Kuufati

Picture this...Easter Sunday worship service. It is testimony time. A woman, Kuufati, stands up and makes her way through the crowd to the front.  She has never come to church before. But, she had to come today. She says that when she sleeps that she sees all the people she knows who have died recently. And, she is told she is going to be next. I tell her that if she wants to turn her back on the spirits and get rid of them she can. The risen Savior, Jesus Christ is stronger than all those spirits. She cannot live in both worlds. She needs to take off her juju (seen above with the Dagaare gospel of Luke, opened to the Resurrection Scriptures, Jesus defeated death!) Kuufati wants to remove the juju. 

She tells Satan that he has no power over her, Jesus is stronger and says, "Come, Lord Jesus." She asks Jesus to live in her heart. After service, the juju she wore to church is burned.

Praise God! Easter Sunday is the day of new life in Him. Christ defeated death more than 2000 years ago, and He defeated death on this Easter Sunday!

Celebrations

 

The people of Lawra Methodist Church can teach us all something about celebration and praising God! Last Sunday was Palm Sunday. Most everyone came to church with palm leaves or other types of leaves to wave during the "official" Palm Sunday type of song. Palm branches were in a variety of shapes and sizes, some branches came "as is," others were woven into numerous intricate designs. At the end of the service, when the "Hosanna" song was sung, the church really came alive with singing, dancing, jumping and praising King Jesus.It was definitely a "party" type atmosphere. Yes, Friday was coming, but this day, celebrating our King was in order.





 

Today is Easter Sunday. We remember that Jesus conquered sin and death and that "up from the grave He arose." As part of remembering the first Easter, our church went "looking for Jesus," just as the three women did so many years ago. The good news is that the tomb is empty! We met at 5 am at the community center and began a trek of singing praises (complete with drums) and preaching. Along our 1 1/2 hour route, we stopped five times for the word of God to be proclaimed to the nearby residents. The final sermon was at the center of town, at the traffic circle. There was preaching, singing, dancing, drumming, praying and proclaiming that our God is ALIVE. Three and a half hours later, we met for our regular Easter morning service. It has been a day of celebration and gratefulness to our Heavenly Father for His great love and mercy.

 

1 Hallelujah! Yes, praise the Lord! Praise him in his Temple and in the heavens he made with mighty power. 2 Praise him for his mighty works. Praise his unequaled greatness. 3 Praise him with the trumpet and with lute and harp. 4 Praise him with the drums and dancing. Praise him with stringed instruments and horns. 5 Praise him with the cymbals, yes, loud clanging cymbals. 6 Let everything alive give praises to the Lord! You praise him! Hallelujah!

Psalms 150:1-6 (TLB)