Doing Church Iraqi Style
Chuck Holton
CBN News
December 18, 2007
CBNNews.com - CBN News Reporter Chuck Holton is on location in Iraq as he travels with our troops. Read the latest entry to his journal below:
Camp Victory
Baghdad, Iraq
Where would you be if you entered a church service and everyone in attendance was armed with an automatic rifle? The first sunday of deer hunting season in West Virginia? Good guess, but no.
Going to worship heavily armed in Baghdad, however, is just how church is done over here. In Iraq, M-4 rifles are like big keychains - everyone has one. After a while you don't even notice anymore that you are surrounded by assault rifles.
Tonight I sat in on one of these gun show-cum-praise services, as the gospel group here at Camp Victory gave their christmas musical. It was awesome. Even those of us who are genetically gospel-challenged had a great time.
I heard a chaplain the other day make a great point about spending Christmas in Iraq. He said that in a way it's a blessing, because we get to leave behind all the cultural baggage that comes with the holiday - the interminable shopping, the budget-busting gift list, obligatory parties at the office, and all the other things that can sometimes make the season, well, not so merry.
Tonight's service reminded me that Christmas isn't about all those things - the gifts, the get togethers, the decorations, are all just fluff, and if we're not careful, we can miss the REAL gift that gives CHRISTmas it's name. In other words, it's not about the presents, it's about His presence. And for lots of believers serving in Iraq, that's pretty much all they have to celebrate. And the group tonight made it abundantly clear-this will be one of the most memorable and meaningful Christmases of their lives.
The gospel choir sang this message in an impressive way, and I was fortunate enough to capture the audio. It's called Your Presence Is All I Need, and you can right-click the link and save the.mp3 file for your listening pleasure. Trust me, you'll love it.
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