Jesus and the Genocide!

How can you have a solemn remembrance of those lost during the Genocide 

and celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus from the tomb at the same time? 

This Easter in Rwanda was particularly difficult since it fell the day after 

the Day of Silence!  

But both services I attended on Easter Sunday provided the answer. 

 This was the only indication it was Easter Sunday!
No flowers, no fanfare, no fancy clothes... at either church. 

The Worship Team was wonderful and the music terrific...
Innocent is the tall one in the middle of the guys.

Pastor Evans, visiting pastor preached on the 3rd Day!
This group had a skit before the sermon!


The first answer came in a simple song which i think should be the Rwanda National Anthem  (but they never asked me).  I'm sure you know it...but here are the words.

BECAUSE HE LIVES


    Because He lives----   I can face tomorrow.

                                            Because He lives----  All fear is gone.

              Because I know----    He holds the future.
Life is worth the living, 
Just because He lives!


The pastor preached on the provisions of "the 3rd Day"! 
 Provisions of forgiveness and redemption and what that means for all of us.  


He also said that Jesus just 'borrowed' the tomb because He knew 
He wouldn't be there very long. 
But he paid the price and 'bought' our redemption so that He would live within us forever and that we could live with Him!


Vs 1:  God sent His son...They called him, Jesus! 
He came to love, heal and forgive.  
He lived and died to buy my pardon.
An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives! 


After that the real worship of the morning began. If you've never stood with men that are on an average of 6'5" raising their arms to heaven and watch them jumping up and down in joy... then it is hard to describe.  Rob and Barrett, you would have loved it.  It's the MEN of the congregation who show most of the gratitude, praise and love of the Lord through their motions and emotions.  Very different from our culture.  I wonder why?  We had communion at the end of the service and then traveled on to our next stop....
Oh... yes, I forgot to tell you i drove... Something i never thought i would do here. 

I got to meet Innocent's new girlfriend but a girl he's known most of his life.
Very sweet.. She had to go to work or she would have come to church with us. 

The Pastor concluding this part of the service.

Then we got to Christ Church Rwanda about 11:45 and the 2nd service was just starting.  After the initial worship music... we broke up into small prayer circles to pray for Rwanda and all the people grieving.  There was a young girl about 11 in our group and I was astounded at her love of the Lord and compassion for others. 

Then the Pastor explained how hard it has been over the years to celebrate the resurrection during the time of Remembrance of the Genocide.  

The question is always 'WHERE was Jesus during the Genocide'?

So someone came up with the candle idea.  

The big red candle in the center in the large globe represents Christ.... 

Because Christ was in the center of the genocide.. 

He understood what it meant to be

tortured, beaten, killed and for no other reason than for who he was. 

The little white candles represent 18 years after the genocide.  

The pastor asked people 

to come and light a candle if they had a memory of a loved one or friend who is or has suffered or died because of the genocide.  And they came and came!

It was extremely moving and then we prayed again..... 

Brett had a great sermon tying it all together. 

 Innocent really loved it. 

It was the perfect answer to where Jesus was and still is in the hearts of those who lost so much. 

A new worship team led and they were terrific.

Following the service an 8 year old girl was baptized.  What a great
day to tell the world that You belong to the King!

Both services left us grateful for the tomb and the resurrection!

And then... to end this Easter "Sun-day"....

The whole area 
       had a cleansing!  



   





Jesus is in the center of everything....in every storm of our lives... if we 
would just recognize him! 


It was an Easter of Reconciliation!  


It was the Son's Day!


I trust you had a blessed and challenging day!  




love to each of you, 
margie