I originally intended to go to an 8 am service at New Beginnings Church in Mint Hill, a town next to Charlotte. Despite the New Beginnings Church website declaring that they have multiple in-person services every Sunday, they are currently online-only. I sat in their parking lot with some sense of disappointment.
As I drove away from that empty church, I noted that there were many cars outside of an Ethiopian Orthodox Church on the same road.
Then I found myself smiling. Providential realities can be unexpected and important. I started to pay close attention.
I pulled into the church and parked. Many of the other cars in the parking lot were taxis, which matches my experience that many taxis and Uber and Lyft drivers in Charlotte are Ethiopians.
I entered the church and was immediately greeted by a profoundly beautiful and haunting chant. I didn't know what to do. I stood in the hallway and peered into the sanctuary.
Based on what I saw in the sanctuary, I knew I had entered a very interesting place.
A man walked out into the hallway and asked me if I wanted to come in and join them. I graciously accepted. He asked me to take my shoes off and put them in a bag. I did so and he asked me to carry my shoes as he showed me to my seat.
As I stood in the sanctuary, I did a quick mental audit of what I knew about Ethiopia, as well as what I might know about their unique form of Orthodoxy.
The random thoughts that I recalled:
1) The Queen of Sheba was Ethiopian
2) Paul in the New Testament witnessed to an Ethiopian
3) Ethiopia as a country had a painful split with Eritrea in the 1990s
4) Ethiopia is about half Muslim and half Christian, and they get along with each other
5) There is an Ethiopian festival named Timkat that celebrates Yeshua's baptism - many people frolic in the water together in white robes
6) The Ge'ez language died out as a living language in the 13th century, but it continues on as the language of Ethiopian Orthodox liturgy
7) Virtually all of Ethiopia's Jews (called Falashas) now live in Israel
8) The Patriarch of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is based in Addis Ababa
9) The Ethiopian Orthodox Church's version of the Bible includes The Book of Enoch, which is not included in any Bible that I have ever used
In short, I stood there with some facts in my head and a very small dash of context about who these worshippers are. But I did not have much that qualified as real information.
It was fascinating to watch these people worship.
The worship was like something from a different world. There were worshippers wearing linen robes. The women had their heads covered. The men and women were standing on separate sides of the sanctuary. The air was thick with frankincense. A group of Priests walked around the sanctuary with a golden cross lifted high. They also maintained an umbrella above themselves, especially when they read from their Bible.
This is the only worship experience I have had that I did not understand any of the words being spoken. I did catch "Kristos" (Christ), "Maryam" (Mary) and "Ionnas" (John). While there were English words on the screen that gave translations of what was being said in Ge'ez, it still didn't all fit together for me in a coherent way.
It was wonderfully disorienting.
One thing I have learned about these Orthodox Tewahedo adherents is that they follow Jewish law to a degree that most Christians do not. This includes kosher dietary laws, worship that mimics a Jewish service, observance of Shabbot, as well as ideas of ritual purity and impurity.
Fascinating.
While I find this particular part of this community very interesting, I believe this may not be good theology. I believe Christ is the fulfillment of the Law in its entirety. I also believe that in some way, the Cross devolved the Law as it existed under the Mosaic covenant.
Here are some pictures and videos of the experience - note the unique iconography on the walls:
The question does arise - Did I worship with these people?
Yes, but not in their way.
While they performed their ancient worship, I closed my eyes several times and prayed that whoever in the sanctuary might have a heaviness on their heart would be delivered from that pain.
I thanked God for bringing me to a place where I could witness the style of worship that has been in East Africa since the fourth century AD.
I prayed that the young children in the church would grow in their faith and carry their traditions deeper into the 21st century in a society increasingly distant from what their faith teaches.
Yes, I did worship.
At the hour and a half mark, there was no sign that worship was heading toward closure. And I had allocated only a certain amount of time before I would head over to Freedom House.
As I walked out, a man thanked me and asked me to come back again some time. I smiled as I put my shoes back on.
As I walked back to my car, I noted a woman standing at the corner of the church, praying into the building. I don't have context on what she might have been doing, but I think it may link back to the Tewahedo adherence to Jewish law. Next week I believe she will be permitted to enter the sanctuary (I will let the reader unpackage that one).
As I drove away, I could smell frankincense on my shirt. The chanting was still echoing through my mind. I had been transported to a different place, spiritually.
A few hours later, I found myself at Freedom House. I had transported nearly two millennia forward in Christian worship styles in one morning.
At Freedom House, they knocked it out of the park with a song called Oceans (Where Feet May Fail).
In closing here is that song that they performed at Freedom House. While you watch it, consider that this song and the chants of the Ethiopian congregants you heard above honor the same Risen Lord:
Thanks to Holy Trinity Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church for an interesting glimpse into their ancient Christian rituals.
I wish them peace.
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