The last time I wrote, I shared my enthusiasm for two courses I was to teach on Thursday -- on the Pentateuch and the Gospels -- for what is the seminary of the Christian Reformed Church of Haiti (E.C.R.H. Eglise Chretienne Reforme en Haiti). I was excited enough to write a blog account that night but unfortunately -- I think it was something I ate - I came down with a pretty all-consuming gut-head-full-body ache right after the sessions and that has kept me away from my blog as I have scurried back and forth from bed to bathroom. Till now. And I promise that is the last time I will share the woes of a bathroom related illness, though I suspect it won't be the last time I experience it :(
Anyway, the classes were a true joy. It was an incredible honour to have the undivided attention of 23 pastors and other church leaders as they asked keen and probing questions -- all through a translator -- in their pursuit of learning. I was in awe that many of them work full-time jobs elsewhere, trying to squeeze in sermon writing and pastoral visiting in the wee hours and in between times. There were young and old, men and women, but what they held in common was a humble and hard-working stewardship of their role as pastors.
During the morning course on the Pentateuch -- the first five books of the Bible -- I was teaching on the covenants God makes with us and showing how most of them are God making promises to us without conditions. I shared how this is one of the main themes of the Pentateuch, that God initiates the relationship with us long before we are even able to obey his commands. Trying to be sparing in North American illustrations, I ventured out and shared how we in the Christian Reformed Church in North America have a hymn with the lines, "I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew: he moved my soul to seek him seeking me..." a musical celebration of God initiating the relationship. One curious student ventured the question: "Could you sing it for us?"
And so there I was, singing Psalter Hymnal #498 in English to a class of Haitian pastors and church leaders. What they did next, though, moved me in a way that was unforgettable and beautiful. In fact, wanting to share it with you, I asked them to repeat it so that you could enjoy it too:
It was an incredible joy to hear them sing and see their sincerity of heart as they slowly belted it out. The austere concrete room echoed their harmony in a way the video couldn't quite capture, but it was truly a thing of beauty. What especially struck me, here, a few thousand kilometers away from home, was how these brothers and sisters not only held the same beliefs as me, but echoed them out with the same songs. It simultaneously made me feel at home, and gave me a taste of heaven, which is my true home.
Anyway, the classes were a true joy. It was an incredible honour to have the undivided attention of 23 pastors and other church leaders as they asked keen and probing questions -- all through a translator -- in their pursuit of learning. I was in awe that many of them work full-time jobs elsewhere, trying to squeeze in sermon writing and pastoral visiting in the wee hours and in between times. There were young and old, men and women, but what they held in common was a humble and hard-working stewardship of their role as pastors.
During the morning course on the Pentateuch -- the first five books of the Bible -- I was teaching on the covenants God makes with us and showing how most of them are God making promises to us without conditions. I shared how this is one of the main themes of the Pentateuch, that God initiates the relationship with us long before we are even able to obey his commands. Trying to be sparing in North American illustrations, I ventured out and shared how we in the Christian Reformed Church in North America have a hymn with the lines, "I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew: he moved my soul to seek him seeking me..." a musical celebration of God initiating the relationship. One curious student ventured the question: "Could you sing it for us?"
And so there I was, singing Psalter Hymnal #498 in English to a class of Haitian pastors and church leaders. What they did next, though, moved me in a way that was unforgettable and beautiful. In fact, wanting to share it with you, I asked them to repeat it so that you could enjoy it too:
It was an incredible joy to hear them sing and see their sincerity of heart as they slowly belted it out. The austere concrete room echoed their harmony in a way the video couldn't quite capture, but it was truly a thing of beauty. What especially struck me, here, a few thousand kilometers away from home, was how these brothers and sisters not only held the same beliefs as me, but echoed them out with the same songs. It simultaneously made me feel at home, and gave me a taste of heaven, which is my true home.
Wow! So well said! Glad you're feeling better too.
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