Christmas Eve Blessing
The incredible, amazing Christmas Eve blessing that made this entire year, with all of the problems and hardships that have come up, worth it.
One night, one blessing, the culmination of a year's work.
Lauren and I had invited several Mwani neighbors to come with us to the Christmas Eve service. A few had promised to come.
The day arrived and Mama J was at our house ready to come. Mama F had a family emergency and wasn't able to make it. I went to see if Mama I was ready to go and met her on the way to her house. She grinned at me and said "Let's go!"
As I led them towards my church, with Lauren at the back, the call to prayer from another religion went off and I couldn't believe I was walking to the Christmas Eve service to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Messiah with two Mwani ladies who don't believe for themselves that Jesus is God.
The service was beautiful, everyone was so happy, dancing and singing to the Lord, proclaiming Jesus, our Savior, is born!
Mama J leaned over to me "I love this so much! Every time you come to church I want to come with you!" she exclaimed.
I was bursting with joy and praising God in my heart. My face almost split from smiling.
Offering time came and Mama J asked "what are they doing?"
"They're giving money to God."
"I want to do that," she responded.
"Okay, I forgot to bring my money, but if you want to, go for it." She pulled out some coins and brought it up front with everyone else.
To my amazement, the Mwani believer who my team has been working alongside this year, the only Mwani believer in that surrounding area, was the one who got up to preach the message! He boldly proclaimed the meaning of Christmas and included a very clear Gospel presentation. He gave all honor and glory to God, sharing how God had changed his life from bondage to another religion that gave no hope to the living hope of the Gospel.
After the service he went and asked our two visitors if they had heard everything he had said. They said they had, they had heard everything.
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11
As we walked home towards the sunset I praised God for all He had done. For bringing those two ladies to His house of worship. That they might see the joy of the Lord on the believers faces. That they might hear songs of praise to God. And most importantly, that they had heard, very clearly, from one of their own, the message of salvation that is for all people. May God's Word not return void.
One night, one blessing, the culmination of a year's work.
Lauren and I had invited several Mwani neighbors to come with us to the Christmas Eve service. A few had promised to come.
The day arrived and Mama J was at our house ready to come. Mama F had a family emergency and wasn't able to make it. I went to see if Mama I was ready to go and met her on the way to her house. She grinned at me and said "Let's go!"
As I led them towards my church, with Lauren at the back, the call to prayer from another religion went off and I couldn't believe I was walking to the Christmas Eve service to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Messiah with two Mwani ladies who don't believe for themselves that Jesus is God.
The service was beautiful, everyone was so happy, dancing and singing to the Lord, proclaiming Jesus, our Savior, is born!
Mama J leaned over to me "I love this so much! Every time you come to church I want to come with you!" she exclaimed.
I was bursting with joy and praising God in my heart. My face almost split from smiling.
Offering time came and Mama J asked "what are they doing?"
"They're giving money to God."
"I want to do that," she responded.
"Okay, I forgot to bring my money, but if you want to, go for it." She pulled out some coins and brought it up front with everyone else.
To my amazement, the Mwani believer who my team has been working alongside this year, the only Mwani believer in that surrounding area, was the one who got up to preach the message! He boldly proclaimed the meaning of Christmas and included a very clear Gospel presentation. He gave all honor and glory to God, sharing how God had changed his life from bondage to another religion that gave no hope to the living hope of the Gospel.
After the service he went and asked our two visitors if they had heard everything he had said. They said they had, they had heard everything.
"For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." Isaiah 55:10-11
As we walked home towards the sunset I praised God for all He had done. For bringing those two ladies to His house of worship. That they might see the joy of the Lord on the believers faces. That they might hear songs of praise to God. And most importantly, that they had heard, very clearly, from one of their own, the message of salvation that is for all people. May God's Word not return void.
COLOSSIANS 1:3-4; 9-12.
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