Have you ever walked 2 hrs in the hot sun w/o drinking any water to attend a 4 hr outdoor church service, sitting on hard, backless wooden benches with no ceiling fans or air conditioning? That’s exactly what Zephaniah (one of our 10 Kasana kids who is a day student and doesn’t live here on the property) did Sunday morning so he could go to church with us here at New Hope Kampala ) were also 2 ½ hrs long and have been some of our most special times in Africa . As I sat there with a numb bottom and sweat trickling down yesterday, I contemplated our 1 hr 15 min service back home with air conditioning and cushioned seats…..what is the American church missing out on? What kind of Christians have we become worshipping in such comfort? Do we have the desire, passion and drive that these Christians have to worship God? Would any of us be willing to walk 2 hrs to church (especially if there was no clean water or air conditioning waiting for us when we got there?) What about the persecuted Christians in China
Their "Family Sunday" had all the same things we have at our church's at home: baby dedication, induction of new elders, testimonies, engagement announcement, someone accepting Christ and getting saved, 2 graduations, offering, singing, prayer, etc. We are all human beings who celebrate the same things...births, marriages, graduations, engagements, etc. The only difference I see is that they savor their worship, celebrations, and prayer times longer and to more intensity than we tend to in the US. We are VERY time oriented in the USA and overly-scheduled, and I'm afraid that we let our time constraints constrain our desires for worship and true celebration. Also, that as American Christians our priorities have become skewed. Worship is a part of African Christian's daily routine and schedule. When most Americans are sitting around their living rooms for Prime Time, sitting down for several hours of evening television, Kenyan and Ugandan Christians are gathering for evening worship.
It is such an amazing thing to worship on the other side of the globe and to truly grasp the concept that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ with the same Heavenly Father. Though we are all different and even in the USA Christians have a wide variety of worship styles and traditions, but we pray and sing to the same God, the ONE true God. I know many of you reading this have also had the joy of worshipping with other believers around the globe, attending church in another country, enjoying worship in another language...it is truly a defining, life-changing moment as a Christian!
We had a special time joining devotions with Isa's family group Sunday night and will join Susan's family group tonight. Our worship times for evening devotions in both Kenya and Uganda, as well as all the church services, have been our most savored moments of our trip. It is soo neat singing some of the same songs we sing at home, but with foreign accents, African drums, etc. and have enjoyed learning new worship songs, some in Swahili or Luganda. Worship has always been a favorite thing for Joey and I, so you can imagine what a high it has been for us to get to have corporate worship every day here in Africa (not just at church on the weekend)!
We celebrate the gift of being here and worshipping God in a different context, different environment, different culture, but united with fellow Christians who we have more in common with than we do differences.
Their "Family Sunday" had all the same things we have at our church's at home: baby dedication, induction of new elders, testimonies, engagement announcement, someone accepting Christ and getting saved, 2 graduations, offering, singing, prayer, etc. We are all human beings who celebrate the same things...births, marriages, graduations, engagements, etc. The only difference I see is that they savor their worship, celebrations, and prayer times longer and to more intensity than we tend to in the US. We are VERY time oriented in the USA and overly-scheduled, and I'm afraid that we let our time constraints constrain our desires for worship and true celebration. Also, that as American Christians our priorities have become skewed. Worship is a part of African Christian's daily routine and schedule. When most Americans are sitting around their living rooms for Prime Time, sitting down for several hours of evening television, Kenyan and Ugandan Christians are gathering for evening worship.
It is such an amazing thing to worship on the other side of the globe and to truly grasp the concept that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ with the same Heavenly Father. Though we are all different and even in the USA Christians have a wide variety of worship styles and traditions, but we pray and sing to the same God, the ONE true God. I know many of you reading this have also had the joy of worshipping with other believers around the globe, attending church in another country, enjoying worship in another language...it is truly a defining, life-changing moment as a Christian!
We had a special time joining devotions with Isa's family group Sunday night and will join Susan's family group tonight. Our worship times for evening devotions in both Kenya and Uganda, as well as all the church services, have been our most savored moments of our trip. It is soo neat singing some of the same songs we sing at home, but with foreign accents, African drums, etc. and have enjoyed learning new worship songs, some in Swahili or Luganda. Worship has always been a favorite thing for Joey and I, so you can imagine what a high it has been for us to get to have corporate worship every day here in Africa (not just at church on the weekend)!
We celebrate the gift of being here and worshipping God in a different context, different environment, different culture, but united with fellow Christians who we have more in common with than we do differences.
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