Desolation

“I have destroyed nations;

their strongholds are demolished.

I have left their streets deserted,

with no one passing through.

Their cities are laid waste;

they are deserted and empty.” Zephaniah 3:6

Emeritus Bishop Robert Solomon, concerned with daily images of deserted cities and empty streets during this Covid-19 pandemic around the world, reminds us of the prophecy of Zephaniah. Zephaniah's  prophecy had been realised many times in the past. Today it seems that it is being fulfilled before our very eyes. He suggests that as much as we regret the devastation caused, we should try to discover what is God's purpose in allowing this to happen. 

The words of the prophet are very harsh, speaking of the judgement of God. What are God's purposes? 

• Is this retribution for mankind's lack of conservation efforts of nature?
• Have we been voraciously exhausting Earth's resources?
• Have we been selfish, self-centred, materialistic, uncaring?
• Have we been hedonistic, always self-indulgent?

The  answer could be all of the above and more; there are many reasons why God has allowed a very small microbe to devastate the human race

Bishop Solomon and Zephaniah suggest a purpose; to turn us toward Him with meekness and humility so that we can trust Him (Zephaniah 3:12)

US Vice-President, Mike Pence understood this need for repentance and prayer. He closes all his briefings with 'heal our land'. Devastation require healing; beginning with healing of self followed by healing of communities, healing of countries and finally the healing of the world. However this requires God's people to humble ourselves, to pray and to repent. If we cannot do much to combat the virus, we can pray and return to God.

Then salvation is assured and promised in Zeph 3:17, 

“The Lord your God is in your midst,

    a mighty one who will save;

he will rejoice over you with gladness;

    he will quiet you by his love;

he will exult over you with loud singing”

The Bishop said, "Here is a wonderful picture of God’s love. Like a mother who sings a lullaby over her troubled child, the Lord comforts us when we are afraid or disturbed. In this metaphor, God is not only singing a lullaby but sings loudly over His children. There is a combination of motherly tenderness as well as fatherly exuberance."

We need not fear the Corona virus, the earth will be healed. God's promise concludes Zephaniah Chapter 3 with

"At that time I will gather you;

at that time I will bring you home.

I will give you honour and praise among all the peoples of the earth

when I restore your fortunes before your very eyes.

How fortunate for us! It is very comforting when God tells us that he will bring us home. This song by David Haas gives the same assurance as Zephaniah did so many centuries ago. It is call "You are Mine". At such times, listen to this song and allow the lyrics and melody to echo in the recesses of your mind.

I will come to you in the silence

I will lift you from all your fear

You will hear My voice, I claim you as My choice

Be still, and know I am near

I am hope for all who are hopeless

I am eyes for all who long to see

In the shadows of the night, I will be your light

Come and rest in Me

I am strength for all the despairing

Healing for the ones who dwell in shame

All the blind will see, the lame will all run free

And all will know My name

I am the Word that leads all to freedom

I am the peace the world cannot give

I will call your name, embracing all your pain

Stand up, now, walk, and live

Do not be afraid, I am with you

I have called you each by name

Come and follow Me

I will bring you home

I love you and you are mine

Lionel

The Scream

Edvard Munch: The Scream

"Be not anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" Philippians 4:6

Edvard Munch's painting, 'The Scream' stands out as an icon of modern art. It depicts an anxious and fearful figure letting out a scream. Here is Edvard's commentary on this painting, "I was walking along the road with two friends, the sun went down, I felt a gust of melancholy. Suddenly, the sky turned bloody red. I stopped, leaned against the railing, tired to death as the flaming skies hung like blood and sword over the blue-black fjord and the city. My friends went on. I stood there trembling with anxiety and I felt a vast infinite scream through nature".

Today, the whole world is screaming as the Corona Virus 19 spreads. The COVID-19 virus pandemic started in Dec 2019 and to date it has spread to 173 out of 195 countries. The world tally thus far is 374,822 patients and deaths number 16,379. In Singapore 509 cases have been diagnosed with 2 fatalities. The speed and spread of an infection has not been experienced in recent times and have brought several countries and cities to their knees.

Naturally this caused much panic and anxiety in the world, stock markets plunged threatening a global recession if not a global depression. The enforced stay at home lock-down imposed by many countries and cities threatened many jobs, further aggravating the anxiety

Max Lucado in his book (ref 1) 'Anxious for Nothing' described this panic well, "One day the sky seems sunny and bright and the next, they are dark and foreboding. It is just as if the air has been taken out of your lungs and you are left trying to catch your breath". This describes the symptoms of COVID-19 in severe cases well. These patients have Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome and their lungs are filled with inflammatory fluids and debri; breathing become more and more laboured. They literally choke to death. 

Coincidentally, the Latin root word for Anxiety means to choke or to squeeze; it takes your breath away. Certainly the severe patients of the Corona virus infection must suffer the anxiety as they fight for their lives but many others will be just as anxious.

St. Paul encouraged the Philippians not be anxious but he did not mean never to be anxious. There are circumstances for which panic and anxiety are natural reactions just as during the COVID-19 epidemic. In these situations we can by God's grace turn to Him to help dampen those feelings. Max Lucado paraphrased Phil 4:6 as "Don't let anything in life leave you perpetually in angst and breathless". For a season this pandemic may worry us and keep us anxious but we should not allow these circumstances to overcome us. 

Look to God. He promised to heal our land in 2 Chronicle 7:14

"If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land"

Click on blue letters to hear song

Ref 1 Max Lucado, 'Anxious for Nothing; Finding Calm in a Chaotic World' HarperCollins 2019

Shipwrecked!

"...You may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith". 1 Tim 1:18-19

In Ezekiel 27, there was a graphic description of a shipwreck involving heavily laden ships from Tyre, meeting a storm at sea. Mariners, sailors, merchandise and wealth and everyone on board sank. The prophecy spelled the doom of the mercantile trade of Tyre and broke the back of Tyre, a once prosperous city. It did not survive history and lie in ruins today.

Reflecting on the sudden, unexpected COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the whole world over the last month and threatening a global recession, one wonders how many businesses will be bankrupted. An infection tsunami followed by a sudden economic tornado will leave behind much devastation. Lives, families and businesses will lie in ruins, shipwrecked.

This sudden downturn can also affect the spiritual life. At times of difficulties and even during times of plenty, Paul warned that we must guard our faith, hold on tightly to it or else we may lose it all. The Boys Brigade hymn places a question for us, "Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?" This pandemic requires us to send an affirmative answer, "We have an anchor that keeps our souls, steadfast and sure while the billows roll". Our faith can be fragile and we need to be properly anchored.

Byron Bay Lighthouse

Innumerable shipwrecks have been prevented by lighthouses. The ships were warned to steer clear of the rocky shores. Similarly we have a lighthouse in Jesus Christ warning us to steer clear of the pitfalls of life; of temptations and wrongdoings that can lead us astray.

I have always been fascinated by lighthouses. I have a collection of photographs of different lighthouses that I have visited, all over the world. The latest visit was to the Byron Bay Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia. When one pictures the strong light that beams from the lighthouse, Jesus' proclamation comes to mind, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of of life". These visits to the lighthouses assure me of the steadfast guidance of God. His light is constantly warning us of hidden dangers which can come so suddenly and unexpectedly.

The suddenness of the COVID-19 pandemic unsettled us. We took extraordinary precautions to guard our health. The Rev Sng Chong Hui observed, "If only we 

• monitor our spiritual temperature as regularly as we do our physical temperature
• wash our souls like we wash our hands
• mask ourselves to stop sin from infecting ourselves and others
• read God's Word like we read daily updates about COVID-19
• fear God like we fear COVID-19". 

When Life is good, it pays to keep in touch with God so that with any downturn we need not become unsettled but can rely on our immutable Saviour. The whole world was enjoying peace and prosperity when suddenly this COVID-19 descended upon us. Like Charlie Brown said, "This world is suddenly crazy".  Will your anchor hold?

Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,

when the clouds unfold their wings of strife?

When the strong tides lift and the cables strain,

will your anchor drift or firm remain?

Refrain:

We have an anchor that keeps the soul

steadfast and sure while the billows roll,

fastened to the rock which cannot move,

grounded firm and deep in the Saviour's love!

Will your anchor hold in the straits of fear,

when the breakers roar and the reef is near?

While the surges rave and the wild winds blow,

shall the angry waves then your bark o'er flow?

Will your eyes behold through the morning light

the city of gold and the harbour bright?

Will you anchor safe by the heavenly shore,

when life's storms are past forever more?

Lionel

Written at the start of the Covid-19 epidemic just before the global lockdowns

More Like Christ

Basilica of St Francis, Assisi Italy

“We must keep our eyes on Jesus, who leads us and makes our faith complete. He endured the shame of being nailed to a cross….So keep your mind on Jesus, who put up with many insults from sinners. Then you won't get discouraged and give up.” Heb 

Who has lived a life like Christ?

In Sep 2007, Pat and I went to Assisi to retrace the footsteps of St Francis in the Umbrian and Tuscan countryside of Italy. I wanted to discover who this man was. What did he bring to the Christian faith? What was he trying to tell us? Was he a recluse? Was he a callow fellow who melodramatically stripped himself naked in the public square to repudiate his past rich and material life; returning to his father every possession to embrace poverty? Was he a lunatic who would speak to animals and birds? Was he an idealist who did not think a second thought when he kissed a leper and ministered to their colony? Was he a masochist who inflicted on his physical body, the very physical sufferings of Christ?

Contemplation

In visiting the places that venerated his memory and learning about his life, I discovered that St Francis was a Christian who took seriously, the commandment to become more like Christ. What was remarkable was that he physically and not just symbolically or spiritually lived out the life of Jesus as he understood from the Gospels. If Christ said he had no place to lay his feet or to place his head, St Francis did that. If Christ said to go two by two to witness without bringing anything other than the cloak on their backs, Francis complied to the letter. If Gospel described when going about witnessing to depend on the hospitality of others and go a-begging for food, Francis followed.

After visiting Carceri, a mountain top retreat that Francis frequented, I wrote, "Once in a while, there comes a man or woman whose life and witness came so close to mimicking the life of Jesus that they reflected God's image so as to inspire all of us". 

By his life, ministry, writing and witness, Francis was an example extraordinaire. Francis pointed many in his generation and for 8 more centuries afterwards, towards God. It is no wonder then, that the Basilica of St Francis and all Assisi celebrate the saint. In fact, the brochure claims that it is a spirit filled place. 

I do not feel that there is anything wrong to admire St Francis, as I do, so long as one understands his position as a reflection of the infinite beauty of our Lord Jesus. One of his biographers wrote, “Francis presented to the world a new fascinating way to live a Christian life. His greatest contribution was to demonstrate how to live the Beatitudes literally and by doing so helped solve the problems that plague his society. He did that by renouncing its affluence and privileges and taking on poverty chastity and complete obedience.”

To underscore this, a prayer he made kneeling at a crucifix towards the end stages of his life clarifies, “All highest, glorious God, cast your light into the darkness of my heart. Give me right faith, firm hope, perfect charity and profound humility, with wisdom and perception, O Lord, so that I may do what is truly your holy will. Amen”

One would have thought that such an example would be so hard to follow that few could give up all and join Francis in his calling to live both spiritually and physically the example of Jesus’ life on earth. Instead in just a few years, more than five thousand disciples chose to renounce their riches and to live like him, a life of poverty and service. By the time he died, Francis had already been venerated as a saint; his life has become a stirring example of True Christianity. 

Lionel

Out Of Chaos Comes A Calm

'I lift up my eyes to the hills - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip - he who watches over you will not slumber' Psalms 121:1-3

On 11 Mar 2020, the World Health Organisation declared the Corona Virus, COVID-19 infection a pandemic which affected many countries and continents. Many are afraid to contract the virus. Although for the most parts, the disease is quite mild, mortality rate is significant in older people who have underlying health concerns. The death rates among the elderly in China, South Korea, Iran and Italy are extremely high. The virus is highly contagious and some countries resorted to closure of schools, large public events and curtailed travel. It may even derail the Olympic Games to be held in Japan later this year. Several churches in Singapore and other countries are no longer meeting but virtually beam the worship services to parishioners through the Internet.

In times like these, people of all faiths turn to prayer. Christians pray, expectantly, that God will answer just as the Psalmist declared in Psalms 121. This assurance of help from God is the cornerstone for our confidence which allows us to live a full life even in periods of adversity. 

There is a favourite anthem of the Charis Methodist Church Choir. Noel Ong, who helps select songs for the choir wrote, "On Path to Answered Prayer' is a beautiful and touching piece that Heidi Fuller wrote after going through much trial and seeming unanswered prayer, as well as helping a close friend through similar issues. Their specific circumstances were different, but the underlying issues of faith in God, whether he hears and answers prayer, and waiting for God's timing and plan, were underlying both their journeys. Indeed, they underlie the journeys that each one of us Christians would take in our respective life journeys. Indeed, we can be encouraged through the message of this song because God brings amazing things through the trials of life and we need to 'learn to trust Him as you (we) travel on the path to answered prayer."

My favourite phrase in this song is "Out of chaos comes a calm". It assures me that the COVID-19 pandemic will dissipate, this world will return to normal, the economic recession will pass and God will restore the earth.

"Have you ever wondered if your prayers are really heard?

Why is your path so lonely if God listens to each word?

When answers seem so distant through years of faithful pleas.

Still your Guide is right beside you each moment on your knees.

In the wilderness He’s working, in the dark, do not despair.

In the storms, He’s sanctifying, in the thunder He is there!

Out of valleys, He gives vict’ries, out of chaos, comes a calm.

Out of testing, He brings triumph, out of sorrow, comes a song.

There comes a song.

So find power in His promise, though at times not understood,

as you love the God who leads you He will guide your paths to good.

Though there’s weeping in the waiting, in the morning, joy is there.

Learn to trust Him as you travel, learn to trust Him as you travel,

learn to trust Him as you travel on the path to answered prayer.

He answers prayer."

It is this song that the chairperson of our choir, Raymond Chiang clung to as he lived through cancer affecting his health. He prayed for healing of a colon cancer he suffered which had spread to his liver and subsequently he lived a normal and active life through two surgeries and chemotherapy. Click to hear, Raymond's encouraging testimony, how God gave him the faith to overcome his illness. 

Raymond spoke about trusting God and praying for healing. After a colectomy, it was found a year later, that there was a secondary to the liver. He underwent surgery to remove the tumour in the liver. After the surgery, the surgeon asked whether he had undergone chemotherapy prior because 70% of the tumour cells from the liver was found to be not viable on the biopsy. Raymond answered negatively which surprised the surgeon. When informed, the oncologist replied, "A supernatural force is at work here". Today Raymond has completed the post-surgery chemotherapy and he is hale and hearty.

The response to the corona virus pandemic in almost every country, underlies the innate fear and panic in many people, they run to the supermarkets and pharmacies to hoard daily essentials. People were jostling for rice and canned food, masks and alcohol wipes and even toilet paper to the point where nothing was available on the shelves and the national stockpiles were depleted.

Fear and panic are not the ways we should confront the challenge of COVID-19 pandemic; instead of fear there should be faith and instead of panic there should be prayer. There is a light at the end of the tunnel!

Lionel