Imagine walking into church on Easter Sunday and hearing your pastor speaking the language you learned in high school. You understand the words here and there, but they don’t engage your emotions, your thoughts, your dreams.
For minority language groups around the world, Easter Sunday—maybe every Sunday—feels like that.
Pastors read Scripture in the majority language, but it often doesn’t speak to their listeners’ hearts. They’re able to make out what the words mean, but it doesn’t feel natural. They hear the story of Christ’s death and resurrection, but they might wonder:
How can Jesus know and love me enough to die in my place—yet he doesn’t speak my language?
God’s Word Comes to Life on Easter
A Bagaga pastor named Mr. Yulius wondered the same thing.
That all changed one Easter Sunday.
The service began as usual, but then Mr. Yulius noticed a familiar sound filling the air as the preacher began his sermon. The preacher was reading God’s Word in Bagaga, his heart language—the language he uses to pray, sing, and share jokes. Afterward, Mr. Yulius was overwhelmed with wonder and gratefulness:
“Thank you!” he shared. “This translation project has helped build the capacity of a local pastor. This not only helps the community but is also an advantage for the church.”
Will You Pray with Us?
Let’s pray for God to show even more people that he speaks their language. And let’s imagine a world where every person can enter an Easter service knowing Jesus’s victory on the cross is for them too.
Lord, thank you for bringing your Word to the Bagaga people. Please bring hope to believers around the world who are still waiting to hear your Word fill their Easter Sunday services. Speak to their hearts in a special way this weekend, reminding them to hold on to your promise of salvation. And reveal yourself to those who don’t yet know you. Prepare their hearts to hear and understand you. Amen.
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