Is that the question?
Is there something wrong with this picture?
For the record, she is in fact reverentially kneeling before Pastor/Prophet Alph Lukau.
Black people, generally speaking, are not easily impressed. Myles Munro said it best. Should someone come to him walking on water, he’d fold his arms and say, “Well, what else can you do?” He would turn the performance into a job interview. His vision was big enough to facilitate just about any human capacity.
Understandably. When you have been around for more than a hundred thousand years, (as Black people have) you’ve seen a couple things. Nations and governments, kings and kingdoms, emperors and empires, sages, savants, and saviors; philosophies and religions come and go with the seasons – only very few last a milenia or two; most die with their originating culture after a couple centuries have passed – their prophets, priests and miracle workers with them.
We’ve seen a thing or two in our time.In the early days of the Toronto outpouring, many of us were wary of receiving worship in this way. We understood the natural instinct towards awe in the presence of glory, * (unless you have yourself experienced certain weights of glory, you have no idea what’s being contemplated here nor any idea of how you might react in an encounter with heavier anointings) but we were also very cautious of the ‘weakness of the flesh’ and its capacity to corrupt that which is holy.*Almost every incidence in scripture of the appearance of angels precipitated the natural inclination to prostration.
It was then not uncommon for people to be inclined to drop to their knees in our presence as the Glory of God was being revealed during ministry. We were counselled to honor the person’s expression of reverence by following suit and joining them on our knees as well, in honor of Jesus, that no undue attention would be drawn to our persons.
That would look something like this.
Nobody (in their right mind) wants to steal Jesus’ thunder – (especially since there’s no need – He shares it so freely! John17:22). Mind you, kneeling to show deference has always been a part of our (African) tradition and culture. The Japanese used to share that with us, I’m not sure how well modernity is treating the tradition. Once upon a time, Japanese children could not appear before nor leave the presence of their parents without bowing. Employees bowed to their employers. Reverence for authority in general was and still is pretty much a big thing in non-western cultures who did not have a direct experience of the Reformation.
Certainly, I am no stranger to the practice and have mostly a positive impression of the virtues of the expression. I recently relished having the privilege of dobaleying (a traditional African prostration) to Ghanaian Queen Mother, HRM Ama Amissah III – my first experience of kneeling before a Black woman. [Since I had married a Iyalodé (Queen Mother) I was a regular recipient of the courtesy but not expected to dobalé to my own spouse, not being a member of the (Yoruba) religion….and however tacky….as I remember, I had proposed in bed. ]
There are times in the past where I have joined people on their knees rather than receive their prostration. There are times I have rejected it outright, feeling more of a corrupting influence than an honor in the particular person’s action, and there are times I have allowed the expression. One such story I found humorous in a sordid kind of way I tell here.
To the pure, all things are pure. If one sees a worthy model of majesty and shows reverence, who is there to make a law against such?…..particularly in a world where said people…..western people…..western black people (who should know better!) have been acculturated to bow to a white woman whose family (the Mountbatten-Windsor clan or Tudors or whatever name they go by) from my historical point of view have been little more than exalted pimps and thugs; or a white man (most often) whose bastardization of a church has historically acted like the Mafia (on steroids) given a government and kingdom of its own.
Anyone familiar with the awesomeness of spiritual gifts can certainly empathize with the instinct to ‘worship angels’, regardless of the scriptural taboo. It is up to those of us who represent Christ to discern the motives and intents of the heart of the worshiper and in whatever appropriate way to direct the attention of that soul to the Source of all authority and power, the Giver of every good gift, so that it may grow and have no occasion to stumble.
There is no law governing the freedom we have in Christ, except having a pure conscience towards God. And you are no judge of that for me, nor I for you. Neither should we presume to judge the intents of persons whose culture of veneration for authority we may not understand, and apparently, could learn a thing or two from.
YeKengalé 