Warning! Content may be shocking to American Lutherans, and may test how you perceive worshiping with a congregation.
I tell you what, Rwandans know how to worship. I have been to the Kinyarwanda service 3 times and I can feel God in and around everyone in that church. There are a few major differences between worship here and worship at my home congregation in suburban Illinois, however. Here are a few.
I tell you what, Rwandans know how to worship. I have been to the Kinyarwanda service 3 times and I can feel God in and around everyone in that church. There are a few major differences between worship here and worship at my home congregation in suburban Illinois, however. Here are a few.
- During several of the prayers throughout the service, the entire community joins in with their own prayers. Whispered pleas and thanks wash over you as a breeze comes through the windows to remind you that the Holy Spirit is all around.
- The service itself is normally around 2 hours, but can last for 5! These people don’t have soccer games, or football games to rush off to see. They don’t have that need to get moving, get the next thing done. They sit with their community and they worship.
- My favorite part of the service would be laughable if tried out in many traditional Lutheran services. In the middle of worship, the choir sings a few songs and invites whoever feels the call to come up and dance and sing near the altar. This alone lasts 15 minutes at least. There is jumping, hollering, dance-offs and overall merriment. It’s incredible to witness.
- The language. This is just a given. I have to have a translator next to me.
- A major part of why services run so long is how much music they cram into such a small amount of time. The congregation sings several songs together, the children’s choir sings a song or two every week, and the adult choir sings I don’t even know how many. Of course, anyone who knows the lyrics is encouraged to sing along.