Easter in Africa

April 16, 2017

Easter in Africa

When moving to a new country, special occasions naturally transpose your thoughts to what these occasions are like at home.   What has the family planned for this weekend? What’s happening at church? What’s been the focus in the community?  The first thing I noticed about Easter in Kenya is there were absolutely no signs of Easter bunnies and chocolate anywhere.  Nothing in the supermarket indicated any strategies to generate extra seasonal revenue - quite a difference from Canada.  I hadn’t even noticed the absence of the chocolate bunnies until I started to compare what Easter would have been like at home.  Despite our best intentions to stay focused on the Christian meaning of Easter and our participation in Easter worship services, we would still be shopping for some chocolate.

Don’t misunderstand my thoughts about this though. It does not mean that this culture has captured the perfect Easter focus.  We were a little disappointed actually over the past few weeks with almost no mention of the season of Lent, outside our own opportunities to draw attention to it.  Remembering the various rhythms and traditions associated with the Christian calendar doesn’t always seem to surface here.  Last Tuesday during THQ chapel, the officer who led the service relayed the account of Jesus washing the disciples feet in John 13 and challenged us to remember the servant attitude of Christ as he made his way to the Cross. This was a meaningful thought and we appreciated being drawn to this important piece of Jesus journey.

Both the Territorial leaders and ourselves decided some weeks ago that we would not conduct any Divisional events during the Easter weekend. We felt it was important for all corps officers to be leading their own congregations during this sacred Christian weekend.  (If either of us were specialling, it would mean a whole Division or District would gather together). So we agreed we would support our local corps.

Early in the week, Morris was asked to preach at one of the small corps in Kakamega on Good Friday. It’s a corps that his Admin Assistant, Judith, and her husband, Eric, now lead - along with their appointment at THQ. Eric is the Territorial cashier.  We gladly accepted this invitation to the Ikonyero corps.  Morris has always found preaching on Good Friday to be the most challenging but meaningful sermon he can prepare. With the translation, he would limit his usual speaking time.

When we arrived at the corps on Friday morning, many of the soldiers were making their way to the local market place with their two drums and the flag waving. They marched around the market proclaiming the message of the Cross in their singing and the witness of their uniforms before returning for the morning worship. About 40-45 people gathered in the humble building that has a dirt floor and walls of brick that desperately need finishing. Half the congregation were young people – children, teenagers, and young adults which was exciting!  The corps is just 16 months old but it was an outpost for 15 years prior. The sincerity of their worship was quite clear. They were very happy that the Chief and his wife (Mama) had come to be with them and we were glad to be there. 

Ikonyero Corps - Good Friday morning worship 

A glimpse of the SA Flag leading soldiers to the market. 

On Sunday morning, we returned to the corps, not as speaking guests this time, but with the intention that we would simply be one of the worshippers. We arrived a little before the service and once again the soldiers were out for their Open Air meeting, this time stopping to preach a short gospel message of the resurrection.  While the Open Air went on, we noticed several ladies bringing large containers of water (on their head of course) to the back of the corps building and soon an aroma reaches us. A ‘lunch’ was being prepared today because this was one of the Sundays that the members of the outpost joined the main corps for worship. These folks would travel about seven kilometers (many walking), so the corps made sure there was food for them before they returned home.

As the service was about to start, we knew it was hard for us to just ‘slip in’ to the congregation.  As tradition toward leadership dictates, we were ‘marched in’ with the corps officers and given the center seat on the platform. Our only participation though was greeting the people and a closing prayer.   We had wondered how the morning worship would begin, remembering many Easter Sunday mornings at home with the band playing "Crown Him with many Crowns" or “Up from the grave He arose.”  We were delighted that the first song was “He lives!”  No band but the harmonious African singing accompanied by the drums did justice to this Easter anthem of praise, especially since this morning there were over 100 in the meeting. We were very blessed!

At the end of the service everyone stayed for lunch, including us. Unfortunately, we were ushered into a separate room from the rest of the folk and had a private lunch with the corps officers, a small buffet of African food.  (We discovered later that everyone else’s lunch was rice and fried cabbage). 

I say 'unfortunately' not because I resent anything about the meal that was prepared for us or the opportunity to converse with the CO’s, but the unfortunate piece is this was another experience of being treated as if we, as leaders, needed something more than anyone else. For them, they would say this is a traditional sign of respect for leadership. For us, we have to walk the fine line of respecting such traditions but also sharing with them our perspective that we would prefer to be embraced as “one with them.”  Maybe next time we go to the corps we can see if they would welcome that.

We told the officers that we have decided to make Ikonyero our home corps. We won’t get to share many Sundays because our responsibilities take us around the Territory but we will attend when possible and support regularly with our tithes. The CO’s were very happy. They are working on fund raising now to complete the corps building – a concrete floor, a finished plaster for the rough brick work on the walls, and hopefully install electricity.  They are so thankful to have two more soldiers contributing. Every shilling counts. 

Easter is the most significant event in the Christian calendar.  It changed the course of history for all humankind.  It is the good news that brings hope where hope is lost. It really doesn’t matter where in the world you are, or whether you’ve added a few chocolate treats to your celebrations or if you’ve had turkey or rice for lunch, what’s important is faith in the Son of God who died that we might live and the knowledge that He is with us today.

Happy Easter everyone!