The Dental Issanyankobe Jolof (Pulaar-speaking Chrisitian Community of the Djolof region) met last night for Good Friday prayers. Pastor Dirk Stadtlander had asked me to lead the service, which I did with the help of several Pulaar lay readers and pray-ers. We focused our time on the so-called Seven Words from the Cross, with each reading followed by a time of prayer and--we thought--silence. But we were all reminded of the fact that for the majority community in Senegal it was just another day. Not just another day, actually, but, since Monday is a public holiday, yesterday at about 5:30 was the beginning of a nice, long weekend with little or nothing to do.
So the solmenity of our service was overshadowed by the rather loud music being played by the neighbor. I realize that I sound like a grumpy old man when I say that. But I don't mean to imply that they don't ahve a right to play their music loudly--but rather to observe that it was tough to find the silent, contemplative mood I was looking for. Instead, we read a little more loudly, prayed more individually than communally, and sat in awkward silence while we listened to strains of upbeat, fast-paced, Mbalaax dance music. We said we would leave in silence, as is the tradition of Good Friday, but even that was hard to do.
I shouldn't have been so surprised. If anything, being here in Senegal has reminded me that at its core Christianity is counter-cultural. That is true, or should be true, in Europe and North America, too. But it's inescapable here. There we were on a Friday afternoon, the kick-off of a long holiday weekend, trying to be silent and contemplative, reflecting on the suffering death of God-with-us. That's about as crazy as celebrating a resurrection two days later--proclaiming that death is not the end, that hell holds no sway, that life wins out and God is in charge. Proclaiming at the same time that new life in Christ begins right now, not at some as yet undisclosed eternity, the "next life," rather than this one.
It's counter-intuitive. It's counter-cultural.
Why else would we read about Jesus suffering and dying and call it "good."
So let the music play. We'll make a mental note, a bookmark of sorts. It's Friday, but Sunday's coming. And by then, by the end of the weekend, we'll join in the dancing, too.
grace and peace,
Peter
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