Worshipping in Nepali

It is pouring down rain in Nepal. I am hoping this is the final release for the monsoon season, I was hoping to be able to have at least one clear, sunny day where I could see the mountains in the distance!!!

This morning I was able to experience a Nepali church service (they worship on Saturdays, the Nepali day off). It was so rad! In Nepali church, men sit on the left and women on the right. We sang worship songs and praised the Lord. I recognized a western praise song, “Be Glorified,” They sang it in Nepali and the only word I could make out was Yesu (Jesus). Still, I felt the Spirit moving and it was so cool to hear my brothers and sisters worship in a language I didn’t know. As I was observing them worship and pray a vision of heaven entered my mind. I thought worshipping God in heaven is going to look like this. Revelation 19:1 says “I heard a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying ‘Alleluia! Salvation and honor and glory and power belong to the Lord our God,’” and verse 6 saying “a voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thundering, saying ‘Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns!’” Most of the service was spent in prayer and praising Jesus in unison. They pray all in one voice, together. I love this idea of worship (see Revelation 7:9-10 also). There were times when the pastor prayed with such authority and a loud and confident voice. I felt the power and affection even though I had no idea what he was saying. A woman cried out at the top of her lungs as she prayed, she was pouring herself out to her God. I thought of Hannah “pouring her soul before the Lord.” Usually when the women pray in Nepal they cover their heads. At first I just passed this up as cultural and that was it. But the more I thought about it the more I saw a sign of reverence. God told Moses to take off his sandals because the ground he stood on was holy. These women took every opportunity to enter into His presence with a reverent boldness! They understand that they are standing on holy ground in the presence of the Lord.

We sang, praised loudly and took communion. Communion took like 25 minutes, praying for each element, singing, clapping and praying all out loud in unison. I thought of Psalm 95:1-3 “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation, Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms, For the Lord is the great God, And the king above all gods.” They pastor gave a message, which was in Nepali, so I don’t really know what he said. There were two new believers who had come to church for the first time, they went to the front to pray for salvation and all the congregation lifted them up in prayer together. I tried to imagine this happening at church back home, if people would be so bold as to stand up on stage and have the whole congregation lifting up their hands and praying in unison together for the new believers. I like their bold conversions and wanting to be seen before God and man for dedicating their lives to Jesus. We then all held hands and interceded for each other (at least that is what I gathered from it).

I loved my experience in the Nepali church! I love their lack of inhibition and their desire to praise God with all of themselves. I’ve learned a lot from my Nepali brothers and sisters. Mostly I’ve learned the sovereignty of God and how He speaks gently to His children. Showing me that most times less is more and simplicity is truly at the center of the cross.

Jai Masih
(That means ‘hail to Messiah’ and it is how Christians greet each other in Nepal instead of the Hindu ‘namaste’)