Essential Worship

We headed north past the Mangalagiri Hills, the tropical sun glaring overhead.  As we approached the city of Vijayawada, road construction and new apartment buildings gave evidence of tremendous expansion and westernization; yet traffic was still held up by herds of water buffalo, and the mighty Krishna River still had women washing laundry on its banks.

Thadigadapa Village Church, Pastor Annanda

We wound through busy streets and shops on the outskirts of the city, then along a canal of murky water with trash spilling down its banks.  Suddenly our driver did a U-Turn and stopped in front of a mass of thatched huts crowded between the frenzied traffic and the canal.  A man stood expectantly by an entryway draped with rice bags.  This was our destination, the church of Thadigadapa village.

Sometimes I feel ashamed of being an American Christian.  How often we see in our religious publications, in our searches for pastors, the lofty educational requirements and financial packages offered; we see mega churches and multimillion dollar sanctuaries with cutting edge electronics; fellowship halls that rival restaurant kitchens and dining rooms; vast parking lots, fleets of buses--the list is endless.

What does God require of us?  Is not the Lord seeking those who worship Him in simplicity, in Spirit and in truth?  We found that this Sunday.

Pastor Annanda Raju and Mary

The church, led by Pastor Annanda Raju and his wife Mary, is approximately 12 by 12 feet small.  Behind this sanctuary, the back half of the bamboo and palm leaf structure is another room about the same size.  That is their home.  I doubt if most Americans would store their garden tools there.  Yet we experienced praise and worship here in its simplest, purest form.

The sun beat down on the thatch, releasing an aroma somewhere between fresh cut lumber and drying hay--maybe faintly reminiscent of the manger where Jesus first laid His head.  29 men and women, sitting shoulder to shoulder on the dirt floor, raised their voices to the Lord.  "Hallelujah" is the same in every language around the world, and God was glorified.

Russ brought an encouraging message based on a variation of his personal testimony:  Suffering is part of the Christian life, God is always with us in and through suffering, trust in the Lord with all your heart and He will have the glory.  All eyes focused on him.  All ears were open to the Word of God.  All hearts and souls were fully there--something I seldom see in America.  No cellphones interrupted...no one was texting...no one was looking at a watch...  The Lord Himself was there among us.

We continue to be amazed by the sacrifice and dedication of the pastors in India.  We continue to be amazed by the depth and sincerity of worship.  We come here to help and encourage the poor struggling churches, birthed in poverty and enduring persecution--yet Russ and I feel that we are the ones blessed and encouraged.  And yes, a bit shamed...  We actually feel a bit nauseous when we return to the US and try to re-enter the materialistic, God-apathetic culture.  May our hearts return to truly worshiping Him in Spirit and in truth, for God seeks such to worship Him!

Please continue to pray as we continue our ministry and journey.  Thursday we speak to HIV/AIDS victims, many of whom are women who contracted it from wandering husbands.  Then more gospel to neighborhoods and villages, on to another location, and in two weeks a long train ride up the coast.  Praise the Lord!  Russ' leg blisters (from 3 days in transit) are healed.  Keep in mind we have very limited access to the internet, intermittent electricity, and are staying 22 steps above ground.  Yet God is giving us the strength needed to expand His Kingdom to the nations.  Praise His Holy Name!

--Alice Sharrock