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Out In Africa 2011
July 30, 2011
Greetings Church Friends…
I hope you have made the most of your "Three Sunday Vacation" and have much to report as we gather back together this weekend. I too have much to share and look forward to seeing you Sunday.
As you know, John and I traveled to South Africa where we spent our first week on safari. I was ready for our adventure to be fun and exciting, maybe even a little frightening. But I never expected our time their to be so inspirational; so holy. Yet as we landed on a tiny airstrip cut from the brush some 500 miles north of Johannesburg, it became clear that we had entered another world. A world where animals drive the ecosystem and man observes.
Jumping in the open Land Rover we traveled just 50 yards before encountering a small group of elephants eating and rolling in the dirt. As I reached out to touch the head of the closest elephant our driver quickly warned that elephants are among South Africa's "Big Five," so-named because they are the most dangerous animals (lions, rhinos, leopards, elephants and buffalo) in the wild.
Another 100 yards and two adult giraffes meandered from treetop to treetop hardly noticing us as they passed. Their sheer size giving the illusion of slow motion as they lumber from tree to tree. I've been to plenty of zoos but this was different. In this remote place it was clear that we were not just observers of these animals, we were their guests. And as hosts, some of the animals had a way of making rude quests feel unwelcome.
Once we arrived at base camp and met our ranger, Graham, this began to make sense. Early each morning and late each afternoon Graham would drive us into the wild, perched a top an open-air Range Rover. The animals, even the fierce ones, are not bothered by the vehicle; it seems to them to be a large, clumsy, nonthreatening animal. But we were warned not to stand up or in anyway change the profile of the vehicle. And NEVER leave it. Stories abound of passengers who momentarily forgot they were guests (if not dinner) in another's domain. Yet once the concept of "guest" is understood you are safe to get close to even the most dangerous animals.
One night as I was sitting in the Land Rover a lioness passed within three feet of me. I could feel her breath on my arms. Had I jumped or shouted or demanded to be taken home I might have become her dinner. Instead, I respectfully watch as she stalked her dinner – a buffalo. I understood that this was her domain and I was just a guest (albeit now a wet one).
The concept of "guest" is a good one. It applies in many areas of life including (especially) our spiritual journeys. Often we behave as though we fully understand God and, as such, control our domain. This is particularly true for some of us who grew up in church. We've read the stories, heard the sermons, sung the songs and prayed the prayers. We get it… Or do we? Perhaps, it is truer to say that, like a safari, we are really guests in another's domain.
This is what I love about our times together on Sundays. You make a genuine effort to leave preconceived notions at the door. You understand that as guests in God's domain, we do a lot more observing and appreciating than we do directing and demanding. Not that we abandon our traditions. The stories, the sermons, the songs and the prayers contribute greatly to our experience. Moreover, the Bible, observations about Jesus and your insights create a platform on which our appreciation and understanding of God is built.
Your assignment was to spend the past few weeks visiting churches, both in reality and in your memory. Starting tomorrow we will gleam from your observations as we continue to build our WeHoChurch experience. And as guests in God's domain, we will use these to observe and appreciate God.
It will be so good to see you…
Terry Brewer
Photos from Terry's 2004 Trip:
   
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