Multicultural Worship at Church of the Savior

Seeing artwork of a Cameroonian Jesus, an Indian Jesus, a Korean Jesus. Singing songs in Swahili, Korean, and Spanish. Why are we incorporating global art and music in our worship at Church of the Savior? 

Before we talk about the "why," let's first talk about "what" multicultural worship is. Multicultural worship is when multiple cultures are celebrated and multiple cultural elements are utilized in the worship. This celebration of diverse cultures could be done by using visual art, musical forms and styles, languages, stories, testimonies, instruments, dance, drama, communion elements, prayers, and gestures that reflect diverse cultures.

So why do we do multicultural worship at Savior? Here are some of the reasons.

1. Multicultural worship reminds us that God loves people of all cultures. God shows his steadfast love and faithfulness toward the nations (Psalm 117).

2. Multicultural worship shows that God welcomes diverse cultural gifts. C. Michael Hawn, in Gather into One: Praying and Singing Globally, writes that Revelation 21:24, 26 shows how God welcomes the cultural gifts of the nations into the Holy City, a place of perfect worship in the coming Kingdom of God.

3. Multicultural worship gives us a glimpse of worship in heaven. We see in Revelation 7:9–17 a great multitude “from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” (7:9) worshiping God in heaven. This multicultural worshiping community in heaven is a community we look forward to joining one day.

4. Multicultural worship was part of the church from the beginning. The church was born on the day of Pentecost when God was worshiped in multiple languages, spoken by "Jews from every nation under heaven" (Acts 2:5). Early Christian worship was multicultural, drawing from Jewish roots and Greek ideas, and the cultural symbols of the Greco-Roman era.

5. Multicultural worship enriches the global church. Multicultural worship reminds us that every culture has something to share with other cultures. The American church has something to receive from the African church, the Asian church, the European church, and vice versa. By cross-cultural sharing, our worship experience is enriched.

6. Multicultural worship reminds us that we are part of the global church. When we worship God using cultural expressions of others, we are reminded that we are part of something bigger, the global body of Christ. And when we sing songs from the global church–since songs are the prayers of the people–we are praying with the global body of Christ.

7. Multicultural worship is an act of loving our neighbor. When we embrace the many cultures around us, we show that we love our neighbors.

8. Multicultural worship allows the people from those cultures to worship God using their heart language. When we sing in Korean, it will be a foreign language for many at Savior, but for me, that is my heart language. As a Korean-American, when I see artwork of a Korean Jesus or sing worship songs in Korean, my heart is stirred and I feel more closely connected to God.

As Soong-Chan Rah writes in Many Colors: Cultural Intelligence for a Changing Church, the purpose of multicultural worship is to “honor the presence of God in different cultures . . . [and] to see God at work in all cultures, not just in one.” My prayer is that Church of the Savior continues to honor God's presence in all cultures, love others by embracing their cultures, and love the God of all nations.

Cover image: Kungfuman, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Welcome John Rakes, Pastor of Music & Worship

Savior has hired John Rakes as our new Pastor of Music and Worship, beginning May 16th. Get to know John a little better in the interview below!

What  is  your role at  Church of the Savior?
As the Pastor of Music and Worship my principal role is leading the congregation in musical worship during weekly services.  Music is such a powerful vehicle for connecting to God.  It is my prayer that my leading of the congregation will assist all in meeting God through whole-hearted worship.  I also lead and organize the worship ensemble, offer up instrumental service music, and build up the musical gifts of our congregation.

Where do  you  live?  Where are you from?
For the past 15 years I have lived in the beautiful town of Warrenville.  I grew up in Portsmouth, Virginia and was transplanted to the mid-west when I came to Illinois to study music education at Wheaton College.

What do you do when you're not at Church (job, hobbies, etc)?
I work as a conductor for the Downers Grove Choral Society and the Naperville Men’s Glee Club.  I also teach conducting and music history at Wheaton College and teach voice and music history at Kishwaukee College.  When I am not planning, studying, or practicing music I love to play board games with Marissa and our kids.  I love playing outside with the kids, watching Cubs baseball, watching classic movies, and traveling. 

Who shares your home?
Our house is truly made a home by my family. Marissa is my wife of 15 years. Our children keep us active. Samuel is 7, Ana is 4, and Lydia is 2. We like to remember Abigail, Lydia’s twin, who lives in heaven and is always close to our hearts.

What is a favorite quote?
“Great music is that which penetrates the ear with facility and leaves the memory with difficulty. Magical music never leaves the memory.” – Sir Thomas Beecham

How does the ministry you lead serve the life of our congregation?
Praise is the most often repeated command in the scriptures and this command to praise God is closely tied to musical expression.  Music is such a unique, God-given gift without parallel that unifies the congregation in whole-hearted worship of their Creator and Savior.  The church that sings together, breathes together, learns to worship God together, and then serves together.  It is my prayer that my leadership as the Pastor of Music and Worship unifies and builds up the worship of those who attend Church of the Savior. 

How can people get involved in the ministry you lead?
As a relatively new member of the congregation I am very interested in meeting the musicians of our congregation.  If you have a musical gift please contact me or just introduce yourself at a service.  I look forward to meeting you and to exploring ways to integrate your gift into the musical worship of our church.  From serving in the worship ensemble, playing service music, or being involved in occasional music offerings, I hope to connect our congregation’s musicians to opportunities to serve while building up the worship of Church of the Savior.     

Learn More About Savior's Good Friday Gift

To learn more about the work of DuPage PADS, watch this video from PADS president April Redzic.

Devotion in Lent

When we step into the natural landscape that surrounds us, we are free. Free from the distractions of technology, daily household chores and the demands of what’s next. For me, getting outside and into the natural beauty of our Lord’s creation is realigning. I feel an invitation, an invitation from the Lord to see him more fully. What a gift that is to my soul. 

The Passion Flower
Wanting to draw nearer to the Lord this Lenten season, I wondered if there was a specific “Lenten flower”. I was thrilled to discover, that yes – there is! It’s called the Passion Flower and it’s rich with religious symbolism. To name just a few…the petal count represents the number of apostles that betray Jesus and the lifespan of the flower’s bloom only lasts three days which is the same time lapse before Christ’s Resurrection. (For the full list of the flower’s religious meaning, click here.) 

You will see that the image of the Passion Flower was chosen to be our cover art for Savior’s Lenten sermon series: “The Lord is Gracious & Compassionate”. It is my prayer that this flower will be a gentle reminder to root yourself in the Lord and draw close to his creation (it’s all around you!).

Devotional Resources
As a church we are meditating on Psalm 103:8-14 and have created a Lenten devotional for you to use. May these resources provide opportunities of reflection as we walk through Lent, and preparedness in our souls as we look ahead to Eastertide. 

Additionally, here is a Lenten coloring calendar to engage with during Lent (color a square for each day of Lent that passes), and an Alleluia coloring sheet that we used to “bury the alleluia” in our last service of Epiphany. And lastly, for our Good Friday gift, Savior has chosen to partner with DuPage Pads, a Wheaton organization that provides temporary shelter for homeless people and works to get them established in permanent housing. We invite you to create this paper house craft as a reminder to pray for those in need of housing, and to ask the Lord how you are to give financially toward our Good Friday gift this year.

Cover art: Passion Flower (1825) by Jean Bernard (1775-1883). Original from The Rijksmuseum. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.

Good Friday Gift 2021

Helping DuPage Pads move unhoused families into their own homes!

For our Savior Good Friday offering this year, the Vestry has selected DuPage Pads. The mission of DuPagePads is to end homelessness in DuPage County. DuPagePads is the area's largest provider of interim and permanent housing, coupled with support services to help people work toward a place to call home. They provide case management and life coaching, employment support such as GED courses and job coaching, as well as engagement with employers—effectively stopping the cycle of homelessness. 

Because of the pandemic, the numbers they are serving through their emergency shelters are 1/3 more than they have seen in past years, and they’re serving far more children than ever before. It’s their goal that no child will sleep in a car this winter, but rather in their hotel-based shelter or one of their PSH apartments.

Last year, they served over 1,100 unhoused individuals in Wheaton and DuPage County. You can see their impact statement for a breakdown of who they helped and how.

With a gift of $3,000, Pads can get a family into their own home instead of staying in shelters. Right now, they have a great number of families staying in their hotel-based shelter. Of their approximately 205 clients in this program, 1/3 are children. This spring and summer, they will be working with them on case management and the ability to transition into an apartment of their own. This requires first and last month’s rent and a security deposit plus moving expenses and staffing to help them get to a better place. DuPage Pads also works with their clients to ensure they have connections to medical care and remote learning so their children are healthy and furthering their educations.

Friends of the Savior, how many families will we be able to help with our Good Friday gift this year?!

When it's safe after COVID-19 for them to welcome volunteers, DuPage Pads will need volunteers to help. In addition to giving in the special offering, consider volunteering with DuPage Pads in the future.