One Sunday morning, I picked up this paper from the pew at our church. It is the schedule for a Friday night vigil that had happened just a couple of days before.
We didn't attend this event. The idea of staying up all night to pray, worship, and study Scripture feels like a form of torture to us. But in East African Christian culture, it is an assumption. Some churches do it every month. Some do it every week. Gil has taught at a few of these, where he agreed to come from 10 pm till 1 am. That was his limit.
So I read over this schedule in awe. To most American Christians, this practice may sound crazy. But African Christians will explain that they are simply following the ways of Jesus, who many times spent the whole night in prayer (Luke 6:12). Sure, it takes discipline, but it's a great way to grow in godliness and faithfulness. So, they argue, why shouldn't we follow Jesus' example? Read More
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One year at Christ Church we held an all night vigil on Easter Eve. Different individuals and groups from the parish signed up to pray at different times throughout the night. We concluded the vigil with a Eucharist and baptisms at sunrise on Easter Morn. It was the closest that we came to praying all night.
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