Sivin Kit’s Garden

WE NEED OTHERS to explore with us the edges of our fear and faith. We grow spiritually only in and through our relationship with God and with others.

- Rueben P. Job and Marjorie J. Thompson
Companions in Christ: Embracing the Journey

(via Upper Room Daily Reflections)

It’s becoming harder as I grow older to say good-byes. But, like it or not, it’s becoming more and more frequent the past few years.  After 2 of my good friends moved on one in Singapore and the other in New Zealand end of 2006, I thought I was left alone for a while to explore the edges of my fears and faith. But thankfully, Ian and Raj came along timely and three of us discerned the need for us to be fellow companions in Christ, sharing our lives, mutually trying to hear what God is saying to us, and praying for each other.  Todd joined us the last quarter of 2007, and the group became a pleasant four. We will become three again,  This time Ian will be returning home to the UK with his amazing wife and 2 wonderful girls! Those of us left behind in Malaysia wish him all the best.

Gareth told me last Sunday after church that he had a special Sunday school.  Apparently, they had a special foot washing ceremony.  "Papa, Uncle Ian washed my feet today, Papa." That broke me, and it still gets me choked up. It was not only special for Gareth but special for me too. Because Ian’s impact during his time here not only is in regards to his work, and also fellow companions - the big boys - in the above photo, but becomes even more significant in the memory of my 5plus year old son Gareth, when a "bigger" man humbled himself to show a "little" boy what servanthood is. It has imprinted in the heart of my growing son a meaningful memory and metaphor which will last a lifetime. It’s more than the symbolism of servant hood, but for a formative part of BLC’s Sunday School and Gareth’s experience of it (with the other kids), Uncle Ian (as they fondly call him) was their companion. "Are you going to miss Uncle Ian, Gareth?" I asked Gareth a while ago, he said, "Yes, Papa". Many of us will … Thanks Ian.

We had a nice final meeting on April Fool’s Day … which I was reminded in the evening that it was BLC’s birthday as well. So many vibrating thoughts are running in me right now.  But whether it’s my own journey, or the journey of BLC, the truth of "we need others" is one which I feel more convicted than ever. And this is no joke! With the amount of change, and pressure, and intensity some of us face on a daily basis especially when we seek to respond to a call to live life differently with faith, hope and love combined with justice, mercy and humility … it can be lonely. This is where at the right time, at the right moment, the right people come along side us .. and we become friends in conversation as well as friends in a common journey of discovering and rediscovering ourselves — and in the process our ultimate friend guides us gently along the way, and we get to know his will and his ways better too.

I can’t remember the four of us literally washing each others feet, but I know for sure we learnt a lot of about serving each other by humble listening and discerning prayer.  Oh yes, the meals after our monthly gatherings were always icing on the cake of friendship! Todd couldn’t join us for the last lunch for understandable reasons So the three of us went to the Baba Low’s 486 restaurant at Lucky Garden for old times sake.  

Two nights, and so far, as Iisten those who have taken time and their own pace to prayerfully walk the Stations of the Cross at BLC the last 2 days, it affirms the right decision we made as a council to have this practice available to all who desire step back to look at Jesus afresh, and at the same time honestly look into our own hearts.

When people arrive they are given a guide book and a simple layout of where the stations are and the direction to walk the stations.  For those who are new, I give them a brief introduction on the Stations of the Cross. We used as a primary text the reflections by Lucille Perrotta Castro, and all those in charge of the stations were given full creative freedom in how to artistically set up each station.  Some even took initiative to add on interactive exercises for their particular stations.

What I liked about the frame in which Lucille Perrotta Castro’s reflection was "Looking at Jesus, Looking at Your heart" which connected the life of Jesus with our own lives.

We will have one more night for the Stations tomorrow after a short Good Friday Service at BLC, 8pm onwards.

Station 1: Jesus Stands before a Judge, Pontius Pilate.  The Judge tells Jesus that he will die.

Station 2: Soldiers put a heavy cross on Jesus’ shoulders

Station 3: Jesus falls the first time

Station 4: Jesus meets his Mother

Station 5: A Man, Simon, helps Jesus carry his cross

Station 6: A woman, Veronica, wipes Jesus’ face

Station 7: Jesus falls a second time

Station 8: Jesus meets women who are crying

Station 9:Jesus falls a third time

Station 10: Jesus clothes are taken away

Station 11: Jesus is nailed to the cross

Station 12: Jesus dies on the cross

Station 13: Jesus is taken down from the cross

Station 14: Jesus is buried

Station 15: Jesus raised from the death, Jesus is alive

So the above picture gives you a glimpse of our version of the Stations of the Cross for 2008. Here’s  A Walk Through the Stations of the Cross provided online (HT: Dion Forster)

 

"Simple Prayer is necessary, even essential, to the spiritual life.  The only way we move beyond "self-centred prayer" (if indeed we ever do) is by going through it, not by making a detour around it.

- Richard J. Foster, Prayer, p. 11

My earliest memories of prayer is when I prayed for my mom to win the lottery.  It was one of those, "I challenge you, Jesus, to show me you are God and can answer the prayer of a 12 year old!", kind of prayer.

Even when I was "born again" at 13, this lost Lutheran now turned Pentecostal on fire for Jesus brought my needs to him daily in intercession, claiming on the promise that he truly hears prayer.

The climb to grow in prayer had an interesting interlude after being challenged by a Bible study teacher in the church student fellowship who always seems to "hear from the Lord", to pray the Lord’s prayer everyday.  It took me about 5-7 minutes to walk to high school and I recall praying the Lord’s prayer (as opposed to mere reciting it) while I walked passed my neighbors.

Since then, I’ve been exposed to the wide riches of all that the best of church history has to offer from the Spiritual gurus of the old the desert fathers to the best-selling authors of the present … not the millionaires but the mystics! And when one grows in theological understanding, and sharpened by the hard knocks of on the ground praxis, one is suddenly more sensitized by any smell of "self-centeredness".

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I’ve been a little busy with the new born baby no.3, before I’m off to another set of responsibilities, I better not forget informing you of a special time of reflection together as Christians next Sunday.

For those of you who remember my good friend - “the guy with the cool hair” - Jesuit Father Jojo Fung (from the last session at the Friends in Conversation 2007 March event with Brian McLaren), many of you commented how refreshing it was to have him with us. After the event, he was very instrumental in encouraging the formation of RoH Malaysia , and personally I’m excited that at an informal level this represents an joint effort by Roman Catholic and Protestant streams in Malaysia (a special bonus is a theological, pastoral, missional interaction with the social sciences and our context). It’s a small ripple to start off with, but it would be great to have you join in. A special thanks to Bangsar Lutheran Church to let us use the homely venue which has been very conducive for conversations the past years. Please let us know whether you can come by emailing us back. The RM10 is to cover some cost (don’t worry about the RSVP date, just email me!).:-)

On behalf of the RoH Team
Rev. Sivin Kit

The last whole month I’ve enjoyed the chance (and the discipline) to speak based on four of the five Solas.  In fact, the pastors in our two districts in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor all did the same which I thought was a good idea. Here are the slides (in pdf) I used for each sermon I suppose minus me speaking the slides are like a jigsaw puzzle.  So enjoy them as well as your imagination!

Reformation 1: Scripture alone

As I was preparing for this message I was struck how often our discussions on the Bible are adventures in missing the point of the Bible … which is to me getting us or pointing us to hear the “living voice of the Gospel”.

Reformation 2: Faith Alone

What struck me is the paradoxical nature of faith in its simplicity of trust and complexity in our experience.

Reformation 3: Grace Alone

I was amazed how Bono could relate Grace to our times … Grace is such a hard “concept” to grasp but does wonders in our life experience and spiritual quest!

Reformation 4: Christ Alone

I confess I can run away from this re-occuring theme of the person and work of Christ in my own life and ministry.  While maybe to some the is an exclusivity in the tone of “Christ alone” which offends or at least hinders them, but for me even though I find some formulations of their understanding of Christ blocking people from appreciating his true mission and person, I’m constantly drawn to the concrete reality confronting me in and through Jesus Christ.  The theological and rational aspects are in constant evolutionary learning and even change (other times it’s mostly a second naivete), I can not and will not deny some very real experiential (and even mystical) encounters with him which stretches the intellect, broadens the emotional capacities and deepens one humanity and spirituality. For me, Christ is not the end of all questioning.  In fact, I think I’ve started more questions then finding answers.  And the answers lead to new questions …  I think a living relationship involves that.

I’m not too excited when Christians appeal to the Reformation to close down inquiry or shut down theological exploration. After the whole series, I think the best of the reformation is more about bubbles and even explosions of change and not the end of discussion.  We might prefer some form of security - which often is a false one. Reformation Day for me reminds me not to me too complacent and keep an eye out of stuff which either has domesticated the faith and rendered it meaningless or distracted us from its liberating power.

Anyway, I wanted to keep this post short. Bob has already wiggled into the mood with Reformation Day Arbitrariness. I also  stumbled upon this post (which has more to add on the reformation): A Decisive Moment Worth Singing About: Remembering The Protestant Reformation . My attention  was captured by a lesser known hymn by Luther in the post which I shall use as an ending prayer for now:

From trouble deep I cry to thee,
Lord God, hear thou my crying;
Thy gracious ear, oh, turn to me,
Open to my sighing.
For if thou mean’st to look upon
The wrong and evil that is done,
Who, Lord, can stand before thee?
With thee stands nothing but thy grace
To cover all our failing.
The best life cannot win the race,
Good works are unavailing.
Before thee no one glory can,
And so must tremble every man,
And live by thy grace only. . .

Although our sin be great, God’s grace
Is greater to relieve us;
His hand in helping nothing stays,
The hurt however grievous.
The Shepherd good alone is he,
Who will at last set Israel free,
From all and every trespass.

(HT: Blogpastor)

GOD OF THE GOOD NEWS,
in the fullness of my life,
empty me of distractions.
Still my busyness.
Quiet my chatter.
Sing your song of grace to me
until the tune rings
in the core of my being
and my life resonates
with your good news.

- Alive Now

(via Upper Room Daily Reflections)

It’s not too hard to dwell on bad news these days. In fact, it’s almost as if we are merely defined by bad news, and if we don’t join the crowd of complainers then we are “Escapists” or “Simpletons” - people who evade or are not aware of the complexities surrounding the issues at hand. Actually, it’s not that simple.

The God I believe in doesn’t ignore the bad news, but announces Good News …  Good News of putting the world right … some choose not to believe in that, others do … some of misconceptions of the good news and reduces it to mere religion, others scorn it as irrelevant … for me, it’s life giving, life shaping, and life directing … the Good News frees me from being sucked into being overwhelmed by the bad news, and frees me to listen and share the song of Grace so needed today.

An elder Buddhist monk is escorted by a protester in Yangon. At least four people were killed and 100 injured as Myanmar’s security forces clamped down on anti-government protests led by Buddhist monks.
(AFP/Democrativ Voice of Burma)

I got a letter from my Bishop Rt. Rev. Philip Lok yesterday to call for our churches to pray for our neighboring country. The monks and nuns in have truly inspired and challenged me in their actions towards social change in their nation. Please allow me to share Bishop’s letter to you.

” Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Greetings and peace to you from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is with great concern that we follow the recent developments in Myanmar, where hundreds of thousands are marching in the city streets to raise their voices for freedom and change. It is simply moving to see how religious people, especially the Buddhist monks and nuns, are at the forefront in this struggle for justice, after a long era of oppression under the military junta. But the recent violent crackdown on the helpless citizens is very distressing indeed.

As Myanmar faces uncertain times, I urge all LCMS congregations to offer our fervent prayers for the nation during our worship services this week. Let’s pray that this crisis in the history of the country will result in the dawn of new era of democracy, justice and peace. As Christians, we believe that God can transform any evil situation by the power of truth, justice and love.

In His Grace,

Bishop Philip Lok

主內弟兄姐妹，

平安。

緬甸最近有進千人在城市街頭示威以表達對自由及改變的心聲已引起各界的關注，大家都拭目以待在經過長時間軍事強權壓制下，宗教人士尤其是佛教界的和尚及尼姑如何在前線掙取公正。

在這段時間，緬甸籠罩著許多的不確定性，本人懇請全體信義會的堂會在本主日崇拜時特別為他們禱告，期盼這次的危機能帶來民主、公正及和平。身為基督徒的我們相信上帝能以真理、公正及愛的力量來轉化邪惡的境況。

主僕，

陸愛平會督”

If this is what’s emerging here and now, then I’m glad I’m part of it! At least, I’m working on it

I found the set of questions here useful for personal reflection and further conversation … I confess I don’t get very excited when it comes to talking about money in the church (it’s a reaction against abusive prosperity preaching!)  And yet, the way we handle our finances and the discipline/art of giving is an essential part of our humanity and discipleship.  So, we simply cannot ignore it.  No point being evasive … let’s use the questions for some self-check! As part of the message this morning - I read each question slowly for us to think about .. and made a little adaptation here and there … 

Am I Giving in Proportion to My Blessing?

God has a clear intention for our prosperity: “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God” (2 Corinthians 9:11). The Bible teaches us to be generous with what we are given and content with what we have so that when we are blessed, we can then bless others rather than consuming, hoarding and holding back (Luke 12). The following questions are designed as a diagnostic tool to help givers honestly answer the question, “Am I giving in proportion to my blessings?” We encourage givers to see what Scripture says.

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1. Do I understand the greatness of the blessings I have right now in Jesus (Ephesians 1:3)? When I give, am I consciously responding to God’s goodness (Romans 12:1)?
2. Do I understand the greatness of my future blessings? Am I preparing for eternity as much as for this present life in my generosity (Luke 12:15-21; 1 Timothy 6:18-19)?
3. Of the last three material blessings I received (raises, gifts, other unexpected income or things), how much of those blessings went to blessing others?
4. If my income keeps climbing, will I reach a certain point where all my needs are met and I cease to acquire greater amounts of things in favor of giving generously—capping income or expenditures and living contentedly (Luke 12:15-21)?
5. How much of my giving goes to bless people who, relatively speaking, are already financially blessed? Am I giving to those outside my social, ethnic, and economic background (Luke 14:12-14)?
6. Is my generosity with my finances a smokescreen for a lack of generosity with my faith and my time, such as participation in missions and evangelism and Christian fellowship?
7. How much of my giving will never benefit my family or me? Am I truly giving “away” just investing in great preaching, good youth ministry and great church programs for my family and those like us?
8. If I received a raise right now, where would the money go? Which would change first, my lifestyle or my giving?
9. If I were on trial for being a Christian, would my financial bottom line be enough to convict me?
10. Do I have a good understanding of the difference between what is essential and what is extra? Am I easily able to resist indulging in “extras”?
11. Am I asking God to show me opportunities to tangibly love others through giving and serving?
12. Do I give above and beyond the tithe? Do I seek creative ways to bless and help others in need?
13. Does the portion of my budget or allowance spent on clothing, hair care, perfume, cosmetics, jewelry and other appearance related items come close to what I spend on good works (1 Timothy 2:9-10)?
14. When was the last time I carefully studied passages (Psalm 1:2) on giving and money in Scripture (such as James; Luke 12, 16; 2 Corinthians 8-9; 1 Timothy 5-6)?
15. Are there elements of risk and sacrifice in my giving? Does my “giving portfolio” look as though I trust the Father who owns all things and can provide for me no matter what, or is it closer to a “tip” for someone who has helped me out?