Archive for December, 2008
Well, this is our latest photo taken last night. 
Gareth has his new hair cut, May Chin looking as young and beautiful as ever. I’m looking pretty young too! 
Ewan trying to crawl out of my grip (not yet son! not yet!) and Elysia the bubby fun one with her balloon!
The year is wrapping up better than I expected. All praise to our Abba Father has not only watched over us, but guided us, corrected us, and nurtured us!
How do we work for reconciliation? First and foremost by claiming for ourselves that God through Christ has reconciled us to God. It is not enough to believe this with our heads. We have to let the truth of this reconciliation permeate every part of our beings. As long as we are not fully and thoroughly convinced that we have been reconciled with God, that we are forgiven, that we have received new hearts, new spirits, new eyes to see, and new ears to hear, we continue to create divisions among people because we expect from them a healing power they do not possess.
Only when we fully trust that we belong to God and can find in our relationship with God all that we need for our minds, hearts, and souls, can we be truly free in this world and be ministers of reconciliation. This is not easy; we readily fall back into self-doubt and self-rejection. We need to be constantly reminded through God’s Word, the sacraments, and the love of our neighbours that we are indeed reconciled.
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It’s so easy to fall back into self-doubts and self-rejection. There are few voices that we could consider affirming to those who are involved in the work for reconciliation. There are times when even the inner voice we can hear is no longer hopeful. We wonder whether it’s worth all the fuss after so long.
These are the inner battles many of us face on and off. Sometimes in short spurts, other times a longer dark night.
I find myself reevaluating the value as well as the limits of words and concepts these days. I’m reexamining the kind of life I’m trying to embody as well as what I see through others.
Disappointments abound. Glimmers of hope are scattered. The excitement of sophistication is replaced by the stillness of simplicity. In short, I’m sick and tired of “Bull.S**t” . Especially, when what we offer is sincerity and what is returned is the same old self-centered rubbish. Our behavior sadly merely contributes to more divisions because at the end of the day whatever we do, who we are and how we relate people old and new shows what we truly believe.
I’ve valued honesty in my own quest for authentic humanity and spirituality. And a good dose of honesty tells me that so much of our talk is empty, so much of our so called deep thinking is often intellectual masturbation! Forgive me for the graphic language here. Saying we’re not perfect is meant to be a confession, not an excuse. The last time, I remember, confessions leads to absolution, and transformation. Excuses are mere escape mechanisms, and after a while we go beyond being empty talkers to empty people. What a tragedy, especially when some of us had good beginnings and great potential.
All these years what I believe is important is “new hearts, new spirits, new eyes to see, and new ears to hear”, and this has been my guiding center in all my pursuits. And at the core of all that, I return again and again to “claiming for ourselves that God through Christ has reconciled us to God.”
This is not a claim of superiority, on the contrary, it’s a humble confession. It’s not some mumbo jumbo “evangelical” talk, it’s good news in the best sense of the word “evangelical” and “evangelism” (which sadly in many quarters has lost it’s meaning or even abused! Can I reclaim these good words?)
Reconciliation to God? Belonging to God? I’m not talking about hypocritical religion here. I’m referring to the REAL stuff, the stuff of genuine faith and practice. Maybe it’s just me, others might have a different take. But, I seem to be coming back to this center again and again. Enough of games, whether it’s church related or not.
Elysia picked this song for the morning . The Christmas season didn’t end yesterday, let’s dwell in it a little longer!
For me, this has been a simple and yet meaningful Christmas. And there are many reasons to say that. The church decorations were just right not too much compared to the glamorous displays in the malls,
The worship liturgy was not flowery but with childlike trust. The “offerings” (presentations) by the children, the carolers, and a duet were not professionally perfect but sincere.
As I shared the message based on John 1:1-14, our new “friends” whom we met recently was close to my heart and their stories deeply ingrained in my head. They helped me appreciate the significance of what “giving presence” means, and how that related to God’s unique and ultimate giving of himself through the person of Jesus Christ. It’s going to take a life time for us to allow the following sentence to unpack its treasures full of grace and truth.
God did not send us an SMS, God sent us his Son.
Indeed, we can only but sing Hallelujah! with those who’ve gone before us, those with us and around us, and All of creation humbled, surprised and amazed.
Once again blessed Christmas – from all of us from Bangsar Lutheran Church.
Gareth and Elysia are going to sing their version of this song during the Christmas service with the other children.
One of the highlights towards Christmas for me this year amongst many things is the invitation to share some thoughts over at one of my favorite Malaysia sites . . .
The piece I wrote with much encouragement from Shanon Shah was based on a sermon I preached on the 1st Sunday of Advent reflecting from Isaiah 64:1-9. An interesting learning curve I went through was first listening to my sermon and transcribing the whooping 6000 words (oh my I’m pretty long winded!), and then reworking it into a more or less 1000 word essay. It’s hard work!
Well, at least I didn’t have to scratch my head to think of the title which has always been my struggle. Shanon helped me out on that one and made me sound tighter and better! Thanks.
Here you go:
“The Gospels speak of Jesus’ compassion, a weighty word. It was more than a warm feeling; it meant that you did something about it. In feeding the multitudes, you did not fetch goodies from the sky like a magician. You started with what the apostles already had to hand, seven loaves and a few small fish. Teach me, Lord, to use everything I am given. Save me from warm feelings that are a substitute for effective action. Lord, you never let me forget that love is shown in deeds, not words or feelings. I could fill notebooks with resolutions, and in the end be further from you. As William James put it, ‘A resolution that is a fine flame of feeling allowed to burn itself out without appropriate action, is not merely a lost opportunity, but a bar to future action.’”
The phone rang. Missed call. It rang a second time.
She said that she would like to go again to visit her new “friends”. The Blind date was too eye opening for one to sleep at night. Perhaps, it was too overwhelming. Originally, it was about some presents and more importantly being “present”.
Maybe there was some pity. Surely some anger. But the tears were signs of a deep compassion. The Jesus’ kind of compassion. The type that leads to action.
Looks like some more phone calls will be made. She told her new “friends” that the night would be the last time she saw them. She meant it. This time to see stomachs filled with nutrition and the sick being attended to.
It’s moments like this which makes Christmas so much more meaningful, so much more faithful to what God originally intended. "Immanuel” – God with us!
No cheap words here. No empty promises.
Words with some weight. Promises which are fulfilled. God’s presence felt in the most concrete embodied way possible. The message of Christmas expressed in a medium we can all understand.
The light and warmth of God beyond the initial flame of feeling.
Indeed, Christ “born again” into our midst!
This particular Christmas Carol is my theme song for this year’s Christmas! Especially the words below:
Truly He taught us to love one another.
His law is love and His gospel is peace.Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother,
And in His name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of hope in grateful chorus raise we.
Let all within us praise His holy name
Christ is the lord, O, praise His name togetherHis power and glory ever more proclaim.
His power and glory evermore proclaim.
Another good song as we get ready for wrapping up the year.