God's Many Faces

Whenever I think I have God somewhat figured out, God decides to shake me up and keep on stretching me. One of these occasions came on Saturday evening, when the six of us visited "The House", a hip-hop church in a nearby neighborhood. I am looking forward to visiting different churches this year in RAD (although I love PSMC with all my heart), but I didn't know what to expect at this hip-hop church.
We entered the worhsip-room, and my first thought was, "I feel like I'm in a dance club". If one imagines the exact opposite worship-style of Prarie Street, and most other Mennonite churches, I think this would be it. With disco lights, loud pumping-bass beats, rappers, and a hip-hop dancing troupe, it was a challenge for me to accept that this was a form of worship. I must say that I definitely felt out of place at moments, seeing that our RAD group is very not hip-hop (and very white). I didn't really understand much of what the rappers were saying, but I came to the realization that God was here in this place, and speaking through this music.
I saw beauty in the dancing of the congregation there (mostly teenagers), the passionate preaching of the pastor (donned in rapper-style jeans, and an X-large t-shirt with Jesus' face on it), and the emotion-filled rappers. It amazes me that God is so big that people of every race, culture, tradition, and language are able to worship in their own way. I saw the beauty of God through this new style of worship, and even though I don't think I could worship that way every week (because it isn't my tradition), it was refreshing to see the body of Christ in a surprising new way.