Last Sunday I attended the 7:00am (meep) Swahili language
service at the Dodoma Cathedral. I
arrived only a couple minutes early and the church was already almost
completely full. It felt nice to be in a
full church, side to side with fellow worshippers (the English language service
does not draw nearly as many people).
A projector at the front displayed the verses of the first
hymn as we all rose for the procession into the church. The really nice thing about Swahili is that
the language is essentially phonetic; if there is a letter in a word, it makes
a sound (the same cannot be said for English!).
So even if you scarcely know what you’re saying (yep that’s me) you can
still sing along to the hymns. I really
appreciate that.
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| The Dodoma Cathedral |
Right now I am at the point where I can pick out words and some phrases when someone speaks Swahili. So as I expected, most of what was said
during the service went completely over my head. But I took great refuge in the similarity of
the liturgy used at the Swahili service and the liturgy I am used to back home. With the exception of a couple of extra
pieces (one called “Kushukuru Familia” where, if I understood its explanation
to me correctly, families give an offering in thanks for something drastic that
has happened in their lives, for instance a family member surviving a car
accident, the birth of a child, etc.), the liturgy progressed exactly as I had
experienced it in other Episcopal churches in the US.
Wow, I thought to myself as the service progressed, so this is
at least some of what it means to be a part of the Anglican Communion. The words were in a different language but
the prayers, the motions, the worship, they were quite the same.
At the moment it seems like there are some questions
surrounding the future of the Anglican Communion. Now I certainly do not know enough to comment
on the theological and political issues that have become divisive in the Communion. But I do know that if one aspect of that
Communion, the liturgy, can make a person feel more comfortable worshiping God
in a church 7,715 miles away from home (thanks Google Earth), then the Anglican
Communion is doing a pretty cool thing.
And as I continue to work on my Swahili I will continue to attend the
Swahili service knowing that while I do not literally understand all of what is
being said, in many ways I do understand. In this way, the
worship of God happens on a level that soars over any sort of language barrier
(as is fitting for God).
The only thing is the sermon. Definitely need to work on following the
sermon.
Your sense of the Anglican Communion is exactly what the Bishop of London said in his sermon at Bruton last year: the identity is our liturgy. The only question we should ever ask is, "Can you worship with us?" Your wonderful, wonderful blog (thank you so very much Andy) lets me hope that the Anglican Communion is still what I found it to be in Britain, Africa, and the USA: a community which shares Christ in the Eucharist.
ReplyDeleteAnd wow! You sure are having fun and are going to be sooooooo fit! And are you really 7,715 miles away? It seems as if you are right here when I remember you at the Eucharist in rural Virginia, just as for all your College years, and now beyond. Someday there will be a bronze statue of you in Dodoma as the man who first introduced Ultimate Frisbee to Tanzania. Fame! God bless you in Christ's service nd , of course, God bless us all.
Nice to read your article! I am looking forward to sharing your adventures and experiences.
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