Momentum (Christ – centred, Spirit – empowered, Mission – focused)
Dave Hearn, President of the C&MA Canada
I stood in a dark room watching the chief priest of the Yazidis lead a small procession of worship around a tomb. The worship chants were haunting as each worshipper passed by and humbly kissed the corner of the tomb. In the tomb were the remains of a prophet who died around 1050 AD and was considered to be the incarnation of the “Peacock Angel,” one of the central figures of the Yazidi religion.
My heart was pained by the starling contrast between a faith based on darkness and death and a faith built on resurrection and life.
Luke 24:5-6 states, “In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!’”
Standing in the most holy place of the Yazidi people, I felt deep despair seeing a religion that was looking for life among death, but the resurrection of Christ brings hope.
This Christmas season, we are reminded of how we have this hope. Hope was born as a baby boy in Bethlehem.
Rejected by innkeepers, He accepts us and promises us a home in His Kingdom.
Born to die, our hope is found in a risen Saviour who defeated sin, death, and Hell for all eternity; our hope is unstoppable, our hope is alive.
Yazidi
The Yazidi are a Kurdish minority group who follow and old religion, similar to Zoroastriansim, with aspects of Hinduism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
They have inhabited the mountains of northwestern Iraq for centuries. They have been hated for centuries because of their beliefs and face genocide more than 70 times.
In August 2014, ISIS militants trapped them in the remote wilderness in the Sinjar Mountains. Thousands of Yazidis were killed, taken hostage, or starved to death.
Pray for Yazidis. Praise God that the complete Bible has been translated into their language. Pray that many Yazidis will read these words and accept them.
Learn more: cmacan.org/yazidi
Support the Global Advance Fund.
Send more international workers to share the Gospel with least-reached people-groups, such as the Yazidis, cmacan.org/give
Please find the original version in C&MA website