I
walked to church with my family last Sunday. Why is this newsworthy? Simple. That
was the very first time this has happened. As a little boy, I used to walk to
church with my parents. However, at the time, going and coming from church - a long
stretch of more than two miles away - meant being desperately thirsty
afterwards and often being short of breath.
The experience
of last Sunday was different. This was with my own family and it was a very
short distance. We had elected to attend the nearest church, and as it
happened, it was an Anglican Church. The walk was refreshing, it was peaceful
and it provided another opportunity for family bonding. It took all of seven
minutes to achieve this feat.
The
service was short and simple. The vicar is female. I went up for Holy Communion; and the taste
of real wine was different from the Ribena substitute to which I was accustomed.
Thankfully, I didn't get drunk as I only dipped the wafer in the wine. I never
knew dipping was possible until I saw someone use this style just before my
turn. I thought it was cool and decided to adopt it. The vicar obliged without
questioning. I hope no one would take offence at what may be considered my
half-hearted approach to what is sacred. Well, I won’t pretend I am bothered. Jesus
died for me.
At
some point in the service, we were asked to write on a postcard some prayer points
that would be attended to during the week. I wanted the containment of Ebola in
Nigeria and West Africa, the end of Boko Haram and also an end to the war between Israel and Hamas.
The
service was relaxed. Most of the congregants wore simple clothes. One of the
deacons who also intermittently held a baby in her hand walked about performing
her duties barefooted and without a care in this world. A little
area was created in the main auditorium (this sounds Pentecostal) for little
children, most of whom were less than four years in age. The adults ignored
their constant chatter, and ‘distraction’. I suppose they took the position
that children also have a right to be in the house of God and do their own
thing.
At
the end of the service, the customary tea and biscuits were served. We made for
the door where the vicar was waiting to greet everyone. She told us she was
going on holiday that same week with her husband and family. As we left, I
began to hum one of the songs that had been sung in the church and immediately
one of my daughters came with the line: “I don't like that song.” I persisted.
We
stopped at a park a few steps from the church. Our children took
the opportunity to do some running probably practicing the 100 metres dash for the Olympics sometimes in
the next decade.
Some of my observations of the whole experience
are:
1.
Before last Sunday, going to church with my
family was a driving experience. I suppose for many Africans, and perhaps
Pentecostal Christians, a 2 to 3-hour round-trip to attend church is not
unusual. I can understand why people do it, but I am not sure whether this is the
right thing to do.
2.
For Nigerians and certainly many black people,
Sunday is also the day to put on our most beautiful clothes and showcase the best
car. Has this phenomenon turned worship
on its head? Must the outward outweigh the important? I do not see any
problem with going to church in a good attire, however when this overshadows
everything else, it becomes questionable. And rightly so too!
3.
Further, many of our services are hardly ever relaxed.
For a start the music is often too loud. I have the belief that there is a
conspiracy to make everyone deaf by the ridiculous hair-splitting loudness to
which congregants are subjected in many of our churches. This too must be
questioned. Why for example, should microphones be connected to the drum set in
a church that sits 10-20 people? Why is there a need for the microphone to be tuned to the highest volume even for those leading worship? The effect of this is that the voices, the drumming, and other musical instruments collude in an offering of painful uncoordinated noise.
4.
I also noticed that no one attempted to outdo
the other in prayer or testimony or worship. Absent too was the desire for power and control over others by church leadership. This, if truth must be told is one of the key issues for many of our churches in Nigeria and the pentecostal movement at large. We may employ many reasons to justify this stain, but the reality is that no one is more special, no one died for another human being, it is Jesus who died. Even God does not control or manipulate us. This is food for thought and for comtemplating digestion.
5. I suppose the most important thing for me was the conscious desire to accommodate every
congregant including children. In many of our churches, children are often seen
as a distraction and are told off or carted away to a children’s church where
they can’t be seen or heard. I am a ardent believer in Sunday school for children, it's only that some
parents are not bothered about what their children learn at Sunday school
provided they can concentrate on their own worship uninhibited.
6. I must reiterate that I am at home with the sheer exuberance of worship of the pentecostal church to which I belong, I will not trade this for anything. My only wish is that we take things easy a little bit, understand we are not the centre of attraction and allow compassion to rule everything we do. Then, we will probably be like Christ.
Finally, I like the simplicity of walking to church. I like the simplicity of the service. I also like the fact that God is at home with all kinds of worship and none of us can claim ownership or knowledge of His preferred agenda.
I thoroughly enjoyed the walk to church last Sunday. It is different and it is beautiful and I wish this becomes the norm for me. The irony is that I probably will drive to church next Sunday. What about you? PostcardfromLagos
Photo courtesy of Yinka Oyelese
I thoroughly enjoyed the walk to church last Sunday. It is different and it is beautiful and I wish this becomes the norm for me. The irony is that I probably will drive to church next Sunday. What about you? PostcardfromLagos
Photo courtesy of Yinka Oyelese
1 comment:
A very refreshing read and a reminder that peace is found in simplicity! It's been a while!
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