This past week Amahoro hosted our first Theological Intensive in Entebbe, Uganda.  Our theologian in residence was Emmanuel Katongole, a Ugandan priest, Duke University professor of theology and pilgrim on the path of Christ.  He broke open the gospels and led us in conversation and reflection on the Bethany passages where we encountered Jesus, Lazarus, Martha, Mary and the disciples.  

We looked at these texts from Bethany as a lens by which to see Africa.  We asked questions about identity, about the invisible ones in our society, about waste and extravagance, and what must die so that we can practice resurrection in our communities.  We discussed the image of the village - a place many have been eager to abandon in favor of the city and its promise of prosperity.  But is Jesus calling us back to the village, the simplicity, the relational orientation and story-telling that happens there, the abandoned ones that need to be reclaimed?  

Twenty of us gathered from Congo, South Africa, Burundi, Kenya, America and Uganda to ponder these these things together at Bethany House, Emmanuel's guest home alongside Lake Victoria.  We sat close and listened, questioned, felt the press of challenge and the release of joy.  We each contributed to the conversation.  As Joy said, we came to eat food we did not prepare.  But we each had a hand in preparing the feast we'd all share together.  

While our focus was on times around the texts of Bethany, we also had times together where we worshipped, laughed, prayed and enjoyed the blessing of being reunited.  As we investigated the texts from Mark, Luke and John, we also opened our own lives to deeper exploration and greater sharing with one another.

One afternoon Emmanuel led us in a walk to the nearby Botanical Gardens.  As we sat together, he taught out of the gospel story of Jesus' baptism, a story of identity.  As Marius said, it was a great time of 'shady tree theology' as we learned under the tree, feeling the cool of the shade and tickle of the grass.

How perfect to listen to the story of John by the Jordan River as we sat on the edge of Lake Victoria, listening to the gentle lapping of the water on the shore, as those surrounding John would have been hearing as they experienced the mystery of baptism.  We felt connected to the story in a very real, sensory way!  The waters of baptism and what they symbolize felt so tangible, touching all our senses as our hearts and minds were stirred to consider who we are and why baptism matters.

Our time together was rich beyond words.  What a gift to have three days together with such a great thinker and follower of Jesus!  To have Emmanuel provoke our minds, stir our imaginations and bless our learning was a needed time of renewal for many of us coming from various corners of Africa.  This space for thinking deeply was like a well, giving us water for the journey ahead.  While we often experience restlessness in our communities, ministries and the various intersections of our lives, we were reminded that there is a giftedness there as well.  We can experience the 'far more' that Jesus offers to us as we follow Him and practice resurrection in our communities!

Thank you to Emmanuel for setting such a lavish table for us at Bethany!  Thank you to all the friends who traveled to be part of the conversation, and to our Ugandan friends who so generously hosted us in their country.  What a blessed time of theological reflection... Amahoro's first.