Christmas Around the World

Here it is – Christmas, December 25th! We’re used to hearing carols played as we stroll through the crowded malls and stores. We’re familiar with the ringing bells and bright lights of the various businesses we frequent. It’s common to hear “Merry Christmas!” ring out from people we meet on the street, in the stores or at church. What a contrast for us this year.

This part of Central Asia has a high percentage of the population that has no concern for the Christian holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus. The next largest group celebrates Christmas on January 7th, but doesn’t emphasize the good news of the gospel – Jesus became man to pay the price for the forgiveness of our sins. Just a very small percentage of people (less than 2%) have any awareness of the significance of this day. For the vast majority of the population, this is a normal day with work, school, chores and the usual mundane tasks. This really underscores the need for work in this area of the world to bring good news to those who are so spiritually impoverished.

Spiritually impoverished? Well, on one hand, they are a very religious people. There is an increasing identification with the dominant group (security concerns prevent the name), though it is predominantly cultural identification more than doctrinal. There have been studies conducted that determined the vast majority of the people affiliated with the main group don’t know the basic tenets of that group. (Barna has done research in the States and found that there is a frightening paucity of knowledge about primary Christian doctrines as well among those who identify themselves as Born Again Christians.) The people here are similar to Saul (before his conversion) in that they have a desire for God but don’t know where to look.

The need for building leaders for the future in this part of the world is critical. There are very, very few people who can say that one of their grandparents was a Christian. Most of the believers are first-generation Christians. It is wonderful to see people come to faith in Christ. One practical difficulty that is inherent in this situation is this: who does a young adult believer marry? There isn’t a wealth of candidates for the young man or woman looking for a life partner. Pray that God will raise up a generation of young people with a heart for him who will establish solid, Christian families.

We’re spending these days in study, reflection and working to look ahead toward creative avenues of service in this society. Whatever the model that is used, training new leaders for the church is critical. We still don’t know about our long term involvement in this country and are seeking God’s guidance for our own future. The promise is still true, God holds the future.

Just a note about the pictures. These were taken at a mall we occasionally visit. It caters to Westerners and upscale nationals. These were taken just before we got our three inches of snow. Interestingly, the mall was almost deserted. Most of the shopping at this point of the year seems to take place in the bazaars. And, no, this is not where we shop. There is a Western type "grocery" store that carries some things that have become staples for us - peanut butter, crackers, spaghetti sauce and Parmesan cheese.