Circling Jericho

"Why are we going to the Gmz houses?" my inquisitive son asked for the fifth time before I could formulate a short yet helpful response. "I think the Gmz church wants others to hear their songs…" I barely got these last words off my quivering lip, choked up with emotion. Many of you read last year's Easter post entitled "Silent Night" (posted in early August 2013) with which you found a mixed bag of excitement having helped in the writing of three powerful Gmz songs describing Jesus our King in the Triumphal Entry, the forgiveness of sin available through the cross, and the victory of death demonstrated in the resurrection. But, if you remember, that post also expressed the disappointment as the songs failed to make their debut outside the church's walls. Easter 2014, however, brought the realization of that dream.

Just minutes earlier, Micah and I were walked up to the church building, a bit confused by the sight of several church leaders scrambling toward the entrance carrying benches. Turning the corner and entering the building, the reason soon became clear, the building was packed beyond its usual capacity. And the singing! Oh my, 80-some Gmz voices echoing off the tin roof was a powerful reintroduction to Gmz worship after having been away in Addis for some time. "Jesus rose from within the hole of death (aka. grave). He has defeated death…The women did not find Jesus' body, It is not here. He has risen none.” (aka. He has risen PERIOD! Booyah!)" You know that "what a privilege it is to be a part of this event" kind of feeling? Yea, it immediately starting to well up in me like good Ole Faithful.

As more people arrived, and more benches arrived, I caught out of the corner of my eye several of the church leaders motioning toward the door. Next thing I knew, a large pole was brought in a stuck through the handles on the large andiŋa drum. Without missing a beat, the drum was lifted, placed on the shoulders of two leading women and without need of stopping the song for instruction, the exodus began. Out the church doors, out the compound gate (or what used to be a gate), out to the big road, passed the school and into a nearby village – all the while belting out a joy-filled, enthusiastic proclamation of the Easter events in song, "Sin separated us from God. Sin separated us from God. Jesus died on the horizontal tree (aka. cross) for us. The judgment for sin, The punishment for sin Jesus carried. The path to return to God, he opened the way!"

Upon arriving in the first village location (of three), they switched to another recently written song – Joshua and the battle of Jericho. And as I watched them circle around the drum like Israelite soldiers around the city, I couldn't help but think: Thousand of years ago, God brought some mighty thick and might strong walls a-tumblin' down simply because his servants obeyed the most ridiculous battle plan ever devised. “Uh, how about we walk around the target in virtual silence for six days. Then…on the seventh day we'll lace up our boots really tight and circle it seven times…yea, that'll show 'em! Oh and then we will blow our trumpets and yell really loud…ha, ha, they won't stand a chance!” But no matter how laughably simple that plan was, the most important point is that it worked when the mammoth divinely-empowered sound of Israelite shouts and trumpet cries smashed right through those "impenetrable" walls.

Now, in Gmz culture, many Gmz men will sing and dance with their guns/spears/bows and arrows, not unlike those who followed Joshua's dizzying plan. Exchange those weapons of war for the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (in song!))" (Eph 6:17), circle around the unseen walls built all throughout Gmz villages and then duck and cover cuz those "stones" are gonna tumble!