A Halal Christmas
Christmas is a good time to invite Muslim friends to visit your home. They may be curious to see your decorations and learn about what Christmas means to you. They may also want to check it is not like they've seen on TV!
One year, we had made quite a number of connections with a local mosque through having ‘Meetings for Better Understanding’. We thought it would be good to invite them all round near to Christmas. So we decorated our home, prepared halal refreshments (no alcohol and pork products). We also prepared some nice gifts for them to take home with them.
We then considered should we share a Christian message? We felt ‘no’ on this occasion, as they were being invited to our home for Christmas event and didn’t want them to be a captive audience under false pretences. So instead we literally prayed that the Lord would initiate a conversation that would be like ripples in a pond. We also prayed they would feel the Lord’s peace in our home.
When our guests arrived they brought lovely gifts for us! The cranberry and orange mulled with spices went down a treat as did the home made halal mince pies! Then after a short time one of the older Muslim men said ‘I was reading Luke’s gospel recently and I would like to ask a question’ which he did. Then he said ‘I am just throwing a stone in the pond and letting the ripples go out’! We could hardly believe what he said but he repeated ‘I am just throwing a stone in the pond and letting the ripples go out’! We had a great conversation for the rest of the evening! Meanwhile, the ladies (we practised segregation as they usually do) said, ‘It is so peaceful in your home’!
You may not be able to invite a whole group, but you could do just the same with a family or one or two individuals. Hospitality is a central part of Muslim culture and is a great way to build trust and have significant conversations that can be built on over time.
Chas from the Network
Click here for more about Christmas with Muslim friends