Tonight, I got the opportunity to preach a sermon in Lalitpur, Nepal. That sentence in itself is so surreal. We found out we’d be expected to preach less than 24 hours before, and it was decided that I would be speaking just this morning. I felt excited, I love preaching and learn so much from God that way. I also felt nervous, and incapable, even though I feel that preaching is a gift of mine. I don’t live here, I don’t know these people, and I cannot yet empathize what it’s like to be a Christian in Nepal. I decided to go sit on my roof over-looking the Himalayas, and knew within 5 minutes what I wanted to talk about. The mountains.
I planned this sermon during a time set apart for the ministry as “amad.” In Hebrew this means “set aside time with the Lord.” They host it and ask us to take part every day. AKA built in quiet time AKA I am spoiled.
Let me paint a picture for you. (And I will literally post a picture too.) I got to sit on the rooftop of the Bethel House, in my favorite perfectly-warm-but-not-too-hot sunlight, overlooking the Himalayas, wearing a cozy pashmina I bought from a shop owner in Thamel after sitting and drinking tea with him for an hour, listening to my favorite worship music, writing sermon notes with my favorite blue bic pen, in my perfect leather journal that was a gift from a dear friend back home… and I am in NEPAL. I am so convinced of God’s desire to give us good and perfect gifts.
The group I spoke to is the Agape Ministry Family. (Please don’t share about that on Facebook for their security.) They meet together every Friday for house church with lots of people of all ages who come together for “Shabbat, Shalom” or rest and peace. It’s a time of celebration and sabbath after a long and beautiful week of ministry work. He told us God created Sabbath to remind us that we did not create ourselves or redeem ourselves, but we are owned by God because He is both our creator and redeemer. I may write another blog about this idea because it was beautiful.
I’d like to share the sermon with you, partially because I know that some of you are itching for detail, partially just because it meant a lot to me to share it with them, and I hope it can impact you in the same way.
“Jai Masih! (Pronounced “Jeh-Meh-See!” This means “Victory in the Messiah, Praise the Lord” in Nepalese. It is the way Christians greet one another, as an alternative for the generally Hindu “Namaste.”)
Hello my name is Rachel, from Genesis in the Bible. tahnk you for having me here. I do not speak Nepalese so Dilip will kindly be translating for me, thank you, Dilip!
Our team is a part of an organization called the World Race, which I think many of you know about. We will travel to 11 countries over 11 months, and our time with you is our second. Thank you for allowing us to be here with you tonight. We are blessed to be spending this month with Agape Ministries, we are impressed and encouraged by the wonderful work of God being done here, even after just one day.
Before I share any more, will you pray with me for our time? (Prayer for God’a words not mine, thanks for the wonderful relationships ,
This morning, I found out that I would be given the opportunity to give a sermon to you all tonight. I felt nervous. I don’t know much about Nepal yet, I don’t know many of you yet, and I wasn’t sure what I could speak about. So I decided to go pray.
As soon as I stepped outside to pray and saw the Himalayas, I knew what I wanted to talk about. One thing I already know we have in common: The Mountains.
I come from Colorado, in the United States, and we also have lots of mountains, called the Rocky Mountains. Although my Mountains at home are not quite as big as yours, the view of the mountains all around me makes me feel at home.
At home, one of my favorite things to do when I am not working or in school is to go backpacking. I gather a tent and the supplies I will need and carry them many kilometers deep into the mountains. Here, I have heard it called trekking. A week before I left home for the world race, I went on one of these trips. We did not reach our campsite until 2am, we didn’t bring enough food, and we saw both a bear and a moose along the way! We were tired and a bit afraid, but still enjoyed the journey and the beautiful Mountains very much. It may not be as comfortable as home, and it may even be more dangerous, but being surrounded by mountains has always made me feel most at home, and most protected. As I prepared to give this sermon this morning, I began to understand why.
If you have your bibles, turn with me in your to Psalm 125.
This is a Psalm of ascent, meaning it was a celebration!
1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mount Zion,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people
both now and forevermore.
3 The scepter of the wicked will not remain
over the land allotted to the righteous,
for then the righteous might use
their hands to do evil.
4 Lord, do good to those who are good,
to those who are upright in heart.
5 But those who turn to crooked ways
the Lord will banish with the evildoers.
Peace be on Israel.
This morning I did some research about Christianity in Nepal. Many of these things will be obvious to those of you who live here, some things may be surprising. I will share them so that my fellow world racers will understand as well.
I found out that in 1950, a time not long ago when some of you or maybe your parents were living here, there were no recorded Christians in Nepal. Now, according to government census, that number has risen to more than 400,000! And the wonderful thing is, it is expected that the census is wrong. It is believed that there are actually almost 3 million Christians in Nepal today. Hearing this makes my heart so happy! You are all experiencing a time of huge growth of the gospel. Nepal is the nation of the world where Christianity is growing most quickly. In just one generation, the number of christians has grown from zero to almost 3 million! Jey-meh-See!
But that doesn’t mean it is easy. When Jesus walked the earth, the Roman government did not like it. He offered something so good, they could not compete. Because of the growth of his following, He became a threat. I see the growth of the gospel in Nepal that way.
In John 15:18, Jesus says “if the world hates you, remember they first hated me.”
In Nepal, Christianity is not illegal. However, the current Hindu majority is protected by the constitution, which says ““no person shall be entitled to convert another person from one religion to another and shall not take actions or behave in a way that would create disturbance in another’s religion.” This law would make it very hard to share the wonderful good news of Jesus. Lazarus told me today that people have been caught evangelizing and punished by law. Christianity is not the majority or the power here, and certain people would see your growth as a threat to their power or control.
So how then, do we continue to share God’s word? When we are afraid or uncomfortable, what allows us to move forward? How can we continue doing this good work in Jesus’ name?
My answer for you, and for myself, is to remember to look at the mountains. Let them remind you of God’s protection like in Psalm 125. Verse 2 says…
2 As the mountains surround Jerusalem,
so the Lord surrounds his people
both now and forevermore.
When the author of this Psalm says “surrounds” he is quoting Psalm 34.
Psalm 34 begins by saying…
“The angel of the Lord ‘surrounds’ his people.”
And goes on to say…
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.”
The author uses Psalm 125 to remind people the people of God’s goodness and protection, just as I hope this sermon will do!
What a joyful Psalm! I never understood why I felt so safe and happy in the mountains, but it is because they are a beautiful and unmistakable reminder of his glory and protection. And they never change! Not only does the Lord surround and protect us now, but forever more! God is even MORE firm and everlasting than the Himayalas that surround us on every side. He surrounds and protects us from harm, just as He did for Jerusalem. We are His people. I would like to read Psalm 125 to you again, but with a few adjustments.
1 Those who trust in the Lord are like Mt Everest,
which cannot be shaken but endures forever.
2 As the mountains surround Kathmandu,
so the Lord surrounds his people
both now and forevermore.
3 The scepter of the wicked will not remain
over the land allotted to the righteous,
for then the righteous might use
their hands to do evil.
4 Lord, do good to those who are good,
to those who are upright in heart like the wonderful people of Agape Ministries.
5 But those who turn to crooked ways
the Lord will banish with the evildoers.
Peace be on Nepal.”
Thank you, will you pray with me?”
I hope you at home will pray too. From what are you being protected from? How can you find refuge in this time?
