Sunday in Bogota: Lots of Church!

Greetings Grace Church,

            Today we travelled to Divine Savior to meet the congregation for the first time.  When we arrived we were welcomed with some food and beverages, and were told that we may want to eat something as the service would be very long. Felt a little like being at Grace, although I speak almost no Spanish, smiles seemed to be communication enough. Father Jose asked for someone to read one of the lessons in English during the service. I found myself volunteering. Huh? I have never read at Grace, not once in the 12 or so years I have attended. After volunteering I started to panic, until I read over what the reading was to be. It was about how we have to cross over the lines of jealousy and work together doing Gods work. And it is all Gods work. Sometimes we forget, or get caught up in arguing about who’s right or wrong, or focus so intently on having it our way that we don’t see that, it is all Gods work. He is giving us the tools to do all the things that need to get done. So back to my panic. I looked up a couple of times while reading and even though most of the congregation didn't know what I was saying they were listening. It was just a matter of being present with them. Gods work? I think so…..

Peace

Maria

Sunday/Domingo February 16, 2014 in Bogota

Kathryn Benjamin’s reflections on our experiences today.

We are so grateful not to be in the midst of a new foot of snow!  Instead, we admire the green grass and leaves on the trees as we take our 45 minute van ride to church.  There is a ridge of mountains near us on one side, they surge upwards, lush and green (there is a ring of mountains around Bogota, but the morning is foggy and hazy, so we can’t see all the way across the expanse of city to the other ridge of mountains).

The women of the church welcomed us with coffee and rolls before the service, to help fortify us as the service would be 3 hours long.  The coffee with milk/café con leche is sweet – like melted coffee ice cream.  

In the church, we are seated up front on padded benches perpendicular to the pews, so everyone can see us and we can see everyone.  The church is packed: there are perhaps 30 pews (15 on each side of the aisle), filled with women, men and children.  While the community may not be rich financially, they are rich with locally grown flowers – there were six arrangements: two behind the altar, two in front of the altar, one in front of the lectern, and one in back at a statue – abundant with well over 100 roses and many chrysanthemums.  I wonder if Grace could expand its flower garden and enjoy our own abundance of the gifts of the earth and our tending. 

The order of service is familiar – it is the same as ours, just in Spanish.  We have prayer books to follow along.  Maria reads one of the lessons in English, Noah reads to Gospel in English, and Ted repeats his sermon in English, each after the Spanish version is delivered.

The music for the service is all recorded and amplified with four speakers.  The volume makes the music very present, tangible, but not oppressive; it is an integral part of the worship experience.  The congregation sings, and sometimes we can pick up the refrain and sing along, too. And there are many occasions for clapping along, which help to rouse me when I begin to get sleepy, and in general adds to the spirit of the worship.  We wonder about conducting a service like this at Grace sometime!

The liturgy of the word and communion seem to be the warm-up for the truly important part of the Sunday morning worship: the healing prayers that are offered afterwards.   Father Jose offers a long, heart-felt general prayer preparing us to offer up our problems and needs and concerns, about health or money or anything else, to God/Senor.  Nearly everyone lines up in the center aisle to receive a laying-on-of-hands blessing.  Some are “slain in the spirit,” attended to by the ushers who catch them and lower them gently to the floor.  The people are so open to experiencing God’s spirit.

Episcopal Cathedral in Bogota

Later in the afternoon we worship again at the Cathedral, just a few blocks away from our hotel.  The service is conducted in English, and attracts people who were born in o English speaking countries (e.g. the US and India) and those who enjoy this way of practicing English.  While it is a comfort to understand all that is said, I miss hearing “Senor” – the Spanish reference to God or Lord, which sounds so special and reverent.

We gather at the hotel afterwards to reflect on the day and to prepare for tomorrow.  There were many other experiences and observations that I will leave for others to share.