An Unexpected Hug

Ok, I should warning you that this is a sort of stream of consciousness rambling. So if everything isn't tightly connected, I apologize...I wanted to get these thoughts down before I lost them.


Before I had an opportunity to react, or even realize what was going on, I found myself in a tight embrace with a withered, elderly Haitian man. His balding, scratchy head barely reached my chin and he lingered for longer than I expected. Next, with passion and gratitude in his voice, he said 3 or 4 things in Creole that I couldn't understand at all...then walked off. About 20 minutes before I preached a sermon as a guest speaker on the first night of a revival week in Bon Repos, Haiti. Though I felt like much of the message was lost in translation, something apparently touched him.

Later that night as I walked out of the small church, my mind began to dissect the past 2 hours of singing, dancing, praising, and praying. Though I had much to ponder, I couldn't leave the thought of the random hug from the random man. What prompted his action? Why was he so excited? I've preached my fair share of times and I've never had someone who I had never before seen bear hug me.

Then I had a thought...it might have been his culture.

If I were an outsider standing across the street from this Haitian church, a person who knew nothing of Jesus, of religion or of culture, I couldn't keep from venturing in. I'd hear vibrant music, voices singing, and passionate messages. I'd see people walk inside a drab concrete building and make it come to life. If I had to give one word to characterize the environment, it would be joy.

I can see how Christianity could become cultural here...and in Africa or Asia...it's because it sure seems like the church is the place to be! Dancing, music, people who are happy...it sounds like a good time.

So, does this apply to America? We could probably work to make the church the most popular place to hang out during. Though I can't say I'm opposed to the church being a popular hangout, I don't think that coffee shops, open mic nights, and Christian dance clubs would ever bring a revolution.

As one who doesn't have a great appreciation for liturgy of any kind (by the way, I've been called plenty of names for this: shallow, ignorant, unappreciative, rebellious, uneducated, even stupid) I struggle to see how Christianity is/has become cultural in much of America. Yet, I read Jesus and all he does is shake up the culture.

So I say these loosely connected thoughts to say this rather concise one:

Liturgy or spontaneity, reverence or exuberance, if motivated by culture isn't Jesus...it's merely culture.

So when he hugged me, what was it Jesus or culture? Considering that roughly half of all Haitians still practice voodoo...

I say Jesus.