It was the first time the mission hospital held an Advent concert in the chapel. The musical program consisted of Spanish, German, English and Russian songs. Once again exceptional talent Damaris Huahuachampi Orue sang into the hearts of the listeners. Cedric Oswald accompanied her on guitar and piano, as he thought about the life of Jesus Christ.
The Peruvian Wilbert Suel Malpartida presented a successful collection of self-penned songs. As some of our employees have grown up in Russia and Kazakhstan, they sang in a quartet with the devoutly listening audience experiencing the Siberian expanses.
Harmonic sounds, candlelight and a homey atmosphere comprised the Advent concert. But that was not all. The core of the event consisted of a short sermon, the administrative staff Wilmer Martin objectively and convincingly recited. His question to the visitors on Saturday afternoon and now also to the readers of our website. "Are we ready to receive the king?"
How could we make the protagonist of Christmas welcome? Maybe with a generous collection for "Bread for the World" or a time investment with our family? A change in our way of life should be conceivable as well as a reformulation of our life goals. This list could go on indefinitely and yet they would miss the point.
Jesus does not want to be the king of Christmas celebrations. He wants to be the king of your and my life. Then we can finally see the Lord’s Prayer and with deepest conviction pray, "Hallowed be thy name and thy will be done"
The "Child in the manger" is identical to the man on the cross, the risen Christ and the future judge of the world. If everyone knew how radical the message of Christmas really is, I think, many would cancel this appointment from their calendar. / KDJ
