Pastoral Views

Hebrews 2:10-18 (Morning Prayer)

We have a body. And when it is cut, it bleeds. This sense of being “flesh and blood” is an intuitive experience right from childhood. In the New Testament, it suggests above all the mortal frailty of our human condition.

Jesus took on this same physical existence (Heb 2:14). He identified with us at the deepest level: he became human. The author of salvation is deeply connected to the ones He is saving.

And he is also made like us in every respect (Heb 2:17a). Beyond just having an appearance of man, he is to participate in the weaknesses and sensibilities of being a human. He is to live and experience the human life.

Being human qualified Him to represent us before God. He became like us to save us.

This He did “dia thanatou” - through death (Heb 2:14) Fully human, he experienced the darkness of death that He may free us from the lifelong "terror of non-being.” (Heb 2:15)

This verse is not talking about acute fear arising from a moment of crisis, where you have to summon courage to overcome the fear of not living. But rather it is chronic fear: a slaving life-long fear that stays with us and therefore more fundamentally affects the way we live and the choices we make.

Jesus came to deliver us from this. This is the good news we have. It can fundamentally change your outlook of life as it did for me since I gave my life to Him.

I know my life will end one day. Instead of silence and darkness, I will see and meet the light and warming love of Jesus on that day. This assurance changes fundamentally the way I live.

I pray you will have this assurance too.

Matthew 23:1-12 (Holy Communion)

This is a passage which summarises so much that is wrong with the world. And what is it? The hubris of man.

In every sphere of life, church included, we see this playing out on a daily basis. Many men and women want to be “exalted”: to be recognised, acclaimed, honoured, titled, promoted and so on.

Many want to preach, teach and be heard.
Few want to live it out.

Many want to be seen doing.
Few want to serve in secret and unnoticed.

Many want to sit on VIP tables or the front rows.
Few want to be unnoticed at table no. 36.

Many want to be acknowledged when they walk pass.
Few want to be invisible.

Many want their full titles mentioned when their names are printed.
Few want to be plain John Doe.

Luke 6:36-38 (Holy Communion)

Jeremiah 7:1-20 (Evening Prayer)

If we allow this passage to speak plainly, as it has been for so for many Jews and Christians through the centuries, it is a most unusual message indeed. It flies in the face of all the latest church growth theories.

Here Jeremiah was told to stand at the temple's gate and start preaching (Jer 7:2). Imagine being greeted by a preaching preacher rather than a smiling usher. We are more accustomed to being given time to get adjusted, sing some songs, sit down and then, the preacher takes the pulpit.

The message is confusing as well. "Do not trust in these deceptive words: ‘This is the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord,” the prophet is told to proclaim. Every church I have been has signs, roadways, many welcoming ushers to assure visitors that “this is the church of the Lord.” Here Jeremiah was almost told to say, “Wrong place. Wrong place. Don’t come in!"

The message is demanding as well. Sort out your life before you come in. Don’t come hoping that by being in God’s House, your unreformed life can be excused. Worship is no replacement for obedience.

The people came to the right place and used the right words. But their lives were not right (Jer 7:9).

Jonah 3: 1-10

The three-day Fast of Nineveh is a practice that originated in the Eastern Church. The Septuagint version of the Old Testament stated that the city of Nineveh will be overthrown in 3 days (instead of 40) and it is likely that it is from this translation that this tradition came about. Usually, Christians would abstain from dairy foods or meat.  

In the Western Church, these three-day fasts are known as Ember Days and it is listed as such in our Provincial lectionary from today till Friday. 

A good question to ask is: Why do Christians fast? Today we see fasting as a Christian discipline to help us grow in holiness through abstinence. Some may practise it for health reasons.

Here in Jonah chapter 3, the inhabitants of Nineveh were threatened with divine punishment (Jonah 3:4). The king asked them to fast from food and drinks, call out on the Lord and turned away from their evil deeds (Jonah 3:7,8). As a result, God did not judge them. 

Christians today tend to read a passage like this and translate it into a doctrinal framework such as “we no longer need to work for forgiveness”. Or that fasting as an act of repentance belongs to the old covenant and should no longer be practised in the new. While the doctrine of salvation by grace is certainly true and we should no longer mandate human acts as conditions for divine forgiveness, it will be to our loss if we stop the practise of fasting as an act of repentance. 

The practise of penance can sometimes help a person to find forgiveness experientially. It is a process which can help a person find healing. Undoubtedly, God is ready to always forgive, but such disciplines can be an unhurried way for a person to enter into true contrition of heart and through that, experience a deep forgiveness and healing. 

Perhaps one of the best illustrations of this joy of forgiveness is found in the 1986 movie, The Mission.

Matthew 25:31-46 (Holy Communion)

A parable is a story. You may have heard the saying “What is the point of the story?” That is a good question to ask when you hear a parable. So, what is the main point which this parable is making here?

Let us look at the use of "sheep and goats.” The main reason why both are used here is that they look similar. Yes, sheep are often dirty and brown like goats, and from afar, you can't tell the difference.

Like the other parables in this chapter (ten virgins, talents) the difference is only revealed at the “last day.” Till then, you can’t tell the difference. Here, Jesus surprised his hearers. The basis of separation or differentiation, righteous and unrighteous - rests on how the people treated the king incognito (Matthew 25:35-36).

It has often been shown that in Matthew’s gospel the expression “the least of these brothers and sisters of mine” can only refer to the least of his followers (See Matthew 10:42; Matthew 18:6,10,14). In other words, the sheep and the goats as exposed for what they are by the way they treat Jesus’ followers, especially those who are marginalised. When people persecute the followers of Jesus Christ, they are persecuting Jesus Christ himself (Acts 9:4).

Jesus’ continual identification with members of His own body should affect the way we see another brother or sister, especially those who are powerless or persecuted. Metaphorically speaking, Jesus is being nailed all over again all round the world, even today.

The point of this parable is how love (again) is at the heart of true discipleship. As I have mentioned in the devotion on Ash Wednesday, our relationship with God and our fellow bothers and sisters is inextricably bound, here and into eternity.

This is similar to John 13:34-35. How will people know that we are His disciples? You should know the answer.

Romans 10:8-13 (Morning Prayer)

I was speaking with a person of another faith. “Why aren't those who share your faith active in telling others about it? We Christians try to do this all the time.”

Her reply was simple. She said they had no hope of salvation to share about. Their faith is about proclaiming God’s judgment and how sinful we all are. “We are in fear all the time and our religion is about escaping or lessening our punishment. We have no good news to share.”

This reminded me again of how wonderful the gift of the gospel is. As St Paul says here:

It is near us.
It is in our mouth.
It is in out hearts.
Confess and believe and you will be saved.
Everyone can.

The Book is still being written

Psalm 1:1-6 (Morning Prayer)

This psalmist starts the Psalter with a beatitude and then reflects on a binary contrast of life.

One comprises living according to the wisdom of the world. We often associate the word “wicked” with higher degree of evil deeds like murder or rape. But in the biblical context, it is just whatever that is “not good” or “not of God.” This “not good” wisdom faces us in every sphere of life, be it personal, home, workplace or church. Yes, it is not about "church verses the world.” It is about two different kingdoms.

We can choose to be fully engaged with this godless kingdom. Walking, standing and sitting in it. Or, we can choose to be fully engaged with His and allow His Word to dominate our thinking, desires and instincts (Psalm 1:2).

The promised result is a value that will last (Psalm 1:3). They will last through the ups and downs of life and indeed this is how you measure something that is truly valuable: they bring life in both good and bad times. Like the different seasons of nature, sunny or rainy, they all contribute to life. In its season, the fruits will show.

The “ wicked” are not so. Stripped from the source of life, they eventually dehydrate and become light like chaff. They become so worthlessly light and socially dispensable that the winds blows them away (Psalm 1:4).

There will be a congregation that will gather in eternity. Those who follow the ways of the wicked will not find a seat in her. Nor will they be able to stand up to God's judgment (Psalm 1:5).

If one walk, stand and sit in wickedness in this life, he will be able to do so in God’s presence in eternity.

In this period of Lent, choose to invest in life, not death. Walk, stand and sit in the ways of Christ. Live well and be blessed. For those who are celebrating Chinese New Year, wish the blessings of Psalm 1 to everyone you meet.

Ash Wednesday
Isaiah 58:1-12 (Holy Communion Service)

If the word "yet” is not there in verse 1 (Isaiah 58:1) , this verse seems like a model of good religious worship.

There was assiduous devotion, a "day after day” committed daily discipline. Our society gives a lot of credence to such daily discipline. We show a lot of respect to “men of the cloth”, men who lives a religious life, with an outward template seen in the way they dressed and observance of times and seasons.