THE INDESCRIBABLE GIFT –

THE INDESCRIBABLE GIFT –
II Corinthians 9:15 – “Thanks be unto God for His indescribable GIFT.

At the age of 60, we left the pastorate of 40 years and moved to Kampala, Uganda, to share the gift of God’s love, Jesus Christ. Though our white skin was very obvious among millions of blacks and many cultural changes were confronted, we found a loving, welcoming, wonderful people as we walked streets seeking to start house churches under trees, in small courtyards, or in someone’s tiny room.

We felt Christmas would be celebrated differently and we would miss our family, our church and the traditions we loved so we tried to prepare ourselves for that. We had given up heavy gift exchanges 35 years ago and celebrated His birth by mostly giving to the Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for foreign missions. So it wasn’t the lack of gift exchanges that shocked us but it was the almost non-existent traditions of Christmas music, carols, cantatas and worship celebrations as we had known for so many years.

Christmas Sunday worship was just like the other 51 Sundays of the year. They sang the same Ugandan praise songs, with many repeated verses, shared testimonies, had lively drumming and dancing, clapping, greetings and preaching of the Word; all with no mention of the Advent of Christ. Wow, we did not like that!!!! How could they celebrate Christmas without singing “Silent Night” and preaching from Luke 2, or hanging red and green decorations? But they did!! Mamas with babies on their backs, mamas with suckling child and men and children all worshipped God with eyes closed, swaying with hands raised in praise and faces tilted upward with sweet smiles of adoration for their God.

“But Lord,” I asked, “How could they not sing carols? Why hasn’t somebody taught them the carols? They have MISSED so much by not knowing the music of Christmas!” I complained for several weeks. But each week the Ugandans continued to worship with just as much joy, exuberance, and praise as the week before. God revealed to me it was the Ugandans who were REALLY celebrating the birth of Christ. They celebrated it EVERY Sunday. Christmas wasn’t a time of pageants, huge Christmas gift exchanges or even cherished traditions but it was their focused joy in Christ. The ravages of war, HIV/AIDS, life in refugee camps for over 20 years and a short life span had taught them the True Meaning of Christmas. They knew that Life Everlasting is exactly what they had to celebrate and celebrate they were doing; both daily and weekly…not just one day a year. They knew the Inexpressible Gift that had been given to them through Jesus Christ, their Savior and Lord.

My wish is that all believers would worship with the pathos, sincerity and joy I have seen expressed in our dear precious Ugandan brothers and sisters for God’s Indescribable Gift. It is His Gift….not just a wish. Praise be unto God!!

Danny and Claudia Hood, Kampala, Uganda, Africa