We then went to First Baptist Nalerigu for their Christmas church service. Lots of singing and dancing, some really cute kids reciting Scripture (got it on video), and an extremely long sermon finally ended with the entire congregation going to the chief’s palace to greet the Nayiri (king of the Mamprusi ethnic group).
Every year at Christmas the entire church visits the paramount chief and shares the Christmas story. While we waited outside his palace it was a sort of collision of religions. A smoldering fetish smoked outside his palace with the burnt carcass of a recently sacrificed chicken, many Muslim men were nearby doing their noonday prayers, and here we were to announce the birth of our Savior to him.
I was reminded that the message we were bringing was one of Love. As Christians we don’t have to ritually perform duties or sacrifices to appease our God and prove ourselves worthy to Him. He provided his son Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for us.
Read “Christmas in Nalerigu Part 3”