Happy Christmas! Lidät!

Today is the Ganna celebration so we will be having a slight change to the usual meeting (…and, of course, biscuits!!). I thought we would focus on celebration in our psalm and our prayer and then look at some of the traditions around and discuss those. First a prayer…

The Nyahbinghi Prayer

Jah Rastafari, we call upon your name And ask for your divine guidance and protection As we gather here today in unity and strength. We ask that you bless us with your wisdom and knowledge So that we may continue to walk the path of righteousness And fight for justice and equality for all people. We give thanks for your grace and mercy, And ask that you continue to guide us on our journey. Jah Rastafari, hear our prayer and bless us. Amen.

I love this prayer…’we gather here in unity and strength’ & we ask to be blessed ‘with wisdom and knowledge’. I hope with these words we can fathom a way together to put these into action, within the group and outside of it.

Psalm 103

Of David.

1 Praise the LORD, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

2 Praise the LORD, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—

3 who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

6 The LORD works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:

8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.

9 He will not always accuse, nor will he harbour his anger forever;

10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.

15 The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field;

16 the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.

17 But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—

18 with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.

19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.

21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.

22 Praise the LORD, all his works everywhere in his dominion. Praise the LORD, my soul.

Later, in the Blitherings, I will tell you a story about verse 5 of this psalm, but for now this is the psalm I have been reading this week whilst studying the idea of ‘prayer’. Sometimes, especially at the start of the year, its good to just go back and re-think the basics. How do we talk to JAH? I think I’ve talked before about the idea of prayer being ‘Blessings’, but how do we talk to JAH in worship? I think this Psalm is a beautiful example of worship.

Ethiopian Christmas

A Piece About Traditional Christmas From Rastaknowledge Website.

Ethiopia, the oldest nation on record to have followed CHRIST and the nation in which David’s bloodline reigns. Without a doubt being the only nation in history to never be colonized,

Still holds the true and authentic information regarding our history in the Bible. Christmas in Ethiopia is called Ganna (or Genna) and is celebrated on January 7th(or 29th day of the month of Tahsas in Ethiopia).

Rastas CHRISTmas celebration is based on the bible and traditions of the Ethiopian orthodox church. They called this special day as Lidät unlike what the Catholic church used to call it.

It came from an Amharic word which means birthday.

To we who are of Rastafari it is a time to not only celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour in the manner prescribed by tradition.

But to reflect on this event in the context of the original prophecy as told to our father. And the expectations of the time of the manifestation of Elohim not only as Priest and Prophet but King,

Which the Emperor Haile Selassie I has fulfilled. No tree, no snow, no mistletoe. The main decoration depicts the Manger scene, where the Three Kings pay homage to the Infant.

Therefore, it is important to we who are of the faith to keep seeking knowledge and the teachings of HIM. We must hold steadfast upon righteousness and search all things.

I pray you may stay strong in the word of Jah and stay on the path of righteousness. Be blessed. Selah.

* * *

Here are the verses from Matthew 1:2 about the visit from the Magi, the Wise Men:

The Magi Visit the Messiah

2 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
    are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
    who will shepherd my people Israel.’[b]”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

* * *

The date for Ganna is centred around the arrival of the 3 kings, one which is based on astrological history, instead of the Western date which was combined with the pagan celebration of Solstice. The Ethiopian church particularly celebrated the part of Balthazar who was reputedly a king from Ethiopia. He was said to be dressed in purple robes and to carry myrrh. Here are 2 pieces to explain myrrh:

“Myrrh is also a dried resin from Arabia and northern Africa (from thorny shrubs and trees of the genus Commiphora) used in perfumes, incense, and medicines for thousands of years. The word comes from an Arabic word meaning “bitter.” It has been valued for its aroma as well as for its use as an antiseptic, analgesic (topical painkiller), and other medicinal qualities.”

“Myrrh was used in ancient Israelite temple worship as an ingredient in the holy anointing oil for consecrating priests, the tabernacle, and kings (see Exodus 30:23–25). It was used in the purification of Queen Esther (see Esther 2:12), and it was also used in embalming (see John 19:39).”

So myrrh very likely grew where Balthazar was from. The gift itself told of Yahshua’s kingly status and could be used as anointing oil for kings as well as predicted Yahshua’s death and the need for embalming.

The picture above is The Adoration of the Magi, about 1495–1505, Andrea Mantegna. In it Balthazar is shown as holding the myrrh in an alabaster pot. Alabaster is a semi-precious stone which is highly valued and comes from Africa. Balthazar brought to Yahshua the best of gifts from his country, the things that were available to him. He also got on a camel and travelled hundreds of miles over many months following a star to go to worship Yahshua….that’s a pretty intense commitment!

Going back to my study of prayer and the idea of worship, first of all I’m hoping I never get called on to carry a Welsh dragon, whilst sat on a welsh cob horse, for many miles, over several months. When you imagine the commitment that this would have taken, following nothing more definite than a star in the sky..no email received, no WhatsApp message, to then invest in those expensive gifts, pack your suitcase, call your camel and head into the distance….! I wonder what would happen if I was asked?…whether I would have enough faith? A king of Ethiopia, Balthazar, did that. He brought his best gift hundreds of miles following a star to worship Yahshua. It was an incredible act of worship that those kings made. I wonder what will be asked of us in worship this year.

Closing Prayer