A student from a local boarding school has been staying with us for the past 9 days. She goes back to school tomorrow, but today she got to experience church for the first time (I think). She speaks pretty good English and can read almost anything, but that wasn't really the issue. We were singing praise songs (not hymns) and I was translating what they meant (or I was trying my best to). Such words that we take for granted knowing like, heaven, praise, reign, almighty, etc, were some of the few that I was attempting to explain. I can enjoy the songs only because I know their meaning, intent and melody. To an outsider they must appear ... um ... confusing and maybe even wacky. So, I want to think that some seeds were planted in the translation process, but in my finite brain I am thinking, "Yeah right!" Thankfully God is bigger than me and my feeble attempt to translate his glory to a young girl, who before this morning, didn't even know heaven existed.
3 comments:
Yeah Amber! I am so glad you got to have this experience with this girl... You are so right in saying that God is so much bigger than any attempt we make to spread his love... Hope you had a good time!
I have to also add that it was so refreshing to get down to the basics -- the core of what we believe. None of this emerging this and emerging that ... just the very basic truths of scripture. It's like diving into a cool pool during a hot summer day -- and we all know how refreshing that is right now.
We take so for granted the words we sing. Sometimes I sing them and am not even paying attention to what I am saying! Yikes!
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