Chatting with people around Christmastime is the perfect time for significant spiritual conversations to arise. Most people won’t move into this kind of conversation with you on their own, so we have come up with a few “Christmas conversation starters” to help you have these meaningful gospel conversations with people in your life.

When you bring up one of these conversation starters, relax and enjoy the conversation. Remember that it is not up to you to ‘convert’ this person. Rather, trust God to direct the conversation. It will be one step on this person’s journey to faith in Christ.

As you talk with people about Christmas, bring up the manger scene and talk about the birth of Jesus. Then make the comment/question, “It’s been more than 2,000 years since Jesus was born—why do you think Jesus has had such an impact on the world?”

The question alone makes an impact. It reminds people that Jesus actually lived in history—he is not just a made-up story. Questions are such a great way into meaningful conversation, because they can’t be dismissed. A question immediately gets the person’s mind involved. And it says, “I care what you think about this.”

As you interact with them on this question, be sure to share the impact Jesus has had on your own life and point out that he has had that impact on lives down through the 2,000 years. You might get to a point in the conversation where you can ask them, “Have you ever experienced the love of God yourself?”

If, on the other hand, their thoughts are more negative about how they see the church using Jesus to control people etc, then just ask, “But why do you think God decided that we needed Jesus in the world in the first place?”

Wherever the conversation goes, be sure to share what Jesus has meant in your own life. And no matter how it goes, remember that God will use this conversation in that person’s journey towards him.