Dauner News Update December 24, 2007
It’s Christmas Eve. Prisca and I wish you all a holiday season aglow with joy, not just from all the human delights it brings, but from the divine light that flooded our world when it was visited two thousand years ago by the Son of God. May God bless you in Him and make us ever more conformed to his image.
The month of December was punctuated by three performances of our Christmas pageant Noël en Provence. This hour-long musical play recounts the story of Jesus’ birth as if it had taken place in the Provence region of southern France. That is, the characters were dressed in 18th-century French garb and spoke with a Marseilles accent, with some of the dialogue and song delivered in the traditional Provençal dialect. The three neighborhood churches where the play was performed — our own chapel, a catholic parish and an evangelical Protestant church — were filled to capacity. About 400 people in all attended the event, which featured concerts by the Harmony Chorale and our recently formed Teen Chorus, as well as a gospel sermon presented by Philippe.
The purpose of this production is profoundly evangelistic, targeting not only the audience but also the thirty-five children and teens who make up the cast and who are regular students of our weekly Tuesday afternoon Bible club. Even avowed atheists admitted how powerfully the gospel message came through, and everyone appreciated how the familiar story was told in a fresh way, adapted to the local culture.
The practicing believers in the audience, including priests, nuns and pastors, were most impressed by our teens: not only how disciplined and well-rehearsed they were, but how obviously sincere their faith was. The public education system has almost guaranteed that by the time they reach high school, French teenagers are immune to religious belief and essentially cynical about a higher meaning to life. Our teens are far from perfect — shepherding them is a full-time job — but they presently represent the most dynamic age group in the church. Thank God for them, and pray He will preserve them from the world.
Our three CEM students had a great first trimester. You can read or download their English-language newsletter at faxbymax.net. I have also added, by popular demand, seven photos, one for each of the seven churches of Asia, from our November trip to Turkey.
Max and Prisca Dauner