The fourth week of Advent came and went in a hurry. Our MCC Area Representatives (for Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine) came and spent most of a week here. With the Bylers we had fine conversations, a little site seeing and some excellent coffee drinking. "Yalda" came and went--- the shortest day of the year (21 Dec) which in Iran involves getting together with people you love and eating lots of watermelons. (We saw piles of rinds in the street the next morning, waiting for trash pick up). Gifts continued to find their way to our door—a wind up Santa who plays a drum as he walks, a beautiful paperweight globe of the Kaaba (this is also the month to make a hajj to Mecca), a burgundy table cloth from Esfahan, cards of blessings.
We decided to head up to Tehran on 24 December, to be ready for Christmas morning worship. Our friend, Mohsen drove us the ninety miles to Tehran. Half an hour south of the big city, he stopped for gas. Grinning and pointing, he directed our attention to a field nearby. Three random camels were grazing happily (no magi seemed to be attached to them).
The gospel reading for the week came from Matthew 1. A very young mom decides to trust God with it all; the incredibly decent Joseph accepts a mystery being birthed; a baby is born and immediately calls together a whole community of people. Even magi following a star wind up in Bethlehem , “overwhelmed with joy.”
David preached at the International Christian Fellowship (an English speaking church)on Christmas morning (see sermon which will be posted shortly). The church was full of S. Africans, Zimbabweans, Nigerians, Malaysians, Philipinos, Norwegians, Germans, French & two random Americans. We sang all the favorite carols with joy--- once in our various languages. The cat which belonged to the German Church parsonage family made several grand entrances. He was put out; he came back in. He was put out, he went and sat outside the large windows, directly behind where “his humans” were seated and yowled. He came in and discovered the table heaped with fellowship food. A toddler wept when the cat was put out yet again—protesting in loud meows as he was carried by the nearest available human.
Later we heard our kids’ voices on the phone—happy and healthy in Miami- and wished son Josh a happy 25th birthday. Now, back home in Qom, we are awaiting the Mennonite Learning Tour which plans to arrive in Tehran on 30 December.
But the great thing about Iran is that Christmas in coming around again-- on 6 January, when the Armenians- both orthodox and evangelical- celebrate the birth of Jesus. The nature of divine love is to create, include, trust and treasure. Once again we welcome the Christ child into our hearts.
No comments:
Post a Comment