(FROM JOSHUA AND ANNE'S NOVEMBER PRAYER-LETTER PAGE 1)
I always find the
Christmas season hectic and challenging.
More so this year. On the last
Sunday of November, we started a church in a nearby community located just a
few minutes from our house through a simple worship service. A culmination of 5 months of hard work of our
church planting team as we tirelessly share the Gospel, lead Bible Studies and
visit new contacts.
PREACHING GOD’S WORD DURING OUR FIRST WORSHIP SERVICE
IN THE COMMUNITY LAST NOVEMBER 25.
A few days later, we
went to Tingloy, for an overnight ocular inspection of the area which could be
our next church planting site. Tingloy
is part of the Batangas province which is about three hours away from Manila
THE BEAUTIFUL SUNSET IN TINGLOY -
ALTHOUGH THE DARKNESS SEEMS TO REVEAL ITS SPIRITUAL CONDITION.
A day after we arrived
from Tingloy, the Extreme Response (ER) Christmas Parties for street kids
started. This year, we have scheduled 13
parties for 1500 street kids in 12 different areas in the Philippines Sunrise
Community Church
(Sacramento , California
ONE OF THE ER CHRISTMAS PARTIES -
THIS ONE WAS HELD IN ONE OF YM’S PARTNER CHURCHES IN MAKATI CITY.
Aside from those events,
we have reunions, church Christmas celebrations and team parties. But the real challenge I am anticipating is
the preaching of the Christmas message which I have been doing since I started
preaching in 1999.
To be honest, since the
story never changes and there are a few accounts in the Gospel about the birth
of Jesus, I have used similar scriptural text over and over again.
But this year, I am
assigned a text that I will use. It’s on
Luke 1:46-55 - the “Magnificat”, Mary’s song of praise. It will be my first time to use the said text
for my Christmas message.
As I prepare for my
preaching, it has become very evident that although Mary is not the focal point
of Christmas, she plays a very significant role - that is to bring Jesus to the
world.
Then I realized that we
are no different. Just as God has chosen Mary, to be the physical mother of
Jesus in order to bring Jesus to the world, we too are called and chosen to
bring Christ to the world not just during the Christmas season but at all times
and at all given opportunities.
This world needs people
who would say, "I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it
be to me as you have said (Luke 1:38).”
We need, as the Lord’s
servants to bring Christ to wherever God will lead us. Whether in the nearby community or in the
province, I find that people long for a kind of love that lasts. Not the kind that is here today, gone
tomorrow. A true love that only Christ
can bring.
