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Close your eyes, breathe, and clear your mind. Be still. Center your scattered senses on God’s presence.

REFLECTION: Written by Irene Dickson (Continued from yesterday)

In the remote setting on the northern shores of Lake Kariba there were no churches. The village built to house the overseas workers was basic with dirt roads and not many facilities except a swimming pool…. and a factory shell that would soon be a sparsely stocked grocery store. My dad decided there should be some kind of celebration, so on Christmas Eve 1971 he organized all the families to gather in that empty building and celebrate the birth of Jesus. We had no pastor preaching the familiar story, no orchestra or choir leading us in worship, not even a chair to sit on. We did have candles-only because the electricity was not yet connected! A group of Christians worshipping together, someone shouting out the first line of a carol and everyone joining in, singing the words we all know and love.  The Village Church is beautiful in all seasons. The message and the music are powerful and relevant, particularly at Christmas when the campus is breathtaking, the meaning of the season profound. On Christmas Eve as I sit squeezed into the pew with John, our three young adult children, and friends who’ve chosen to join us, emotions overwhelm me. Whether in Methil, Kilembe, Kariba or Rancho Santa Fe, the songs, words, feeling and meaning of Christmas are the same. 

SCRIPTURE: Psalm 100

Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Pause and meditate on the Scripture.

PRAYER:  The O Antiphons are used at Vespers of the last 7 days of Advent in Western Christian traditions. The exact origin of the O Antiphons is not known but Boethius (480-524) referenced them. This translation is from the Church of England’s Book of Common Worship liturgy.

O Root of Jesse, standing as a sign among the peoples; before you kings will shut their mouths, to you the nations will make their prayer: Come and deliver us, and delay no longer.

Click on the link to see and hear the music video.

MUSIC VIDEO:  Gabie Ntaate for NTV Uganda: Christmas in Peace and Harmony

IMAGE: Jesus Mafa (Cameroon): The Birth of Jesus with Shepherds