I think it’s easy to just be engaged on more conceptual conversations which a number of the previous posts I’ve pointed to tend towards. So when i read Janelle’s my tint of hope I thought it was refreshing. Read on …
“How would you consider something to be good or bad? Why would two person go to watch the same movie and each coming out with different opinions? Why would some people like a speaker but others consider him to be boring or rude? Why would some people consider certain fashion to be cool while others think it is boring? A certain seminar could be meaningful to some but totally a waste of time to others. Whatever it is, this is the diversity and the creativity we see in God’s handiwork. Each having their differences in taste and view point.
I think something is meaningful to someone because that person could relate to it and found it useful while others maybe refuse to relate and have their own mind set already.
I was one who had a very closed mindset about other denominations, their beliefs and practices. I was “critical” and never believed in traditions until lately my view pooint about this has drastically changed. Thanks to people like Sivin and Sherman. I have learnt to appreciate them. Infact, I practice some of these spiritual traditions myself in my quiet time.
The question that was in my mind was, could the churches in Malaysia be unified? Can it be put in the Kingdom context. Can we as Malaysian Christians live out church the way God has intended it to be and be unified in our mission. Which is God’s mission. Currently, they seem so disunited. Each denomination trying to promote their belief and practices and things like “if you are of a different denomination then you cannot come to our church to partake communion with us”.
I saw that tint of hope when I attended a conference last weekend. “A quiet revolution of hope. Friends in conversation”. (To read more about the event itself, read Sivin’s blog). There were people of defferent walks of life. Different denominations coming together to talk about kingdom and church and what really matters in Malaysia in relation to us (Christians). Current issues etc. There were Catholics, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Evangelical Free Church, Protestants, Pentecostals etc. Although there were only a handful comepared to the thousands of Christians around Malaysia but they represent the voice of Christianity. We have Fathers, Bishops, Pastors, leaders and just church goers. The conversations were good but what impacted me the most was to see these different walks of life coming together talking about the same things. I see their heart for the church and for the things in the heart of God. Although they have different view point, I am hopeful that God is at work and I just had a glimpse of the unity of the body of Christ in Malaysia to want to see God glorified in Malaysia. Those little differences did not seem to matter much compared to the bigger picture.
A highlight for me was the closing when we broke bread with each other. I was standing in a circle looking at the different people, holding my piece of bread and remembering the significance of this. Identifying myself with the body of Christ in Malaysia and with Christ. Remembering that everytime we do this, Jesus was in our midst. I nearly cried. I am hopeful. As long as we are in conversations with each other, even though we may disagree, the fact that we have these conversations, shows that we are interested in the body. We are interested in God’s plans for us. A little light of unity in the body.
Posted by Janelle on Monday, March 05, 2007 at 9:45 PM”