First Vacation in Life!

Growing up in rural Nepal, the concept of vacation was foreign to us.  Life simply moved in rhythmic symmetry with time and nature.  Rivers kept flowing.  Seasons kept coming back.  News of birth and death intermittently broke the rhythm into joy and sorrow.  But otherwise, one would be born, live, and die without knowing what change is.  What was, what is, and what will be had no element of surprise; one lived with the hope of a better chance in the next life.

My first journey outside the safety of my village nestled behind the

mountains was when I was 16 years old.  This was also the first time I had gotten in a bus or in any kind of automobiles for that matter. The excitement of traveling in a bus was soon replaced by a frightening terror when the bus made its downhill descent.  This fateful journey would eventually take me to New Delhi, to Haridwar, and to Rishikesh in North India before forcing me to return to the safety of my village in Nepal.  This journey not only took me out of my physical

surrounding; it also took me to a place in my mind from where life could be looked at from a different angle.  I began to wonder if life had more to offer than what my rural world had promised.  I had started that journey a month earlier as a seeking Hindu, but returned home an agnostic and possibly a wishing atheist as my fantasy world of Holy Places in India, where gods and goddesses made their abode, disastrously collapsed.    

This journey was a turning point in my life.  Within a year, my quest had led

me to a Bible and then on to Jesus Christ.  In two years’ time, I was a minister of the gospel.  Ever since then, life has become one big and never ending journey.  However, in this journey of life as a minister of the gospel, I had forgotten about myself and my family.  I got married; we had a son.  But it was all a part of the journey in the ministry of the gospel.  Whatever I did and wherever I went, ministry of the gospel took priority over myself, my wife and my son.  There were times I had forgotten

I had a family to feed and look after.  There came a time in life when I could not send my son to school for one whole year due to the lack of money to pay his school fees.  Yet, it never bothered me.  I thought I was doing right.  I was on a journey with Jesus.  I had no concept of holiday and vacation.  I can’t remember a week taking off from the ministry.  I had simply forgotten to live for myself and in the process, I had used my son’s childhood and my wife’s happiness in paying for this journey.

But in his divine grace and favor, he gave me a wife and a son who were

willing to lay down their happiness for my relentless pursuit of serving Jesus my Lord.  They never complained for anything.  In fact, they made their mission in life to look after me so that I would grow up into loving this life as I travel.  Once I remember my 8 years old boy telling (we were watching “The Green Mile”) me how he would make my grave just like the one we saw in that movie.  He was always worried he might lose his father.

On April 10, 2019, for the first time in my life, I took a different kind of journey with my wife.  It was a journey to be completely free from ministry activities for three weeks.  No Sunday preaching.  No weekly house fellowships and Bible studies.  No morning or evening prayer meetings to lead.  No appointments and deadlines.  Such a time was made possible by my son who invited us to come and stay with him in Seoul, Korea.  Three whole weekends were spent together with him being our guide.  During weekdays he went to work but

my wife and I would just wonder and discover new places.  We walked, watched movies and dramas, shopped, visited places, ate and slept until our bodies told us to get out of the bed.  It was a wonderful time of relaxation I had never experienced before.                    

We made great memories as a family.  Now I understand why people from all over the world come to Nepal and spent their precious earnings.  I also now know that even pastors and ministers of the gospel need vacation and family time without feeling guilty about it. 

I am grateful for my wife and son who always understood my inability to

take them on any holiday trips.  Whenever someone invited me to minister in a different place, I used to take them with me.  But it never felt like a holiday or a travel.  But this time, we were free from anyone controlling our calendar as my son made it possible for us to enjoy these three weeks.  Grateful to God for turning my little boy into a man in whose arms I can now lean on.   

If church is not the place for the newcomers, where should they go?

My wife and I took a break from our newly planted church in Guwahati a month ago and spent three weeks with our mother church in Kathmandu before traveling to Seoul to spend a few more weeks with our son.  While in Seoul, we wanted to have this time for ourselves without any ministry engagements.  

On our first Sunday here in Seoul, instead of attending our son’s regular church, we asked him to find a place where we could worship anonymously.  Three of us agreed that even if the church asks newcomers to stand up to introduce, we will remain seated.  After spending some time in the internet, we found one that felt good to try.  The direction was clear; found it easily and got there 15 minutes ahead of time.  Doors to the sanctuary however did not open until five minutes before starting.  That was a problem.  As we were loitering around, a kind lady informed us that there was a café on the upper floor where we could wait for the doors to be opened.  Just as we entered the cafe, a friend who used to attend our church years back in Daejeon greeted us from nowhere.  There went our anonymity.

Service began with two upbeat songs that were new to us but the third song brought us right into the presence of God.  Over all, the worship was good.  Even the written congregational prayer that was read did not dampen my charismatic spirit.  Guest speaker gave us a beautiful message.  Announcements were short, introduction quick, and the service was over within an hour and a half.  The newcomers were simply asked to stand up first before everyone stood with them for the benediction.  As were were heading out, my son agreed that it’s a nice place to come for worship.  There was not one boring moment during the entire time we were there and as a pastor, this was something to cherish. 

The only thing that bothered me was that if we had not run into our friend, we could have returned home from the church without ever speaking to another soul in the church of nearly 150 to 200 members.  Yes, it was what we were looking for.  But imagine if we were a family looking for God or something more in life than what the world offers.  Imagine if someone had told us that the church is the place to go for anyone facing the problems of life in this world, and no one at the church paid attention.  Yes, there was an announcement for the newcomers to follow a person to a certain room after the service.  Yet, it was the newcomers’ responsibility to find that person.  Nor was there any explanation as why should the newcomers meet that person.  What if, if the newcomers simply decided to follow the crowd out of the church thinking a temple would be a better place?  Temples in Korea are wonderful places for solitary meditation and contemplation. 

Indeed, the pastor and even the leaders may not be able to meet every newcomer but the members sitting in close proximity to the newcomers have more opportunities to demonstrate the character of Christ than the leaders or the pastor standing by the door.  In order for a church to become a welcoming and hospitable place for the newcomers, it is better to err in the side of annoying an anonymous pastor’s family like ours by asking some personal questions than simply ignoring the newcomers who might be looking for someone to ask them a genuine ‘how are you?’.  A friendly handshake, a smiling face, and a genuine interest in the newcomers by the members of a local church can and will make a huge difference in the life of any newcomer.  Imagine if there was no Barnabas in Jerusalem, what would have happened to Saul of Tarsus?  The unpredictable Peter, the contemplative John, and everyone was busy for something while Barnabas met with Paul, listened to his story and stood by him even while others wanted nothing to do with him.    

Therefore, the makeup of a local church is the key in extending life or death and heaven or hell to a vast sea of humanity passing its door/gate/neon-light/signboard everyday in its neighborhood.  That is why Jesus said, “I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18).  His church must be strong enough to withstand the attacks coming from the gates of hell.  But it also must be able to withstand the attacks coming from the galls of men causing it to have stains, wrinkles, spots and blemishes.  Jesus is in the business of building a mighty church that is holy and blameless (Ephesians 5:27); a church that is light and salt in a dark and decaying world (Matt. 5:13-16).

However, Jesus has delegated his earthly ministry of building his church to his disciples.  As the great shepherd, he has appointed his under-shepherds, the pastors, to look after his church that is being built by every living stone.  Every believer in Christ is the living stone in building this living house in which God dwells by his Holy Spirit.  Just as a pastor’s role is crucial in the church, so is also the role of every believer.  If a believer comes to church only for his or her own spiritual needs to be met, that person is failing to be the kind of living stone Jesus wanted.  Every believer is to be a minister in one form or another.  He or she comes to church not for self but for God and for fellow believers; to minister unto God and also unto God’s children.  When this happens, the church becomes an attractive place for people who are lost in a dark and dying world.