Most of the three-hour service
was given over to Masaai choirs coming from near and far, composed
of all age groups, dressed in colorful dress with bangles, with
plenty of jumping as well as slow shuffle and head bobbing with
the beat of the Masaai drums. Lo and behold! During the middle
of the service the heavens opened up and we had a deluge baptism
of precious rain for most of an hour. Afterwards, the 300 plus
attending were treated to a feast of roast goat. These people,
who had been worshiping under a tree, were so glad in their faith,
so genuine in their thanks to God for a church, that we were deeply
stirred. This scene is representative of the wonderful movement
of nomad peoples toward the living word of the gospel, which is
being seen all over Kenya.
Three weeks ago we attended our nearby Church of the Torch. We
arrived 15 minutes early for the service but found that the cathedral-like
stone church built 70 years ago by the Scottish mission was packed
to overflowing. Young folks with large usher bandoliers over their
shoulders came up to escort us onto one side of the platform,
which was rapidly filling up with chairs that were scavenged from
anywhere. It was “Institutional Sunday,” meaning that
about 16 institutions were represented. Students everywhere. The
place was seething with life. The congregation of 1200 or so were
not only lining the walls and corridors but seated outside on
the grass ready to listen to the service over loudspeakers. Most
schools had a choir along to grace the service of over two hours.
Pastor Stephen spoke for no more than 10 minutes but had a powerful
message of our need to take the gospel throughout and beyond the
nation.
The third grace note came to us on the following Sunday, as we
attended the dedication of yet another “mabati, ”
or corrugated metal church, built by a church members from Pinehurst
North Carolina. Now we were located not in the arid Rift Valley
but among coffee fields not far north of Nairobi and on the campus
of a Presbyterian school for the deaf. The church was packed with
over 300 worshipers, mostly students ranging from 6 to 20 years
of age, but also many groups of deaf who had come out from Nairobi
and elsewhere. Can you believe it? We had at least six deaf choirs
who did all their performance with sign language and drums. The
best, however, were two pantomime performances of Bible events.
Terrific expression in bodies, faces, and costumes. It was unique
and lifting to share worship in a medium other than speech and
music.
And so God’s kingdom stands in this part of His world.
John the Baptist, speaking of the Christ, said, “and of
his fullness have we all received grace for grace.”
I think we have been tasting that grace.
Stan Topple
PCEA Kikuyu Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Centre, Kenya
The 2004 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p.
55 |
