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The Shepherds And The Migdal Eder “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.” Luke 2:8

It was a night just like any other night for these Judean shepherds. They were out in the fields watching over their flocks. How would they pass the long watches of the night? Time seemed to go so slowly, nothing much ever happened here but tonight wasn’t like any other night because everything was about to change. All at once the heavens opened and an angel of the Lord appeared with wonderful news. A child had been born, a child who would be the Saviour of the world. How could this be? Why were they of all people being told this Good News? Where would they find this child? After all, the only directions that they had were that they would find the child wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger somewhere in Bethlehem. It wasn’t much to go on and yet for these shepherds it was all the information that they needed. They knew exactly where to look because when the heavenly host left they immediately went and found the baby. How did they work it all out? These shepherds weren’t just ordinary shepherds, they had a very important job and that was to look after the temple flocks which were kept in the fields around Bethlehem. Their job was to ensure that the animals destined for sacrifice were perfect, without any blemish. That’s why they were in the fields guarding the flock, to make sure that they didn’t come to any harm. They also had another important role and that happened during the lambing season. Often the sheep would give birth to twin lambs and the shepherds would watch carefully to identify which lamb was the firstborn. They would examine it carefully and if it was perfect the little lamb would be wrapped to protect it. All this happened at Bethlehem at a place called Migdal Edar or the tower of the flocks. According to the Talmud, all the cattle and sheep in the area surrounding Jerusalem “as far as the Migdal Edar” were considered holy and could only be used for the temple sacrifices, especially the Passover. From the prophecy in Micah 4:8KJV, “And thou, O tower of the flock, the strong hold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee shall it come, even the first dominion; the kingdom shall come to the daughter of Jerusalem,” the Jewish sages concluded that the arrival of the Messiah would be declared first of all at the Migdal Edar. The words of the angel were more than just Good News, they were a very powerful prophetic statement. “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” Luke 2:10-12. Little wonder then that we read in Luke 2:18 that “all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the

shepherds.” Alan Beattie

CMJ International Conference

In Matthew 24:14 Jesus says, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations...” Paul in his Epistle to the Romans, Chapter 1:16, says, “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.” Pat Davidson (Chair of CMJ North), Marylyn McCormick and myself gathered in Tel Aviv over the days of 26

th – 28

th

November for the bi-annual International Conference of CMJ. I have quoted the verses from Matthew and Romans because I believe they are the fundamental reason why we were there. CMJ exists to take the gospel to Jewish people wherever they may be found together with educating the Christian believers about the roots of their faith and encouraging those in ministry. This was evidenced by the diversity of the nations represented

at the conference. There were representatives from Canada, South Africa, USA, India, UK, France, Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Israel, New Zealand, and last but by no means least Ireland.

It was very encouraging to meet and share with other brothers and sisters who had a passion to bring the gospel to Jewish people wherever they were found. We heard of many mediums of doing this from evangelistic outreach at New Age events in the UK to Church services and education in Israel, to radio broadcasts in South Africa. To quote from Paul’s 1

st Letter to the

Corinthians, vs. 22, “I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.” This was my first time back in Israel since 2004 when the Heritage Centre at the Anglican School was opened and it was a joy to meet again with saints such as Pedro Santos who manages Beit Immanuel, his wife Annu and others from the CMJ staff team in Israel.

December 2018

Issue 15:4

The Church’s Ministry among Jewish People - Ireland

A light for revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel. Luke 2 v32 (NIV)

Yulia & Vasily, Alex, Jasmine, Annu & Pedro.

Israel is not the easiest of places to live and work, it is quite frankly a bureaucratic nightmare with continuing changes in laws, visas, civic permits and so on, and I am always inspired by such people when I see their dedication and commitment to sharing the gospel with Jewish people. They need our prayers and support as never before. The conference met in Beit Immanuel Guest House and Ministry Centre and it was inspiring to see how the centre is being used as an outreach medium to Jewish people who come in their hundreds (there were at least two tours there during the three days of the conference,) to learn about the history of the building and its place in the history of the State of Israel. We also heard a choir practising, a half day teaching seminar, and then of course the congregation meets for worship every week. It is a very well used facility, staffed by volunteers from across the world under the leadership of Pedro and his team. They do a fantastic job! For me this was an inspiring and educational trip and I certainly hope to return to ‘The Land’ sooner rather than

later. Rev. Billy Holmes Thank you!

Looking back on 2018, we give thanks to the Lord for his goodness and provision. The past year has been a full one for the committee, sharing the Hebraic roots of the faith in churches, exhibitions and missionary events and hosting guest speakers from the UK and Israel. Through your generosity we have been able to help the Ministry in Beit Immanuel, the Christ Church Mercy Fund and the Heritage Centre in Jerusalem. We would like to thank all our members, volunteers and friends for your prayers and support, we couldn’t do it without you!

News From The Heritage Centre

We were delighted to have Idan Pinchas, Director of the Heritage Centre as guest speaker at our Autumn meeting. Idan, a Jewish believer in Yeshua from an Orthodox Yemenite background, leads the team who explain the history of Christ Church and share their faith with thousands of Israelis who visit the Heritage Centre each year, writes... Lately we have been busy in the Heritage Centre, mostly talking with people. There were a few events recently that drew hundreds of visitors at a time to talk and learn about our history and message. I had a two hour talk with about twenty five Israelis, sharing with them our faith. When I’m asked to explain what we believe, I turn to the prophets and explain that it was Jeremiah who spoke about a new covenant. That Jesus is not just wishful thinking, and that the Bible is the foundation, the unchanging rock and source of Jewish identity. Many times we try to take an hour or two as a team of the Heritage Centre, just to pray and study together but we find it to be hard, as people will come looking for us, having questions about the faith and of course we stop our meeting and talk with them so we end up not meeting so often as we would like, but this is a good problem, I guess. I'm looking for ways to push the Heritage Centre forward.

I feel very needy before God and this reminds me again how dependent we are on HIM. We are a team of three in the Heritage Centre and are looking forward to having two volunteers joining us soon, God willing and in His time. There have been some very rainy days in Israel, which we are very thankful for. It reminds me of the grace of God and His faithfulness that washes everything away when it comes and refreshes us, may it be in spirit as well as in the physical. We are preparing for Christmas, as many will come to Christ Church as happens each year. We are an open door in Jerusalem and pray that we could reach those who come in a deep way and are putting our hope in Him who is more than able! Idan

The Bible Comes To Life In Ballyholme!

The second Bible Comes to Life Exhibition in Ireland took place in the newly refurbished St Columbanus Church, Ballyholme from 28

th Nov – 1

st December.

“The exhibition takes us back to before the Reformation, before the division in East and West to the prehistory that gave birth to Christianity,” explained Canon Simon Doogan. “The Hebrew Scriptures were the Bible Jesus read so understanding the world of the Old Testament is vital to our understanding of the New Testament.” During the four day exhibition, Paul & Janey and their team of volunteers, Graham, Suky, Yvonne and Mike, talked to around 450 children from 3 year olds to 16 year olds, and over 500 adults. Many folk dressed up in biblical costumes as they visited the six stations illustrating Desert life, Jewish culture, Biblical Festivals, Worship and the Bible. Some comments received: “Awesome!” A. Newtownards. “Very interesting and well worth a visit,” D. Bangor. “Fabulous, so interactive and the children so engaged”, Crawfordsburn Primary School. We were privileged to welcome Bishop Harold Miller and his wife Liz, who attended the Exhibition along with members of many local churches from across the denominations. The team led the three morning services on Advent Sunday as the congregation prepared to celebrate the

birth of Yeshua, the Light of the World! Pat Davidson

Please pray for: * Idan and the team in the Heritage Centre. * The Lord’s wisdom and guidance as we plan for the year ahead. * The HMD Service in the Sandel Centre on 24

th January at 11am

* Opportunities to undertake more Passover Seders. * For doors to open into churches in Southern Ireland.