churches are choosing to start the Christmas season with “Bless Friday” by giving back to the community.
And these churches are hoping to get their message across to Americans. “People get our message that when we focus too much on buying things, we lose sight of the real reason for Christmas – remembering and honoring Christ,” said Chuck Fox, founder of Bless Friday, in a statement. “We want to begin our Christmas celebration by serving others just as Jesus did.”
Fox launched Bless Friday in 2010 after hearing a sermon on how Americans are losing sight of the real reason for Christmas.
The message of Bless Friday in a nutshell: It’s a day for service not shopping.
“On the day after Thanksgiving, millions of people started their Christmas celebration at malls and other retail outlets,” the website for Bless Friday states. “This can’t be the way that God intends Christians to prepare for the celebration of the coming of the Savior of the World. And what begins poorly also ends poorly.”
According to the National Retail Federation, up to 152 million people plan to shop Black Friday weekend, up from the 138 million people who planned to do so last year.
Source: Christian Post | Nathan Black
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