Worship-In all Languages

Reflections from the Dominican Republic- Part 1

Psalm 95:1-3 (ESV)
Oh come, let us sing to the Lord, let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving, let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods.


Our first stop, unplanned, was a detour because we were "killing time" to allow extra time for our arrival in Sierra Prieta. We loaded up in our buses and headed to a local church in Santo Domingo. Actually, it was a church of 2000 which I found absolutely amazing.

We stood out not only because we were a large group, waiting on the stairs, blocking traffic, but because there were 28 of us, all wearing t-shirts that said Dios de Amor, God is love. We sat down and I was taken back that their band sounded like ours at our church. The lead female singer was awesome. It captured my attention right away. I love singing no matter where I am, but what took my breath away was the entire congregation was more than a whisper like our churches. People in the US sing like they just rolled out of bed, still waking up from a deep sleep. It was like the entire congregation was alive, engaged, thinking about the words that were coming from their lips. It was like the presence of God was hovering over us, well pleased that these people, foreigners singing in a different language knew the meaning of a thankful heart for God's faithfulness and unconditional love.

It made me think about heaven. People from many different nations, speaking different languages will one day sing together, and their will be no language barriers. We will all be worshipping together praising the same King.

What an awesome way to start our week, being united together for the same cause, because many of us love Jesus. I knew it was going to be a week we would never forget!