As a pastor, I am constantly challenged to balance the tension between church growth, often fueled by inspiring people living in a soft secular culture to feel better about their own lives, while also being the prophetic voice that calls people to do the hard things required by the Gospel. (Since my experiences in Darfur, I’m always going to come out on the prophetic side.) Throughout this Advent season and Christmas Eve, I’ve received comments via email and in person from attendees who are tired of hearing about the Sudan. Common themes are: 1) we need to reach out more to the poor in our own community, not focus so much on those who are far away; 2) I need to worry more about the people in my own congregation who are hurting and seeking hope; and 3) Christmas should be a season of happiness; our focus must be on the birth of the baby Jesus and good times with family and friends.
 

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Do any of us really understand the scope of the consequences of our actions when we intuitively act on the directive of the Holy Spirit? It has been three Christmases now since the Spirit of the Lord moved me to focus Ginghamsburg’s energies on the Sudan initiative (www.thesudanproject.org). Since that time many others from around the country, as well as churches in Asia, South America, and Europe, have joined us in this effort. I am hearing the litany “Christmas Is Not Your Birthday” from a growing constituency.

I have seen the miracle of God’s hand unfold through the numbers of Sudanese impacted through the sacrifices that have been given by God’s people. But, the biggest surprise of the year occurred when we discovered the miracle of El Ferdos. The Dinkas, who are Christians in the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in El Ferdos, were able to buy 800 to 900 of their children out of indentured servant hood from the Muslim landowners because of the harvest of 2005. The success of your investment in their sustainable agricultural project increased their yield ten-fold! Little did we realize that God had a bigger plan when we said “yes” to God’s call!

Thousands of Dinkas turned out to greet us when we arrived at their camp in August of 2005. Click here to experience their jubilation with us. You can make a donation by sending a check to Ginghamsburg Church Sudan Project at 6759 S. County Rd.

I have just finished reading Don Cheadle’s new book, Not on Our Watch, about the continued atrocities being committed in Darfur by the Sudanese government. The government-equipped militia is still attacking innocent villagers.

The prophet Isaiah reminds us of our responsibility in this desperate situation. “Meanwhile, the Lord said to me, ‘Put a watchman on the city wall to shout out what he sees. Tell him to sound the alert when he sees chariots drawn by horses and warriors mounted on donkeys and camels.’” Isaiah 21:6-9. Any of you who have been closely connected to Ginghamsburg or have heard me speak in the last two years know that I have become a voice of activism for those who lack voice or influence. The people of Darfur need your voice. What can you do?

1. Raise awareness. Be a voice of advocacy in your school, workplace, church and family. The girl’s basketball team at Miami East High School just raised close to $4000 for The Sudan Project in two weeks by bringing the crisis to the attention of classmates. Go to www.thesudanproject.org for info and resources that will help you spread the word.

Rent the following videos this holiday season to help your heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God: Lost Boys of Sudan, God Grew Tired of Us, Hotel Rwanda, Blood Diamond. Catch George Clooney’s latest documentary on Darfur, Sand and Sorrow, on HBO or read Don Cheadle’s book.

2. Contact government officials. More...

Many are still reeling from the senseless shootings that happened last weekend at New Life Church in Colorado Springs and at a missionary training center in a Denver suburb. The actions of security guard Jeanne Assam, a New Life member and volunteer, may have saved untold numbers from injury or death.

The church lives in the reality of a lost world. We are in the business of setting oppressed people free from the grasp of evil, the confusion of mental illness and the bindings of addiction. We choose not to retreat from evil’s threats but to operate boldly in faith declaring the Good News of hope for all people.

Armed security has become a necessity in the church. We have had faithful servants who choose to serve as plainclothes security guards during all weekend worship celebrations for some time now. They are all from the Miami County Sheriff’s Department or from one of the other Miami Valley law enforcement departments. Many of these men and women choose security as their place of service in the church. We have another group of servants on the security team who monitor the parking lots, halls, classrooms and offices. They are in radio contact with each other at all times.

Ginghamsburg Church is committed to your family’s safety. Perhaps you would like to serve in this critical area of ministry. We need licensed officers who would be willing to serve one day or more per month. We need others who would be willing to monitor the campus.

In the early centuries of the church, the focus of the Advent season was on the disciplines of fasting and prayer. It was a time to rightly align your heart with the passions of Jesus--to identify with his love for the world, his connection to the poor and suffering, and his commitment to justice.  The Christmas feast was never intended to be a hedonistic self-focused orgy of materialistic gluttony but a self-sacrificing commitment to give your life with Jesus for God’s redemptive mission in the world.

The earliest traditions of St. Nicolas (the predecessor to Santa Claus) were about giving gifts to the poor--not receiving for self.

I am sick and tired of the institutional celebration where we reduce the mysterious incarnation into a season of only memorializing Jesus through our songs, pageants and candlelight rituals instead of following Jesus in giving our lives and resources for the sake of the world for which he died.

Let’s call our churches to a season of fasting and prayer. Let’s challenge our people to have a simple Christmas so that others may simply live. We can:

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