Sadhu Sundar Singh 		June 19
Teacher, Evangelist
Sundar Singh was born in the Punjab, India, in 1889 to well-to-do Sikh parents. His mother in particular was deeply religious and instilled in him a profound sense of devotion to God. She wanted him to become a sadhu or holy man. He was taught by Hindu teachers at first, and then attended the American Presbyterian mission school at Rampur. At that time he vehemently opposed Christianity as a western intrusion and burned a copy of the Bible. He could find no inner peace, however, until he encountered the living Christ in a vision in December 1904. His family tried to dissuade him from becoming a Christian, but he cut off his hair (one of the five symbols of the Sikh religion) and was baptised on his sixteenth birthday. 
Sundar Singh decided to become a Christian sadhu. A month after his baptism he began to travel around India as an evangelist, endeavouring to present Christianity in a cultural form that would be meaningful to the peoples of India. The burden of his message was that Christ by his death saved us from our sins. Sundar Singh committed himself to eat only if food were offered to him, and to sleep in a house only if invited to do so. Such an undertaking led to enormous hardship. He was confirmed in 1907, and in 1909 was sent to St John’s Divinity School in Lahore by Bishop Lefroy, with a view to training for the ordained ministry of the Anglican Church. He left after only eight months. The expectation that he would minister only in Anglican churches was unacceptable to him, and he felt the theological study was too much about academic theology and not about the personal knowledge of Christ, which to him was the heart of his spirituality and the foundation of theological study.
Despite the fact that preaching Christianity was forbidden in Tibet, Sundar Singh paid annual visits there for several years from 1912. He was thrown into a dry well in Tibet and on another occasion into prison in Nepal. In his desire to emulate Christ, he undertook a major fast in 1913, and in the course of it had another vision of the glorified Lord. He had a number of ecstatic visions after that, from which he drew spiritual strength.
By 1917 he was known outside India. In 1918 he toured South India, Ceylon, Burma, Malaya, Japan and China. He visited England, America and Australia in 1920 and Europe in 1922. He made a considerable impression as a modern saint and mystic, above all by the serenity and radiance of his appearance. After 1922 his health deteriorated and he remained in India. He made use of a bungalow at Subathu, bought with money from his father and the royalties from the sale of his books, which were widely read at the time. 
He had a strong desire to go back to Tibet, but after visits in 1919 and 1921 was unable to get through until his final journey in 1929. He set out for Tibet in April of that year, and was never heard of again. He probably died on the way.
For further reading: 
A.J. Appasamy, Sundar Singh: A Biography, London, Lutterworth, 1958.
For Liturgical Use
Sundar Singh was born in 1889 and, after his dramatic conversion to Christianity in 1904, became an Indian Christian mystic and holy man or sadhu. He devoted his life to preaching the gospel to the people of India. He is remembered for his desire to present Christ in a way which would be meaningful to the cultures of the east. He made several visits to Tibet and was last heard of in April 1929 when he was again going there.
Sentence
My soul has a desire and longing to enter the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God.		Psalm 84:2
Collects
Everloving God, 
the end of all our searching,
your servant Sundar Singh,
leaving all to follow Christ,
fearlessly proclaimed his new-found faith;
give us a like commitment to the gospel,
that in the power of the Holy Spirit
we may bear witness to 
the love of Jesus Christ our Saviour.
God of good news,
we offer you our praise and humble thanks
for your sadhu, Sundar;
we praise you for his unique success and suffering
in bringing the gospel to others;
may we draw inspiration
from his love for all whom Jesus died to save.
Psalms	42	43
Readings
Exodus 33:7-11		The friend of God
1 Corinthians 9:19-23	All things to all people
Mark 10:23-31		For the sake of the gospel
Post Communion Sentence
Jesus said, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”		Matthew 11:29