PrayerLine

Unable to view this newsletter? View it online!

Monday, December 23, 2013 To hear an mp3 recording of the PrayerLine, click here. http://media1.imbresources.org/files/192/19222/19222-106085.mp3 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, ‘God with us.’” (Matthew 1:23, NASB) Hi, this is Eleanor Witcher of IMB’s prayer office, giving thanks for the birth of Jesus. Although Christians in the United States are intentional about keeping the “Christ in Christmas,” our American Christmas Day celebrations are usually not held in a church building. With no trees to trim, turkeys to baste, or gifts to exchange, Lozi Christians of Zambia usually celebrate Christmas at the church as a church. “What could be better?” you ask. Distractions abound even in western Zambia. Sometimes these celebrations turn into an excuse to spend the whole year’s tithe money on a big traditional feast. As in the U.S., when too much time and money is focused on food and the “event,” sometimes we forget who we are really celebrating.  A believer in Karachi, Pakistan shares: Recently, “I met a young Muslim woman. As we were talking, she mentioned that her Christian friend had invited her to a Christmas party last year and she had had such a great time. I thought to myself, ‘That’s good; at least she knows a Christian.’ When I asked if her friend had told her the meaning of Christmas, the young woman said, ‘I really wanted to know, but when I asked my friend, she said she wasn’t sure’. This is actually quite common in this country, as many who identify themselves as ‘Christian’ do so only because of the family they were born into, and it’s mostly just a cultural identification for them.  * Please pray that cultural Christians, wherever they live, will hear the true meaning of Christmas with understanding and accept the Good News of salvation in Christ.  * Ask God to pierce the hearts of His followers, whether in the U.S. or across the globe, to faithfully focus our celebrations on the birth of the Savior. * Bow in gratitude for the birth of the One who is called Immanuel, God with us—declare the Good News to your neighbors. Merry Christmas! (*pseudonym) *** Our offices will be closed December 23 through January 1 to allow staff members to celebrate the birth of Jesus. The next PrayerLine will be distributed Friday, January 3. Thank you for your understanding. Merry CHRISTmas!***

VIEW ON-LINE   
PrayerLine 
North American Mission Board’s Weekly Prayer

---
International Mission Board
3806 Monument Avenue
Richmond, VA 23230

[This is a transcript of the audio message currently available on the international missions PrayerLine by calling 1-800-395-PRAY.]
You are currently subscribed to prayerline as: sallee.missions@blogger.com. To unsubscribe, go to: http://subscribe.imb.org
Send any questions to: imb@imb.org.