March 12, 2017
Buscad a Jehova Mientras Pueda Ser Hallado
That was the theme of the 2016 celebration at Berea Church in September of last year. In English it can be found in Isaiah 55:6 and says, “Seek the Lord while he may be found.” The church and Debbie, my pastor’s wife, have been talking about this for weeks. I almost cancelled my first trip to Samaipata to make sure I was here. I am glad now I did both.
Usually Berea has two services, one at 8:00 and one at 10:00. On this day, they combined both services and started at 8:00. It was a three-hour long service, but did not feel like it was that long.
As usual, they began with praise and worship. Probably you would define both as the same thing, but in my mind they are different. The praise is to get you, the individual, into a state of joy before God. It is a time of reminding ourselves what God has done for us and celebrating. Berea truly does celebrate. As we would shout or jump for joy at a football game, Berea shouts and jumps before God.
From there you move into worship. It is deeper, more reverent, and often quieter. It is meant to be God-centered. We are moved out of the picture as we concentrate on God. I am one of those people, if I get where I am supposed to be during worship, that I will cry. I usually can’t explain why I cry. I think it is because I discover once again where I am supposed to be.
After the worship, Berea had a time of sharing in music and drama. Gustavo, one of the worship leaders, sang a beautiful song accompanied by the guitar, followed by Erika, another worship leader, and another girl singing a song in English. Debbie and Shekinah, past and present students, sang a beautiful duet. There were so many songs, I lost track of who all sang.
My favorite song was a group singing accompanied by music of the mountains, the sounds of the Quechua and Aymara Indians. They have the most haunting melodies that seem to be something born of the mountains. Here are some of the words of one song:
Si no tienes dinero (if you don’t have money)
Y no tienes quien te dé (and no one cares for you)
Clama a mi, dice el Señor (call to me, says the Lord)
Yo te responderé (I will answer you)
En el tiempo de gozo (in the time of joy)
En el tiempo de dolor (in the time of pain)
Clama a mi, dice el Señor (call to me, says the Lord)
Yo te responderé (I will answer you)
That was my translation. I would be glad if anyone corrects it for me. It had me in tears.
But those tears were wiped away with the funniest 20-minute skit I might have ever seen. Noel, another one of the worship leaders, played a fierce pirate. While drinking with his pirate buddies, they decide to go on a quest to the mysterious island to find vast amounts of treasure of the Aztecs. They sail across the sea and land on the mysterious island, only to have one sailor after another captured. Finally, they do discover the treasure, but it is guarded by women warriors. The remaining three defeat the warriors, but as soon as they do, two of the pirates turn on the captain and steal the treasure. Once he sets himself free, he meets a woman with a box. She says she has the real treasure. Inside the box is a book. He begins to read about God sending his only son to save sinners. He recognizes he is a sinner and repents. He realizes he must seek for God while he is able to be found. He finds his buddies and convinces them to do the same.
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