Written by: Open Doors
Article source: www.opendoors.org.za
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! That’s certainly true for the many Christian children in the world who belong to the persecuted church. All of them celebrate Christmas in a different way, and they might face extra pressure during the season, but the celebration of the birth of Jesus doesn’t go unnoticed.
Join our trip around the world to see how children of the persecuted church celebrate their Savior coming to Earth.
Bethlehem: Maria And Sophie
Where better to start than where it all started? Maria, 10, and Sophie, 7, are proud to live near Bethlehem, in a place called Beit Sahour: “You should all come and visit the nativity church at least once!” they say.
Christians today are a minority in the place where Jesus was born. This is difficult enough, but mostly they suffer from the ongoing conflict between two groups in their country. “We pray for peace,” the sisters say.
The coronavirus kept the family closer to home last Christmas, but also helped them focus more on God: “We asked Jesus a to be born again in our heart,” Maria says. Sophie adds: “Jesus is mighty. Everyone should know about him!”
Kenya: Mary
“Together” is the word associated with Christmas in Kenya, as we learn from Mary, 13: “Christmas starts with a normal service, the pastor preaches, we worship,” she says. “After the service, we eat and drink together because there are those who do not have money to buy food to celebrate in their homes. So we all come together and share so that everyone has enough. Everyone can celebrate without being left behind or discriminated against.”
The sharing doesn’t end in church. The Christians in Kenya also share the Gospel on that special day: “Christians from all churches go around sharing the Gospel,” Mary says. “That is where you find someone coming to push you and accuse you of something you have not done. The hawkers that are around also insult us and say that we have stepped on their goods, negativity about us, all that. They pour water on us as we go sharing the Gospel around the area.” Despite all this, she doesn’t hesitate to go out and share the Gospel: “My prayer is for the church to be so full that we don’t all fit in anymore.”
Iraq: Lydia And Youssif
In the Christian town of Qaraqosh in Iraq, the church is packed on Christmas Eve. Everywhere in the city you find lighted Christmas trees and other decorations. The house where Lydia, 11, and her family live is decorated inside and out. “We are very happy and ready for Christmas!” she says.
Only a few years ago, this city full of Christmas spirit was dark: For almost two years militants of the so-called ‘Islamic State’ occupied the city. The majority of inhabitants fled; many of those who stayed were killed or abducted.
Lydia started preparing for Christmas early: ” We started at the first of November to learn about the story of the birth of the Jesus in my Christian education class. We read a part of the Bible each week and we answer the questions that the teacher gave us.”
The memory is still fresh with Yousif, 12. A verse from the Bible and a prayer he has learned during the Christian education class he attends helps him in difficult times:
“The Lord said, ‘Do not be afraid’. I pray to Him and say:
We need you today and every day,
lend a helping hand and protect us from the harms,
we are begging and trust on you,
to bless the coming year.
Amen
Ethiopia: Hawi
In Ethiopia, 9-year-old Hawi is trying to make sure her candle doesn’t extinguish. “We celebrate Christmas by lighting our candles and bringing it to church.” Hawi tells us: “At the church we celebrate Christmas by singing songs.”
Hawi and her family live in a region where many people follow Islam. For converts from a Muslim background, Christmas can be especially tough. This is a time when believers may attend church more regularly, but it comes with the added risk of being discovered by their Muslim family. Those who are discovered are thrown out of their houses, sometimes even kicked out of their village or beaten. Because Hawi’s father ministers specifically to believers from a Muslim background, her family may experience an increase of threats and pressure from the Muslim community during Christmastime.
“Christmas is the day we celebrate that Jesus Christ was born,” Hawi says. “It is the day the people who walked in the darkness received light. It is the day God has shown his love for His people.”
Iran: Alya
“I’m sorry,” says Alya, 10: “I can’t show you my face. This would be dangerous for me and my parents.” Alya lives in Iran, where being a Christian from a Muslim background is considered a crime. They do celebrate Christmas, but in secret: “In school, I certainly won’t be able to tell other kids that we celebrate Christmas. Because if they realise that I am a Christian I would have to explain my faith to them that Christ is not just a prophet, but he is the Son of God. They will tell our school authorities and they can punish us as they wish.”
With Alya’s birthday in January, the family has found a trick to safely celebrate: “We don’t celebrate Christmas in December, because we must always be extra careful in our neighbourhood. We don’t even decorate a Christmas tree in our home. We wait until January and on my own birthday we celebrate Christmas and Christs birth, too. In this way we don’t raise suspicion and all the celebratory noise doesn’t sound unusual to our neighbours.”
She adds: “It upsets me that we can’t celebrate Christmas openly here. There are so many national holidays that celebrate things that aren’t even true. But Jesus coming to earth is true, but we cannot celebrate it. My biggest prayer is to one day celebrate Jesus’ birthday with him physically present. I would really like to meet him face to face.”
Hazrat Masoumeh Mosque, Iran
Syria: Ahmad And Lian
In Syria, Ahmad, 14, and Lian, 10, are decorating the Christmas tree. Even though the country has been stuck in a civil war for more than 10 years, remembering that the divine Jesus lived among us in humanity, gives hope.
“I celebrate Christmas by going to my grandfather’s house, and we eat sweets and stuff like that,” Lian says. “We put up a tree and eat delicious meals,” adds Ahmad: “I go out with my friends, we walk through a Christian street where people put Christmas decoration. We also have lunch at a restaurant.”
Radical Islamic militant groups make life difficult for Christians in Syria. There is a lot of violence against them. Many Christians have left the country to find safety elsewhere. But it’s also in the little things that Lian and Ahmad notice that their faith isn’t always respected by others. “Some Muslim neighbors don’t respect our holiday,” Lian says. “They make a lot of noise during our celebration and sometimes the children bang on our door.”
Laos: Souk And Deng
In Loas, Deng, 12 and her friends are lighting Christmas candles. In their country, the church is heavily monitored by the government, and persecution is widespread. But the girls don’t think about that when they prepare for Christmas. “Christmas is the day that Jesus came down on Earth to forgive our sins and it is His birthday,” Deng says.
The Christmas service is a favourite for the girls. “I hope to offer my body and heart to the Lord, and I desire blessings from him,” Deng says. Her friend, Souk, 10, says, “I pray to stay away from problems.”
The girls rehearse a dance they plan to perform for Christmas. “We celebrate Christmas by dancing,” Deng says, “to show glory to God, sing songs, and worship God with the adults.”
A dance to a song about creation.
This Christmas, Open Doors supports children in persecution contexts all over the world with Christmas gifts, Christmas celebrations and Christian education classes about Christmas.
With your support we can continue to strengthen the faith of persecuted children with biblical trainings, distribution and pastoral care throughout the year.
Will you consider this to be your Christmas gift to them?
Merry Christmas!
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Date published: 25/12/2021
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