by Sarah Back

The day before Easter I took a last-minute trip to the market to buy some produce. It was late in the afternoon and some of the vendors had already begun to pack up and head home. As I made my way through the rows of tables and past the clothes hanging up for sale I was stopped dead in my tracks by a large group of people. I squeezed by a clothing rack and past the group just as they began to sing. Their voices filled the air;

Yumi mas givim pres i go long God,
long lukautim yumi olgeta taim…
(We should give praise to the Lord for watching over us all the time)

Both surprised and caught up in the moment, I stood off to the side and began to clap and sing along with them. Within minutes there was another crowd of people around me, a crowd to the front, people outside with their faces glued to the fence, and children dancing. Just for a moment the marketplace had been transformed into a place of worship. We were standing on holy ground as we lifted our voices to the God of the universe.

Hosanna givim pres long God
Hosanna glori long Jisas
Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna…
(Hosanna give praise to God, Hosanna glory to Jesus)

The singing soon became intermittent with testimonies. Men and women both came forward to testify about what God had done in their lives. A gentle rain sprinkled all around us.

The resurrection is the story that we live to tell. Jesus Christ, in the ultimate act of love, took our sins to the grave and rose from the dead three days later to restore us to life. Hallelujah!

As I left the market that day I was reminded of why I was here. Sweet moments such as this are what God longs for in our daily lives. Ordinary marketplaces turned to houses of worship, our mouths filled with praise, and our hearts overflowing with gladness because Jisas i man bilong kisim bek man – Jesus is the Man who gets back (redeems) men.

Sarah Back is a short-term assistant in the Madang office currently serving in the areas of logistics and finance.