09.11.11 Worship in Langa

Today has been a restful Sabbath!! To begin with, I was blessed (and challenged) by the worship service I attended this morning at Langa Baptist Church. As I walked in the doors I immediately noticed the young age of the crowd and the absolutely beautiful vocals of the worship team up front. The harmony was gorgeous – I could be lost in it. I sang (in a mixture of Xhosa and English) with my whole heart, as I have only a few times since coming to South Africa. The entire service was singing, dancing, and praying – no defined sermon, just several small messages that were interrupted with outbursts of a new song!

At the beginning of the service, my friend’s host mama nudged us to look back, and we saw a group of white people in the last rows – six, and then 8, and then 8 more. That’s weird, I thought, whites worshipping here in Langa? (Last week the church we visited was entirely black, and no whites live in Langa – that I know of). My thoughts quickly turned to mortification when they pulled out cameras and danced along goofily to the worship music. I wanted to distance myself from them so much! In that moment I was ashamed of my white skin . . . of the history of oppression & injustice that is tied to my “race.” I wanted to be black . . . to belong here . . . to be associated with the black body of believers, not the white tourist group, who obviously didn’t care about worshipping My Mighty Maker. O the shame of the color of my skin . . . After fifteen minutes, they were gone. Just one of the tour groups that visits this church each Sunday.
O LORD, create in me a clean heart. Forgive me for the times I’ve been those tourists in my attitudes or actions. Renew a right spirit within me. I’m broken and I live in a broken world. Come bring wholeness and redemption.