Christmas Morning

Christmas morning in Dunedin is one of the quietest times of the year. There were sounds of church bells ringing as I walked to Knox Presbyterian Church. It was a lovely service as the minister read from John's prologue with congregational responses. At the end of the service a Samoan brother chatted with me for 30 minutes, the longest time I had spoken to a church member since I attended church 4.5 years ago in Singapore. He was a lovely man who came to NZ, straight to Dunedin in 1966, married a Kiwi and now happily retired. He shared with me his life story how when he was a boy growing up in Samoa he never listened to God-things though both his father and step-father were ministers. He was in such a bad shape that he fell off a train from Wellington to Auckland while drunk but walked to a farm to get help for his horrific injuries. What amazing grace of God. He shared how his life was changed 9 years ago and he felt like a new man. Now he prays 6 or 7 times a day and reads the Bible all the time. This lovely Samoan brother spoke as he had tears in his eyes. Now he gives his money to old folks and helps the needy. When I hear testimony such as this I know indeed my redeemer lives and no man can pay his own ramsom but that Christ has to come to earth as man and die for all our sins.