Yesterday, I had the privilege of attending a staff celebration at Good Shepherd Academy. It was good to go back and visit one of the Nepali schools I visited when I first got here. The staff shared their thoughts about Christmas. Not everyone at the school is a Christian, so it was quite evangelistic. My Nepali is not good enough to follow everything, but I know God was speaking through each of these teachers. Then they asked me to speak. I was really not sure what I was going to talk about, even when I stood up. I had a number of different messages in my head, but I just prayed that the Holy Spirit would use me as He saw fit.
The headmaster had asked me to talk about my Christmas traditions ( which ones?) so I started with Hanukkah Although it is not Christmas, it still draws on the idea that God did the miraculous and the light allegory works. Then I talked about advent and the lighting of those candles. I focused on the shepherd candle (third one) mostly and how God called the outcast of society to be the first to worship the Lord and then tell others. There is a sense of belonging in that story, of being called into the family of God. I told the group that God called not only the shepherds, but the wise men seeking truth and Herod, talking briefly about each of those responses. We are called to respond too! What was their choice going to be? Then I sat down.
The headmaster reiterated my speech and then we prayed. After that we shared in a wonderful Nepali spread. My mouth was burning from the spices!
What a joy to fellowship with Christian believers and celebrate the coming of the Messiah! May His Word not return void!
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