Day 20: May 24Scripture: Matthew 13:31-32 I was curious but somewhat skeptical about the “Hip-Hop” worship service we had been invited to during our trip to the Amazon region of Brazil in 2005. After all, it's really not my kind of music and surely it did not relate to my concept of worship! As we approached the small Methodist church at the end of a narrow street we could hear the loud “thump, thump, thump” of the music and could see the large crowd of youth who had gathered outside the church. We had been told that this was a very rough community, which could be quite dangerous at night. Gangs of youth often hung out on street corners and drugs and crime were prevalent. The Nova Israel Mission had been planted in just such a place in order to reach out to these at-risk youth and offer hope for a better life. In an effort to get the teenagers off the streets, the pastor began a Friday night gathering featuring hip-hop music and dance as well as songs of praise and personal testimony. Now the church was filled with youth actively engaged in singing praises to the Lord, leading in worship, and finding ways to express themselves through dance. Once inside we marveled at the energy and enthusiasm of these young people as they led in innovative, definitely non-traditional, worship. Then, a hush came over the crowd as Joao, the youth pastor, stood up to speak. Barely out of his teens, his slight build and youthful face did not reflect the rough life he had lived --- a street life among gangs;alienation from his family, and stealing to feed his drug habit. As he shared his testimony I watched the faces of the youth who had crowded into this “Hip-Hop” worship service. Every person was focused on Joao, listening intently to his powerful witness. His was a story of a life transformed by an encounter with Jesus Christ here in this place. Joao told of being reconciled with a family who had seen a miracle take place in his life. The old Joao was dead. He was a new creation, transformed by a small seed sown by a pastor and a congregation who felt God's call to move out into a troubled community to spread the Good News. Jesus reminds us in the parable of the mustard seed that great things can happen from small beginnings. Perhaps, Jesus challenges us in this parable of hope even to think “outside the box” as we plant our seeds. What can we learn from the kind of creative thinking that develops a hip-hop ministry among at-risk youth in a poor Amazon community in Brazil? Prayer: O God, may we be open to new ways of sowing seeds of hope in our own communities so that lives may be transformed by an encounter with Jesus Christ. Amen Dot Ivey, |