Silent night -- my holiday wish!
Lyrics from a familiar Christmas piece, "Silent night, holy night," best describe the wish of many Bahamians and residents, especially of New Providence. In fact, the second line of the first stanza seems elusive: "All is calm, all is bright." Instead, one hears the firing of gunshots, police car and ambulance sirens accompanied by loud screams and howls: "Oh God not my son," "Not my child's dad;" "Not again!" Fear is gripping us at our core. Many are simply afraid! The silence is gone out of nights and peace seems intermittent. The killing is too much -- even in broad daylight and almost anywhere.
And if that were not enough, the country is still reeling from the tragic deaths of Dr. Myles Munroe, his wife Pastor Ruth Ann and others. Electricity bill is high, and that which drops is our cell phone calls. Undoubtedly, 2014 has been a rough year, and 2015 is about to greet us with VAT (value-added tax). We desire a change! We need change! We need some silent nights, peace and calm but especially the gift of the Lord's favor.
The gift of the Christ child
The gift of the Christ child 2,000 years ago was intended to offer peace, joy, hope and more. God, in his omniscience, foresaw our needs and offered mankind a most necessary and all-encompassing gift in his only Son. John 3:16 records, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Years before this declaration, Isaiah, the Old Testament Prophet, penned: "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). Capturing this prophetic piece, Luke, another New Testament writer, added, "I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10, 11).
Why peace appears to be lacking?
Repeatedly, the Bible makes it clear that the coming of Jesus was intended to offer peace and joy. What has happened? I suggest that the problem does not lie with the gift or the giver, but the acceptance and use of the gift. It is like receiving a most sizable check but not cashing it. Though valuable and useful, it will serve no purpose unless used. Could it be that the gift of the Christ Child has not captured our minds and hearts to the extent of controlling and influencing us to live at peace with and loving one another as we should? Could it be that the gift has not been born in our hearts to the extent that we are led to forgive and move on? Could it be that the gift of Christ has not been received fully, so we fail to accord the respect that we should to one another on the streets, in the parking lot, and even in the church? We must do more than simply talk about Christ. Instead, we must allow him to be Lord of our lives fully controlling and "running things." When Christ is in control, the fruit of the Holy Spirit (love, joy and peace, etc.) will be manifested.

Looking ahead
Looking ahead, we must not be daunted by VAT or anything for that matter. It is imperative that we keep linked up with Christ. We can weather situations and effect change with his grace impacting us. We can sing again; we can rejoice and laugh. After all, Christ lives and he inspires a remarkable hope. However, I caution that a life devoid of him will not change the New Year. It would be attempting to effect changes without resorting to the right resolution, and that is Christ. How could the Apostle Paul, a misguided one and persecutor of the church, experience a turn around? Was it not through Christ? How could Mary, a prostitute, experience a sense of belonging, appreciation and honor? Was it not through Christ who accepted her as a person and showed true love and respect for her? What the world needs is what Christians through Christ are capable of giving -- it is love, it is understanding, it is respect and even tolerance for our differences. Emily Elliott explains, "My heart shall rejoice, Lord Jesus, when Thou comest and callest for me." Essentially, this constitutes my wish for all, that Christ is embraced, and with the gift mankind will experience what it means to live and to have meaning and lasting value. It is the gift that lives on and enables one to have a sense of Christmas daily, monthly and throughout the year.
Have a Christ-centered Christmas and a joyous New Year.

-- PASTOR LEONARD JOHNSON
President, Atlantic Caribbean Union of Seventh-day Adventists (Comprising The Bahamas, Cayman and Turks and Caicos Islands)

Imagine what would happen if you gave Christmas its true meaning in your life

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth, goodwill to all people. [Luke 2:13 & 14]
Many years ago I officiated at the funeral of a man in his 90s. In the cemetery, I was struck by the fact that his children (all of them in their 70s and late 60s) wept bitterly, several of them crying out for their father. I remember chatting with a grandson of the deceased, a man in his mid-50s, as we left the cemetery. He was shaking and could not compose himself. He recounted to me that in his 55 years, he had never seen his father cry, much less weep bitterly or become hysterical. He spoke fondly of his late grandfather and his father. He told me that because of the impact that his grandfather had made on the family, he would live on forever in his everyday life even though his mortal remains were being buried that day.
In the crowd someone made a comment, "He jus' an ol' man. Why dey cryin' so much? His life over. Bury him and move on!"
That was far from the way that the family saw it: the burial was not just an end of a life, but more so the beginning of the rest of their lives, having had so great a legacy passed on to them.
I was deeply moved by the whole experience that day, and could not help but reflect on a number of things:
The deceased must have been some father.
He obviously made a tremendous and fundamental impression on his children if in their 60s and 70s they could weep so inconsolably.
Often this is how it is in life -- sometimes the greatest influences go unobserved or are not fluffy appreciated or understood in the first instance, but their impact is earth-shaking and far-reaching.
We live in two beautiful countries, The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands. Human life is wonderful and so is actually being alive. However, our current experience brings with it so many challenges that can cause us to forget that beauty -- noise, busyness, pressure, demands, screens (smart phone, computer and television), fast-paced living, hatred, insensitivity, crime, violence, inhumanity, economic challenges, VAT, gaming, disappointing leadership, numbness, disillusionment, emptiness, meaningless, loss of values, the questioning of faith and the absence of spirituality in some quarters. But it is into the midst of all of this that the Christ child comes.
Such challenges cause many people not to have a positive outlook. They do not see a loving God. They do not see a Christmas that speaks of the joy of the Christ child, or the hope he comes to bring. They view Christmas only as a season for gifts, decorations, spending time with family and friends, and doing good to others. They do not see it as a spiritual festival and the Christ child is of no relevance or usefulness in the now.
Christmas is not about the burial of an old man who is dead, to be deposited in the cemetery. It is about a promise of God's future for the world given in the life of a baby born to change the world. A baby is a symbol of new life, hope, a positive future and endless possibilities. That is why Jesus, the Messiah, came into the world as an infant -- to make the point that in God there are bright futures and endless possibilities promised to the human race. All of these were delivered in the life, ministry and witness of Jesus about 30 years after his birth. They were experienced by those who embraced him and his message, and who sought to live by his rules.
Jesus' love, his peace and goodwill to all people are still seen today in the lives of those who seek to follow him and to live by his principles. This is what we are called to do this Christmas and every Christmas, and throughout the year.
What that means for us is that in the face of all the challenges, we cannot lose hope. We cannot believe that our two nations do not have a bright future. We must believe that the Christ of Christmas is a promise of victory in spite of the crime, the cost of living, the inhumanity that some display or anything else that disturbs us.
Plan to welcome this celebration and to let it touch your heart and change your life.
Consider what life would be like without occasions such as Christmas which remind us of giving, sharing, spending time together and celebrating what is good about life and living.
Ask yourself what Christmas means to you. Imagine what would happen if you gave it its true meaning in your life. Rekindle your personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Seek to show him forth in your life so that others may experience his love through you. In this way Christmas will be a way of life and not just an event.
This is what "peace on earth and good to all people" means.
On behalf of the Anglican Diocese, and on behalf of my own family, I wish you all a Blessed Christmas and a happy new year.

-- THE RT. REV'D LAISH BOYD
Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos Islands

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