Dear Friends,
Greetings, love and peace to you in the precious name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour! I trust that you are well in God's grace and strength.
The marvelous message of Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ into the world which speaks of the incarnation of the Divine, taking on the form of flesh and blood. The birth narrative capture the scenes of the Shepherds, Wise men and others gathering at the presence of the Christ- child. The "gathering" leads to profound knowledge, revelation and celebration as they discover that the prophecy has come true – Messiah has come! They leave the stable to go out and share the good news: "Emanuel, God is with us". The cradle is of course directly related to the cross in scripture. Jesus came with the intention to redeem and reconcile lost humankind once again to a loving and forgiving God. Jesus comes to us as the Prince of Peace. Our world today is riddled with violence, greed, economic injustices, political factions, religious wars, the destruction of the earth, and so the list goes on. In the midst of all these we hear afresh the good news of the birth narrative: "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."(Isaiah 9:6). In this is found the assurance of life and hope flourishing in joy and celebration!Christmas is a time for goodwill, peace, reconciliation, forgiveness and love: A time to "gather" at the manager of Christ. It is a time to remember that God calls us into communion with him and with others. It is a time of sending as we go out to work for justice, peace and reconciliation. Such a call is an invitation into unity and peace and it is a sending out of those who have come to Christ to work toward the transformation of the world in the love and presence of a God who, "so loved the world that he gave up his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16).
Christmas is a time to believe that Jesus is the answer to the world's struggles and sins but it is also a time to proclaim salvation, love, peace, joy and reconciliation in Jesus Christ. My prayer and hope is that we will stop to hear the voice of God speak to us in the birth of Jesus Christ this Christmas. My prayer is also for the church; that it may continue to hear the voice of God in the midst of the voices that tend to crowd it out, that we may be called into communion and unity as we proclaim: "Joy to the world, the Lord is come!" And may it be that in and through our life, work and witness Jesus may be born into the hearts of those who do not yet believe.
We give thanks to God for the many things that have shaped our life, work and witness as the UPCSA this past year. There were many decisions that emerged from the September General Assembly that will continue to impact on our denomination, the Proceedings of these would be placed on the website and sent out to congregations before the end of this year. I am particularly looking forward to work with Presbyteries to implement the Empowerment Plan that was adopted at the Assembly. My hope and prayer is that the intention of building vital Presbyteries would also impact on congregations, so that the mission and ministry offered through our local churches would significantly shape and influence local communities in which they are found.
I wish to place on record our sincere thanks and appreciation to all our ministers, Elders and their families for their commitment and love for Jesus and the UPCSA. I wish to thank all our members in each and every place they are found throughout South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe for your faithfulness in keeping the light burning for Jesus and for your service and contributions in local congregations and the denomination at large in a great variety of ways.
Thank you for your financial contributions which enables us to train students for the ministry, place probationers, appoint ministers to congregations who cannot afford one, enables the Central Office to support the work of the denomination, engage mission, and care for people in the ministry. All of these are to the Glory of God! We look forward to another great year in ministry in 2011!
May I take this opportunity to wish you and your loved a blessed Christ-mass and a happy and wonderful New Year!
In the love of Christ!
Jerry Pillay
