Finding “Hope” This Christmas
It is estimated that Americans spent a record $127 billion during Thanksgiving weekend 2025. Online spending alone for Black Friday reached a record $11.8 billion, and a separate record $6.4 billion was spent online during Thanksgiving Day. Sounds like many of us spent a day intended to elevate gratitude, buying more stuff.
I Timothy 6:17 reminds us that as church leaders, we are to be telling our congregations not to “put our hope in wealth” but to “put our hope in God.” That message becomes even more significant as we move from a weekend of consumerism into the season of Advent.
November 30 marked the first Sunday of Advent-a season that begins with the theme of hope. Sandwiched between Thanksgiving Day, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, we light a single candle and invite our congregations to reorient their hearts toward true hope. That’s no small challenge.
Does all this sound like a holiday downer? Let me offer some encouragement! If you find yourself struggling to help your congregation push back on materialism and rediscover real hope and real life in Jesus Christ during this season, consider following up the holidays with biblically based teaching on money in January! It could be a powerful way to reset priorities and start the new year focused on what truly matters.
I’d like to offer you two simple ideas:
- Sign up every member of your congregation to receive our monthly eDevotional, Giving Meaning to Money. This is a fantastic resource that provides regular monthly instruction and encouragement in biblical stewardship. Each issue includes a handy “unsubscribe” feature for those who choose to “opt out.” Simply share members’ email addresses with us, and we will use them ONLY for this subscription. During your January 4 service, explain why you’re providing this resource and encourage your church to faithfully read the devotional each month in 2026! Take a look at the December devotional by clicking here. (If sharing emails feels complicated, simply include a link to the devotional in your church communications each month.)
- Take your congregation through a 40 Day Journey to a Generous Life! This devotional is available electronically in five different languages. Explore it here! Do this together from January 1 – February 9 or make it part of your Lent activities leading up to Easter. Whenever you do it as a church, you will be blessed and your ministry will flourish!
Make financial discipleship an intentional focus during 2026. If you try either of these ideas, please let me know at jwiebe@mbfoundation.com. I’d love to hear how you are helping your congregation experience hope in God and not in the stuff of this material world.