Church in a rural village

Following the clear instruction in the Ten Commandments, we sought out a Sabbath (which is on Saturday) worshipping congregation.

Exodus 20:8 - "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy."

Savants-day Adventist Christians meet all over the globe, and are a clarion call back to the character of a Creator God who made man for worship. All around me in SE Asia I see forms of  worship centered around making ones self worthy of acceptance by the Gods. The Sabbath is about accepting Gods power to live in us and make us worthy to follow in His footsteps. It is not about works, but rather a devotion to who God is. A desire to be completely controlled by God and to be like Him. That is the beauty of the Sabbath.

So this morning we were up bright and early to travel out to a distant village for Sabbath services. Driving in Cambodia needs a blog post all its own! Teaser there, so stay tuned. We drove around an hour out of Siem Reap, and the vista went from city scape to rice patty and farm land. The roads went from city street to country paved road, to dirt road to Ox track. We were getting out in the wilds. When we arrived, there was a small group of people outside the church that warmly greeted us.

I told a close friend that one of my wishes was to get far enough out, to really see the country side. I said I would know I was far enough out if the babies cried when they saw a foriegner. My friend quipped that I just wanted to see crying babies, and we had a good laugh together. But today I got my wish. This little girl even in moms arms was unsure of my looking at her. I moved away when she was about to burst into a bawl.

The church was one room, open on two sides, and on stilts. Most structures are on stilts: there is a wisp of a breeze higher up from the ground, there is less damage when the country floods in the wet season, and termites devour any wood materials close to the ground. The church was built up on concrete piers. Most structures have a full basement of tall concrete piers, but this church was just elevated with the three or four feet under the first floor not being used for anything.

A single stairway led to the one room church. There was a white board up front, a water bucket by the stairs, and a railing around the open air sides of the room. You remove your shoes before going into places of worship, or homes. So there was the entire collection of sandals at the foot of the stairs. The flooring was of rough sawn lumber, and at one place at the edge, I feared falling through the floor. (There were some weak boards that seemed to give way when I went by them before I spoke for the sermon. I was so glad no one saw my temporary concern.) Later I pointed the spot out to my family so they would avoid that edge board. The slats between the floor boards would make easy work of sweeping.

There were two fake flowers up front on a table, the only furniture in the church. There were four hymnals on the table. Many in the congregation seemed literate, as they brought their own Bibles and hymnals. Everyone sat the floor. As we settled in bare foot and sitting on the rough boards, I had the distinct impression that this was really a worship place for Jesus to be praised. There was no show, no pomp or circumstance. There was no desire for being the best in clothing or in where they sat. We were just together, worshipping our friend Jesus on His Holy Day.

After Sabbath School and its vigourous discussion in Kumer, there was a five minute break before church.  I was told I would be speaking the sermon as their special guest. (I had been told to be prepared for this, as with gray hair, I would be seen as the visiting elder person in our group.) In the introductory remarks they asked all of the foreigners to move up to the front of the room, and the church also stood. They gave introductions of each person's name and their church position. Then they asked us to introduce ourselves. We told them how happy we where to worship with them in their beautiful church. We told them we brought greetings from the churches of America, far far away. We told them that we have been praying for them even before we knew them, and how special it was to now meet them in person.

The children performed several songs and recitations for us. One song the children sang was in English. I doubt they understood the words they were singing in that song, but it was special. Sunshine gave a children's story titled "The Monkeys are Coming!" and we all enjoyed it.

Later they called me to the front to speak, and then asked what the title of my special music was. This did catch me off guard. But the others in the group quickly volunteered to join me for a song in Englsih before the sermon.

I preached on the story of the sower from Mark 4:1-9. The message was simple in word and concept, and the people seemed to enjoy the study. Speaking through a translator gave me a little slice of time to prepare / simplify the next sentence, so it was a relaxed feeling for me through the sermon. We did a group recitation of Galatians 5:21-22 as the close of the service - the fruit of the Spirit that God wants from our fertile ground hearts.

It was a special day, and one that we will treasure in our hearts for long to come.


Pray with us for a spark!