The Advent season comes upon us like a gentle whisper, hidden by the chaos and violence of a desperate world longing for peace. Much like the first Christmas, the Incarnation quietly entered the world, finding a place to dwell that was considered unfit for a child, let alone a King. Only those who stopped and listened, paying attention to the signs, would hear and respond in faithfulness.
Advent quietly invites us to return our gaze on the first coming of Christ and to live in anticipation and hope for His second coming. It’s a time to prepare our hearts for Christ to dwell. It’s a time for us as Christ followers to return to Him who makes all things new. The ‘silly’ season will not allow us to do this. We must fight together to hear afresh the gentle Whisper and prepare our hearts again for Christ to dwell.
Recently a Thai celebrity took to social media to publicly label the slum of Klong Toey a “tumour on the city of Bangkok”, a cancer that needed to be removed. Our friends, who we’ve walked with for many years, were rightly disappointed. But rather than reacting with bitterness and anger, their response was mature and gracious. Our friends don’t need the world to tell them who they are or are not, for they have paused to listen to the beautiful whisper of the One who restores. And they love what they’ve heard. What we are seeing in Klong Toey, is a small number of our friends who have heard the whisper that God wants to dwell among us; in our lives, families and neighbourhoods. What follows is worthy of celebrating: lives filled with hope, peace and joy. Lives that are becoming a dwelling place for God.
Over the past 12 months UNOH workers in Thailand, New Zealand and Australia have continued to serve Christ in their neighbourhoods with integrity, humility and faithful devotion. Our hope for the coming year is to see more of our neighbours, who are living in scorned places, to hear this Whisper and be set free to be a place for Christ to dwell. Your generous and loving gifts enable us to stand alongside our neighbours and name the Whisper in their lives.
This Advent, our prayer is that you will also find space to allow the Peace, Hope and Joy of this world to dwell richly in your hearts.
Chris MacCartney on behalf of all of UNOH
Director, UNOH Thailand
2015 Christmas Appeal
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