Luke 1.26–38
Mary’s great gift was the willingness to believe the good news in faith – ‘I am the Lord’s servant.’, Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’ (Luke 1.38). Sometimes we see the good news of Jesus unfold before our eyes. Sometimes we have to believe in it by faith, trusting God to bring it about.
One of the people we trained, Pastor Bishnu, and I recently went to a prison cell to hold a baptism for about 40 prisoners who had accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour as a result of Bishu’s prison ministry. The prison warden and deputy chief district officer were also present. After 15 minutes of praise and worship, the deputy chief district officer gave a short talk on how he considered religion a good thing because it encouraged people – and society – to live in a godly, harmonious way.
Following this, Pastor Bishnu gave a short message on baptism. We then went down to the prison yard, where 11 buckets of water had been prepared. Inside the prison walls there is no such thing as a pond or a tank that could be used to immerse those being baptized. The men stood quietly as I prayed for each one and poured a bucket of water on them. One by one, as each man was baptized, they praised the Lord and shared a feeling of freedom in their hearts even though they had been behind bars for several years.
Ram Prasad Shrestha, a Nepalese CMS co-mission partner, who has trained hundreds of Christian leaders in Nepal
O Holy Spirit,
bearer of the good news of Jesus,
help us to trust in your saving work,
even when that work is hidden in secret places,
even when we find that good news hard to receive,
even when we fail to fully understand,
and even when you choose us to be the messenger.
Amen.
