USA (MNN) — The countdown is nearly over; Christmas is just around the corner! Unfortunately, certain groups of people are still missing out on the true reason for the season.
Like most kids in the United States today, Rob Myers of DOOR International did not grow up in a Christian home. “Christmas, to me, was Santa Claus and singing these songs that had rich meaning, but I had no idea about that meaning until someone shared about who Jesus was,” Myers says.
He shares something in common with the Deaf people he serves through DOOR International. Many Deaf lack the Christian context that makes Christmas more than a retail holiday.
“Because they’re (Deaf people) so visual, they pick up on ‘Oh, it’s Christmas, there’s certain things that we do,’ but they’re missing the background information,” Myers says.
“They might see a manger scene, but they have no idea who the baby is.”
Deaf communities need something other than a traditional print Bible to truly understand the hope of Christ. More about that here.
“If they’re Deaf, they don’t get access to that Gospel unless someone [can] communicate that in their heart language. For many Deaf kids, that’s sign language,” Myers explains.
DOOR equips Deaf Christians to reach their communities through church planting and sign language Bible translation. Visit DOOR’s website to learn more. Pray believers will take advantage of the Gospel opportunities this season presents.
“The need for a Savior requires you to understand sin,” Myers says.
“A lot of times, we see effective presentations of the Gospel end up including both Old Testament and New Testament ideas to get the scope of ‘why did Jesus need to come?’ and then ‘why is His birth so significant?’”
Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Luke Southern/Unsplash.
