Kampala Church Visit
By Merci Warren
Our visit to Pastor Joseph’s church in Kampala was power packed in numerous ways. They were incredibly generous and hospitable in their welcome, and our team felt at home as we witnessed the spirit of God alive in their demonstration of love. As their worship team sang so sincerely of the goodness of God. I was floored by the kind of faith such a statement requires of a congregation whose lives and families are threatened by the forces of poverty and oppression every day.
After our team of interns got the opportunity to perform a few Luganda and Swahili praise songs and our Kenyan brothers and sisters led some more worship, Mr. Garner gave a sermon from Mark 2:1-12. It was one of the most impactful teachings from the Word that I’ve received for two reasons.
It was extremely relevant for those listening and directly spoke to their moment and the present context.
The holistic healing and restorative effort that Jesus initiates for this man in Mark 2 became a revelatory example of god’s desire to dwell amidst his people and be their present healer.
This healing becomes the culminating event where God, through the vessel of Jesus, is able to express this desire that he had from the beginning, and maintained even after Israel replaced him for a king, initiating a negative pull away from God’s holy law and presence, and toward building religious institutions such as the temple that explored people’s need for God and his forgiveness instead of empowering them. The culminating message of the sermon was to say that God is not confined by labels, institutions, or buildings. He desires to dwell admidst his people; to inhabit living souls who can receive his forgiveness and live out his character in profound ways. We are the temples of the living God!