All good gifts

Dave Wagner

On our family's first Christmas outside Canada, we and our Swazi host family travelled two hours to attend a Christmas celebration with a sister church in Ekupheleni, Swaziland. Some 120 people crowded into a hot tent--too small for even 100--for a four-and-a-half-hour service that included choirs, drama, testimonies, prayer, preaching, a gift exchange and a lot of singing.

Everyone received a gift. Families brought extra gifts for surprise guests. The gifts were simple and practical--a soup bowl, water glasses, a basket. The idea of giving gifts was familiar to us, but we marvelled at people's reactions after opening their gifts.

"Sijabulile!" (We are filled with joy!) and "Siyabonga, Jesu!" (Thank You, Jesus!), recipients shouted as they danced, holding the simple gifts high above their heads. At the time, we were busy mustering energy to equal these displays of enthusiasm, but later we pondered these expressions of joy and thankfulness.

Swazi Christians often don't thank us directly when we give them gifts, but rather thank God. They say, "Thank you, Jesus," instead of "Thank you, Dave." In this way, they remind us that all good gifts, indeed all good things, come from God. Even receiving a simple metal soup bowl is a reminder of God's goodness and the great gift of His Son, Jesus Christ.

Dave Wagner of Edmonton, Alta. teaches at Havelock Mines Secondary School in Bulembu, Swaziland, under the sponsorship of Mennonite Central Committee. He is a member of Lendrum MB Church in Edmonton.

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