A Marriage Song

Last Sunday, we held the first official marriage training for approximately 40 believers. 12 Christian couples, some Christian women with unbelieving husbands and some whose husbands didn't come at all, several men without their wives and a group of singles who hope to be married in the years to come. Another SIM missionary couple experienced in marriage training in Ethiopia led the sesson after church. Four hours of interactive biblical marriage teaching for 1st generation believers. We hope that it will be the stepping stone for many more teaching times.

Imagine having no godly couple to set an example for you. Imagine having little concept of what love looks like. Imagine never sharing with your spouse what you actually need from him or her. There was laughter, questions, songs, nods of understanding and hope. Hope that marriage could be something beautiful.

Marriage songs abound in Gumuz culture. In fact they are second only to songs sung against enemies. But believers are singing a new marriage song. A song that shares what biblical marriage is all about. Last year, we wrote a song from Colossians 3:18 and Ephesians 5:28 and it emphasized the very teaching that was being given. To me, it is a marriage song. A song that should be sung daily in the homes of believers because marriages are constantly under attack.

You women live well in the sight of God.
Accept your husbands.

You men, love your wives
Do not live in bitterness.

You men love your wives as you love yourself.
Do not live in bitterness.
Love your wives.

The words are pretty basic but if you ask Gumuz men what the number one problem is in their marriage, it is that their wives don't accept them/their words. If you ask Gumuz women, what the number one problem is in their marriage it is that their husbands don't love them. The women work from sunrise to sunset with little or no help from their husbands. They don't share their money and they don't tell them things.

Accepting...respecting....loving....helping....they seem so basic but they are so hard...in every culture. Yet here there is an added challenge. Women don't readily accept their husbands because they are not protected by them. If the marriage goes badly, she is sent home. If she can't bear children, she is sent home. If someone accuses her of being an evil spirit (which has just happened recently), she is taken home. Every woman needs to know they are loved and protected.

So another song was sung from 1 John 4:7-8 Love is from God.

Let us love each other. Love comes from God.
People who love are children of God.
Love comes from God.
People who love are children of God.
Love comes from God.
People who do not love, do not know God.

And so as the first group of believing couples among all these villages around us, these couples have the opportunity not only to have a godly marriage and family but to show all those around them that they love. They love because their are children of God. This love is lasting. This love is selfless. This love fights off fear and bitterness and pain. Let us love because love comes from God.

The life of David and the Songs of David

For the past 2 months, the stories of David have been taught in the Gumuz church. David & Goliath, David Spares Saul, Abigail's wisdom and David's peace, David Sins (Bathsheba), David's family, and finally the Psalms or the Songs of David. These stories are real to the Gumuz people. They live these same stories. They know how to use a sling to kill their enemies, they know revenge, they know the danger of an insult, they know adultery and the high payment that it requires, they know rape and murder within their families.

And now they have heard these stories through God's eyes. They heard of David's great faith in the Lord God in the face of an enemy. They heard of the power of forgiveness. They heard of how a great leader sins, repents and how the Lord restores him. They heard how Tamar's brother responded when David did not deal with the molesting of his daughter. They see the need to live upright lives so that they can teach and discipline their children. They know the fear that David has faced. 

We wrote songs of David's faith, his peace, his sin, his repentance, and his need to discipline his children. These songs tell the stories and how we should respond. We have seen believers control their desire to take revenge, to refuse to listen to their brothers calling on them to take revenge. We see the fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

David Spares Saul

King Saul did not accept the word of God.

The spirit of God left him
David was good in the eyes of God and in the eyes of people
King Saul was jealous of David. He tried to kill David.
God says, "Do not return evil with evil."
David did not return with killing (revenge)
David did not return with evil.
Do not return with evil. Overcome evil with good.

This week we came to the Songs of David. Psalms that are written in David's pain, in his repentance and in his fear. Psalms that are written to teach us how we too can respond to God with laments and with praise.

We looked at five Psalms that had recently been shortened and translated into Gumuz. And we put them to song. As this group of 5 men formed each song and began to sing it, my heart leapt with joy and simultaneously filled with a deep sadness. I wanted to weep for those who do not yet understand how powerful the True God is. I wanted to weep for those who are being led by fear.

"Oh Lord, these words are so powerful. Your word for us! For the Gumuz. Send your Holy Spirit among these men, women and children that they might not only hear your word and sing these songs but be changed by them. We can write these songs but we cannot change a single heart. This Lord, is our offering to you. Bless it for the sake of your name."

The words are simple, the songs remain short as is acceptable for Gumuz tunes. Songs that teach believers how to live; that as God's children we can cry out to Him in our pain, in our troubles and in our fear. Teaching that God hears our prayers and answers them. Teaching us to trust the Lord even when our very lives are in danger.

These are the English translations of the first Psalms put to song to be sung this Sunday. May they also touch your heart anew. These songs are written because they are His word to us through his servant David. An imperfect man. An imperfect leader, husband and father. A sinner saved by grace. God heard his cry, saw his repentant heart and loved him.

Psalm 1 - A person who refuses to follow the way of sinners is blessed by God.
Joyful in the word of God.
He meditates on the word of God in the night.
He meditates on the word of God in the day.
He is like a tree planted by water.
It gives fruit quickly and does not lose its leaves.
All that he does will be good.

Psalm 22 - My God. My God, why have you forsaken me?
My God, My God, Why are you so far from me?
All the people who see me, mock me.
Trouble is near and there is no one to help me.
Do not be far from me. Come quickly to me. Come and help me.
Then I will praise your name.

Psalm 23 - God the one who shepherds (watches over) me.
He leads me. He leads me down good roads.
And he guides me in goodness.
When I walk in the valley of death,
I will not be afraid because he is with me
I will not be afraid because he is with me

In that which comes, your walking stick will comfort me.
Goodness will be with me. Goodness and love with me.
I will sit with God forever.

Psalm 40 -
I waited patiently for the true God
He heard my prayer
He took me out of the mud.
He put my feet on solid rock.
He put a new song of praise in my mouth.

Psalm 56 (when David was seized by the Philistines) -

When grabbed by fear, I will trust in you Lord.
I am not afraid. I am not afraid.
What can a person do to me?
I walk in the eyes of God. I am in the light.
I am in the light of God forever.

Psalm 150 (with flutes) - previously translated
Let us praise God with singing, with flutes,
Let us praie God with the drum, with singing and dancing.
Praise him in the heavens.
Praise him for his power.
Let us praise God with singing, with flutes,
with the drum, with singing and dancing.

Next week, Psalm 51 and Psalm 139 will be put to song: teaching the need to repent for our sin and teaching that God knows everything about us. And a task to write their own songs of praise or lament from their own hearts.

Pray for the Gumuz as songs of worship and faith are brought to the church. Pray that these songs will enter each village and home and that God will be known among this nation. Pray that His word would go forth with power.

The Spirit moves on Easter Sunday

On Easter morning, we were expectant. We believe that God is using the Gumuz believers on Gesses mountain to bring the good news to the villages around us. Two weeks earlier, Rolf had encouraged the leadership team to plan to celebrate Easter by inviting unbelievers to the church, by bringing the gospel songs into the village and by celebrating with goat meat and coffee or keya. We left for a week in Addis and returned just two days before Easter. We were disappointed to hear that the leadership team had not planned anything and in addition most of them were absent! Rolf spoke with the remaining elder of the church encouraging him to use this holiday to share the gospel and to fellowship together.

On the eve of Easter and again Easter morning, Rolf and I committed the Easter service to the Lord. We truly desired to see glory come to God whatever that looked like. We prayed that the Spirit would lead the Gumuz to celebrate Easter the way that He desired. And so we arrived at church expectant.

Church was filled with 80-100 men, women and children and the singing began. As the second song began, two women were called to pick up the drum pole standing against the wall and lifted up the large drum that was being drummed. Then the song leader led us out of the building, out of the church property and out on the road. Several women and children came running to join in the singing. We continued to move along singing the Gumuz Easter worship songs as we walked. More men, women and children joined us and our group grew. 

We walked to the edge of an unreached village and spent 1/2 hour singing songs of praises and the song of Jericho. The walls were coming down.  

Gumuz who have never entered a church building heard the songs of praise. The Spirit led the believers to boldly and joyfully enter villages worshipping and they were received gladly. And as we walked, our numbers increased and we returned to the church double in number. 

Two goats had been prepared and the meat was unusually plentiful. Coffee was served and all who came not only heard the gospel but their stomachs were satisfied. May the Spirit continue to lead Gumuz to take the gospel into villages that have not heard of the One who Saves.

Yes, even the little ones enjoyed goat meat this Easter.