Easter... South African style

Easter  for me usually consists going to church in the morning with 800+ people, then spending the afternoon with 20 family members gathered around a big table eating a ton of food. I like this kind Easter, it's tradition and will always hold a special place in my heart. There's something about setting the table with fancy dishes that says "today is a day to celebrate!" It's not quite the same being away, but the reason for the season hasn't changed. Easter is still a celebration!

Zion Pastors prayed for the church members

On Good Friday, we had the opportunity to attend a traditional all-night service with the Zionists. So at 8:30pm we climbed in the car with the Seghers family and drove about 30 minutes away in search of the Zionist gathering in a tent. There aren't any street lights in these parts, so driving at night through dirt roads is always an adventure. After asking some local guys for directions, Greg carried on driving us toward a tent in the distance, down a steep dirt road. We arrived and were warmly greeted with singing and dancing.

Communion

Most traditional Zionists are syncretistic in their religious beliefs, meaning they worship God as Creator, but rely on worshiping ancestors to receive blessings. ZEMA's main work with the Zionists is to teach them the Truth of the Bible: If they claim to be Christians and followers of our Savior Jesus Christ, they cannot also worship and make sacrifices to their dead ancestors. Jesus is the only way to eternal salvation. Thankfully, due to the dedicated teachings of ZEMA missionaries and the almighty grace of God, the Zionists are learning what it really means to live as followers of Christ.

Pastor's wife, and amazing drummer!

Greg Seghers had preached on the importance of living fully for God. He demonstrated this by having a church member stand on 2 separate chairs at the same time. As this man straddled the chairs and struggled to balance, people came to understand this is like worshiping God and also ancestors. It is common for visitors to be asked to share, they enjoy hearing from fellow Zionists that have come from Zion in America. I shared from Romans 6:1-11, giving examples from my own life and explained that God's grace is a gift and that we are no longer slaves to sin, but have been set free through Christ's crucifixion (v.6). It is such a joy to witness someone's growth and understanding as they come to faith.

The final product...

There was a bit of "normal" Easter celebration for us that included dying eggs and then hunting for them... something I haven't done in years! A few differences is that here they mainly sell brown eggs. It's a struggle to find white eggs because they only sell them at one store and they sell out quickly at Easter time. I was amazed that coloring brown eggs still turned out nicely!

Me, Ryne and Kirsten enjoying our Easter treats

All in all it was one of my most memorable Easters yet! We were blessed with nice weather and good friends to celebrate with. We attended our usual church that evening... and though it wasn't 800 people singing "Up From the Grave He Arose" with a giant pipe organ in the background... I was constantly reminded of Christ's resurrection and the amazing grace I'm offered each day!

"Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. the death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he loves to God. In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus." 

- Romans 6:8-11