Here I am to Worship

"Our hope for you is firm… your hard times are our hard times. When we see that you’re working to endure the hard times as to enjoy the good we know you’re going to make it no doubt about it." 2 Corinthians 1:7

The same small concrete enclosure where we held the seminar of the prior two days was the room serving for the church sanctuary. When we arrived singing could be heard from the makeshift sanctuary above the orphanage. The children making their way up to the service met us with smiles, handshakes and greetings of “Uncle, Uncle, Auntie, Auntie.”

They were eager to escort us up the stairs, and watched as we removed our shoes before entering the Holy ground.

Our seats are positioned in front with the congregants seated on the floor in front of us with no space for moving and just enough to manipulate the required posture of standing, kneeling, sitting and standing again.

Praise and worship seemed to be the majority of the service accompanied with drums, cymbals and tambourines. On occasion they would sing a familiar hymn in a combination of English and Kannada. “All to Jesus I Surrender” “Power in the Blood”. My American team members and I joined in the familiar chorus “there is power, power, wonder working power in the blood of the Lamb.” Surely, that power brought 3 diverse servants to India for such a time as this.

I shared the “Rainbow Story” with K’s help. The story fit well with the little girl who didn’t have much – I even pointed out K had borrowed clothes. This drew a big laugh but we did not find out why until much later in the afternoon. It seems the tunic my friend loaned me “direct from India” was actually pajamas. This explained the quizzical look we received from Pastor P when we got in the car that morning!

After the service and more singing we prayed over each member of the congregation. We prayed, we blessed and we worshiped the living God! Those who came forward for blessing have been delivered from millions of gods of the world – and while our thoughts may recoil at the millions of Hindu idols their culture pays homage to – we should recoil and renounce our own false idols – those of the whiter brighter smile, the perfume producing sex appeal, the car that gives us status, and the soft drink that refreshes. We are quick to judge but slow to confess.