Christmas Day

We had a Christmas Eve service; I preached on Isaiah 7:9;9:1,2,6,7; Matt. 4: 12-17; John 1:1-5. The themes were: How strong is your faith? And we have received the Light of our Savior Jesus Christ. That was King Ahaz’s problem. He refused to ask for a sign from God so that his fear and dread would be relieved if he but believed God. God says through his prophet: “If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.” Further, God says if you refuse to ask me for I sign I will give you a sign myself: “The virgin will be with child and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” God with us! The prophecy goes on Isa. 9: 1-2; We lived in darkness and in the shadow of death but we have seen a great light! verse 6,7: “for to us a child is born and to us a son is given … Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end…” A prophecy of much needed comfort and hope made seven hundred years before Christ’s birth.  Matt.  4:12-17 understands Jesus’ ministry  as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s 9:1-2  prophecy. We indeed have been given a great Light. John’s gospel 1: 1-5 tells us just how great that Light is: “In Him is life and that life was (and is ) the light of  men” if we might only  have faith and believe. Appropriately we were  blessed to have a bright electric light in the chapel for the first time that night.

The next day was Christmas Day and the Bible School students spent a lot of time preparing the two goats and the rice and beans for the Christmas evening meal. We did not know what to expect but it turned out that the Chief and his elders came and about one hundred and fifty people from around the area. After the dancing and before the meal the principal gave an appropriate Christmas message. After the meal we showed the Jesus film in Hausa. All in all we had a great Christmas.