Joyous Sacrifice

This morning we awoke to a beautiful Rwandan morning following a relaxing night of sleep under a rainy season downpour. Our team gathered this Sunday morning and walked out of the hospital compound to the local church in Kibogora. We walked up to a very large circular building without a sign but we were assured it was the correct place by the music flowing through its open doorways.

The music was the thing we had been looking forward to since the sermon was given in Kinyarwandan and not a single one of our group can speak it “yet”. However the musical harmony and energy conveyed all we needed to know. The entire group was overwhelmed by the zeal these Rwandan people had for their faith. It permeated everything from their clothing to their singing to their dancing. We were told that the locals begin preparation for Sunday morning service beginning on Friday. They start to wash their best clothing and practice their hymns. They do all this not because they feel obligated to but for the sole reason that church is a Joyous event. They Sacrifice their time and energy for Christ just as we do and they do it with pleasure.

            The entire team gathered following the Church service and managed to come to the same conclusion. We felt as if our expressions of faith sometimes lack the passion we saw today in the Kibogora Church. It inspired us all to reflect on our motives for our Christian acts. Were we doing all of this because we felt obligated or because we were truly delighted in the Lord? During our make shift devotional this morning we sang a few hymns of our own. After what we saw this morning there was a little added excitement to our singing and although we didn’t quite bust out in dance it could be on the agenda for next Sunday. We all found something today, inspiration for a Joyous Sacrifice.

-Cody