A handful of us spent the day with our friends at Mavuno Church. Man, if you're ever in need of a shot of spiritual adrenaline, Mavuno is the place to be.
We started off by joining the 9am staff meeting at the central campus of the church. "Meeting?" youre thinking? Sounds boring. But oh, no - boring it most certainly was not. The first 45 full minutes consisted of singing, praying, dancing, more praying, and singing, jamming out to vibrant, jumping (or is that jumpin'?) songs of praise. Did I feel like a goofy white person, trying to keep up with the beat? Well, yeah - at times. That's because I am a silly mzungu (Swahili for white guy), but here it really didn't matter. The Spirit was at work, lowering inhibitions, orienting hearts towards truth, and, above all, making me (and I think my 4 other team members) feel totally accepted and included. As I reflect on the experience of watching my Kenyan friends singing out their gratitude and joy to their Maker and even joining in myself, it seemed...right. Natural. Good. Appropriate. Freeing. Fun. Liberating. Healing. Filling. I mean, think about it - if there really is a God, and He really is responsible for all of the amazing world we find around us and inside us, and he really has come to rescue us in our need, is any other response than joyful exuberance, amazement, and awe-filled singing adequate? Why wouldn't we engage?
Well, for one, its a bit undignified. But is that kind of dignity and reserve so great? As I think in my own experiences, that kind of reserve really reflects an excess of self-awareness. This morning, losing myself (a bit) in the wonder of the Great One felt...great. So, thanks, Mavuno, for welcoming us in and sharing with us something of your joy at being made and being saved.
These guys have big, big faith. And by that I don't mean Disney World kind of faith, where you close your eyes and squeeze and believe in something really ridiculous like fairies (sorry - I hope I didn't just kill a fairy). I mean a bold trust in One who has a proven track record, and whose words and deeds have impacted humanity like nothing else in history. Mavuno puts its money where it's mouth is, often quite literally. We visited the site of their newly purchased land, where the 8-year old church is planning on positioning themselves to really impact their community. They go out on limbs in efforts to be faithful to the directives of Jesus as to how to change society around them through love. And they trust that a God who is capable of spinning the whole world into existence can provide the means to share that love boldly and in a big way.
I'm so glad to be a part of a church that shares Mavuno's joy and trust in the Almighty. And seeing those gifts from God electrifying a community in a totally different context 9,000 miles away from home is pretty intoxicating. I hope I don't come back to earth when I get home!
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