On Christmas Eve day when I returned home from work for lunch my host mother, Maria, invited me to attend Christmas Eve mass with her and a few of the kids. While we were filling our plates with posho and beans, I readily agreed to attend worship, we exchanged excited smiles but our priorities quickly moved to our stomachs rather than events of the evening.
I have always admired the Catholic Church tradition of celebrating Christmas Eve mass late in the night; I think it adds an element of mystery and excitement while simultaneously focusing worshipers on the purpose for all the celebrations of Christmas day. The service at the Catholic Church in Kotido began with a large processional to the front of the church made up of a priest, the bishop, and a number of altar boys. At the beginning of the entourage were six girls between the ages of ten and fifteen years. With partially shuffling and somewhat bouncing footsteps, and rhythmic hands gesturing from hearts upward the girls moved toward the front. They remained around the front podium for the entire service and had slightly different dances for every song the congregation sang. The girl’s dancing did not distract from worship; rather, their deliberate movements not only reinforced the message of the Christmas songs, but also displayed a sincerity of joyful heart for the incarnation of God’s only Son.
Portions of the Christmas narrative were read throughout the service and when the bishop announced that Jesus had been born a deafening shout erupted from the congregation and could not be controlled by the service leaders. The choir began joyfully singing, the girls began dancing, and the congregation divided between more shouts, ululations, and singing. The church leaders looked on helplessly with big smiles on their faces.
As my host family and I walked home we could hear shouts of people calling Christmas greetings to everyone they passed long after we had left the main road. When we had turned onto a more quiet stretch of road I happened to look up and once again notice the shocking clarity of stars in the sky. It made me wonder what the star of the Christmas story looked like so many years before.
During my time in Kotido I have been stretched to trust God in a significantly different way than I am accustomed to in the States. I find myself praying my life to God much more frequently, oddly at times I become weary of this constant reliance and I suddenly desire to reclaim my independence. However, as I looked up at the starry Christmas Eve sky in Kotido I realized there is a rich biblical heritage of trust especially celebrated at that time: the trust of Mary and Joseph. I am still floundering through some of the most basic questions of Christianity. I wonder if this phase of infancy will end, and yet, that is the very way Jesus humbled himself for us, and because of the trust of his earthly parents, all of humanity can receive salvation. My trust may be meager but all around me; girls dancing in Kotido, the night stars, and throughout scripture, I am reminded and encouraged to whole heartedly embrace this uncertain journey.
My six siblings (Catherine, Joseph, Monica, Peter, Anna, and Margret) dressed in their smartest Christmas attire
No comments:
Post a Comment