Witnesses to God’s true Light - a message from Linda Valentine

Greetings to members of the General Assembly Mission Council, mid council executives and friends,
 

This prayer for Epiphany – provided by the GAMC’s Office of Theology and Worship – is a fitting way for us to mark the celebration of this holy day:

Shepherd of Israel,
you sent a star to enlighten the wise
and a child to topple the tyrant.
Make us wise enough to seek you
among the least of your children,
wise enough to trade our treasure
for the gift of overwhelming joy.

As we we celebrate the revelation of God’s promise and purpose to the nations of the world, let us also begin this New Year with a renewed commitment to seeking God’s face among the least of God’s children and to working together for justice, freedom, and peace.

In his Advent 2011 Letter, PC(USA) mission co-worker Mark Adams – co-coordinator for Frontera de Cristo, the Presbyterian Border Ministry in Agua Prieta, Mexico – is bold to cite the prophet Isaiah, “the prophet who spoke (and continues to speak) of a great light to a people walking in darkness.”

“In a world where the income gap between the ‘haves, the have lesses and the have nots’ is reflected not only in economic separation but also in social, cultural and political separations, a ministry in which rich, middle class and poor come together to seek to build relationships and understanding across borders is unusual,” Mark writes.

It is my prayer that the light of Jesus Christ will continue to guide and illumine Mark, his wife Miriam Maldonado Escobar, also a mission co-worker with Frontera de Cristo, and all of our faithful mission personnel as they seek to show and tell of Christ as God’s gift of grace and salvation for all persons. And may we all respond anew to God’s call to be witnesses to God’s true Light.

Faithfully yours,