søndag den 5. december 2010
Today I went to a Sunday service in a Methodist church. The church is situated in the very centre of Cape Town in the very touristy Green Market Square.
As a visitor to a country it’s interesting to visit different churches but at the same time tiring. For me being part of church also implies being engaged. Here I become a spectator. Traveling though many times implies that you watch and receive more than engage and give which is also nice for a limited period of time.
Two things I in particular enjoyed about the church service:
As soon as I entered a man smiled and greeted me by saying “You are Sara from Denmark” and immediately he introduced me to his wife and other church members. The man works on a voluntary basis in the church, where he greets visitors, mostly tourists, who enter the church during week days. Two-three weeks ago I entered the church and we had a talk. Being recognized was a real blessing for me as Sundays can be rather lonely. On Sundays I often miss my church family at home. Or maybe I just miss the feeling of belonging to a fellowship of believers.
During the service I experienced a ritual that I really liked. On the altar of the church a “light of justice” was lit. The light is lit every Sunday. The “light of justice” is a tall candle light placed in the middle of a wire. The wire symbolizes the suffering of the world. The candle light symbolizes Jesus who is present in the midst of the suffering of human beings. 1 December was World Aids Day so today we prayed in particular for the suffering caused by HIV/AIDS.
I found the ritual of lighting the light of justice extremely powerful, as it reminds the church of how it’s sent in to the world to be the hand and feet of Jesus to the poor, sick and oppressed.
I may try to introduce the “light of justice” to my own context sometime.
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