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Topic:
Peace Child
A report by Ernie Nivens, Tranquil United Methodist
A few years ago at this time I was preparing to leave after Christmas
for a preaching mission to the Fiji Islands. In preparation, I read some
accounts of missionaries who had invested their lives in the South
Pacific. One powerful story comes from a missionary to the head-hunting
Sawis of Indonesia. He sat in a "manhouse" and told them how
God showed Himself to all peoples in Jesus. They yawned and grew
restless. However, when he told them about the betrayal of Jesus by
Judas, they leaned forward and became interested. As they heard that a
kiss, a sign of affection, was the means of betrayal, their eyes
sparkled with amazement and respect. But their admiration was for JUDAS,
not Jesus. For to these primitive cannibals, DECEIT and BETRAYAL were
the highest virtues. The missionary saw it as his mission to try to
overcome generations of cultural conditioning so that these people's
thinking might be reversed. He persuaded three tribes that were natural
enemies to move fairly close together so that he might have access to
them. While they were reluctant, they did so because the missionary
provided them with tools and medicine. As tension mounted among the
tribes, the hostility became so great that he called the
"headmen" together and told the tribes to disperse. He
announced that he would have to go downstream and work among other
people who could get along better. One morning the tribes gathered in an
open place. The air was electric with tension. After a period of
waiting, a warrior grabbed his nursing child from his anxious wife, ran
to a former enemy and handed him the baby. The distraught mother pleaded
with him not to do this. Then, abruptly, a warrior from the other side
did the same thing. Aghast, the missionary asked what was happening. He
was told that the tribes were exchanging a "peace child." As
long as the children were unhurt, the tribes would live in peace. Shouts
of joy broke out. People began to dance. The peace child made it
possible for the tribes to live together without fear. A new era had
been born. The missionary finally had an analogy for God's love. He now
told the warriors that Jesus was God's "Peace Child!" God did
not want to give up His Son to hostile people, but because of His love,
He sent a peace child to live among them. The Sawis now heard the story
of Jesus with new interest. If Jesus was a Peace Child, it was wrong to
betray Him. Judas was no longer a hero. It was a new day for the Sawis.
It was a new day for our world when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. He
brought a whole new set of values. Christ became God's Peace Child in a
darkened world. He still seeks to bring peace to our world. World peace
begins in our own heart! Let us point others to the Peace Child of
Bethlehem!
Fair Use. Presented
for educational purposes only.
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These words were posted at one of Shepherd's Care Ministries Sites
called Wisdom Minute. This site is located at:
http://www.findthepower.com/wisdomminute
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