Christmas is Not Your Birthday!

“What did you get?” seems to be the dominating question on Christmas day and the days after.
Leading up to Christmas, our days may be filled with overspending, overeating, and materialism. On top of that, the busyness, the hustle and the bustle of the season may just rob us of our peace and joy (and sanity) and rob Jesus of his rightful role as the center of our celebration.

At St. Mark, we are not here to “declare war on Christmas” or start propagandizing that “Jesus is the Reason for the Season” with posters on street corners throughout Santa Barbara.

We just want to remind ourselves and our loved ones that Christmas is not just about what we received– that in actuality, Christmas is about something bigger, something more. Christmas is not our birthday. We celebrate Christmas because it is Jesus’ birthday.

Therefore, to honor Jesus’ birthday, during our Christmas Eve service (12/24 @ 7pm) we will be taking a Miracle Offering.
Not a single penny of that money will be used for anything St. Mark related. It will not go to lightbulbs, building maintenance, lawn care, or to the staff.

100% of the Miracle Offering will go to our friends at the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission in hopes that our Miracle Offering can continue to help them make Santa Barbara a better community.

Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
We pray that you can join us in the blessing of giving through our Miracle Offering.

May we be reminded that Christmas is not just about us and the loot and blessings we receive throughout the season.
May we remember that Christmas is not your birthday, but it is the birthday of Jesus Christ.

Come celebrate the birth of Christ with us on Christmas Eve at 7pm.