I Have A Dream

'Though the fig tree does not bud and there were no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in God my Saviour. The Sovereign Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the feet of a deer, He enables me to tread on the heights.' Habakkuk 3:17-18 

On the 26 Mar 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA, police brutality caused the death and murder of black American, George Floyd. A dramatic 8 minutes video that went viral worldwide, showed footage of a white American policeman pressing his knees on George's neck against the sidewalk curb. For 8 minutes George's pleas of "I can't breathe" failed to receive any mercy until he died.

This brutal killing reignited deep-seated anger over police killings and racism. For the next 7 days, more than 75 US cities saw protests as thousands poured into these streets, which only a few days ago were deserted because of Corona virus lock-down. Unfortunately the protests soon turned violent. All over the USA, looting, burning and clashes with law enforcement became rampant. For many, these civil violence and outrage reflect years of frustration over socio-economic inequality and discrimination were still lurking in the USA.

Adam Edgerly of NewSong church in LA, in a sermon 'The Struggle for Justice' eloquently pointed out the reality of current deep-seated, oftentimes hidden, discrimination against people of colour all around the world. He warned that God will not stand for this grievous sin and will bring His judgement to bear on all of us and maybe using even the current violence that we are seeing. The prophet Habakkuk predicted that God will use the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem and the ensuing rampage as an instrument of His corrective action for the sins of His people, the Israelites. This sermon is recommended for your listening. 

Neither the Rev Edgerly nor Habakkuk were suggesting that Christians should use violence, looting or killings as retribution for injustices. Vengeance, rightly so, belongs only to God. God's people's way should be peaceful non-violent protest.

The finest example of a peaceful confrontation against discrimination also happened in the USA. The late Rev Martin Luther King led a peaceful protest of thousands of Americans, white, black and of all colours through the streets of Washington DC, culminating in the famous, 'I have a Dream' speech. He began the speech with, "I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation." It was a peaceful protest led by a godly person for God's people. One sentence of that speech is worth repeating, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation, where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character."  

Many of Dr King's dreams did come true in the USA but unfortunately, racial discrimination still lurks not only in America but also in nearly all parts of the world. Societies remain fragmented. Timothy Keller wrote in The Prodigal Prophet, "We cannot all put our own self-interests ahead of the common good and still have a functioning society." (Ref 1) 

Could the Covid-19 pandemic, the Russo-Ukraine war and the violence we see on the streets be a part of God's recrimination against such sins and injustices? 

Timothy Keller wrote "The dismaying news is that every act of disobedience has a storm attached to it. This is not to say that every difficult thing that comes into our lives is the punishment for some particular sin. The Bible does not say that every difficulty is the result of sin but it does teach that every sin will bring you into difficulty." (Ref 1) 

It is not fruitful to speculate on God's vengeance. Instead of speculation, let's think of God's intention for all of God's people to live in harmony. This was the same sentiment expressed by the late Dr King in his speech. Let's echo the words of this old song by the Ray Conniff singers, 'Harmony' 

In the words of St Paul,

'Live in harmony with everyone. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position...If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.'  Romans 12:16 and 18

The time has come, let us begin
With all our voices joining in
To sing of love and brotherhood
People doing what they should to

Help their fellow man decree
And fill this land with harmony
The young and old, the rich, the poor
Making sounds, never heard before

Harmony! harmony! 
Let's all join in harmony 
Sing away the hurt and fear
A great new dream will soon be here

Like the shepherd guards his sheep
Watch your children as they sleep
Like the potter turns his clay
Help to shape a better day, and

Let us sing a song of love
There's one thing I'm certain of
Love will fill the hearts of men
Peace will come on earth… 

Lionel

Ref 1: Timothy Keller, The Prodigal Prophet, Jonah and the Mystery of God's Mercy Hodder and Stoughton 2018.

Updated article. First published 4 June 2020

Work For The Night Is Coming

22 Nov 2011 Planning the Curriculum for a New Medical School

'Plant your seed in the morning and keep busy all afternoon, for you don't know if profit will come from one activity or another - or maybe both' Ecclesiastes 11:3-6 (NLT)

A familiar hymn 'Behold Us Lord A Little Space' extols the relationship between work and worship, particularly this stanza:

Work shall be prayer, if all be wrought

as You would have it done;

And prayer, by You inspired and taught,

shall then with work be one.

I have worked for 47 years and I have always treated careers and tasks as part of Christian service. That work and worship are inseparable was also the view of Martin Luther the reformer, "Every occupation has its own honour before God. Ordinary work is a divine vocation or calling. In our daily work no matter how important or mundane, we serve God by serving the neighbour and we participate in God's ongoing providence for the human race." Martin Luther dignified all work, even the most menial and unsavory. He described work as the place to serve God and people.

In more modern times, Martin Luther King also expounded the sanctity of work. He said, “No work is insignificant. All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence. Whatever your life’s work is, do it well.”

Recently in a newsletter, Lam Kok Hiang, Leadership Mentor for Campus Crusade for Christ in Singapore, wrote, "Steward well what has been entrusted to us. We reap what we sow. We must be diligent in our assigned roles and responsibilities. When we steward well what God has entrusted to us and spend each day wisely, we can rest assured that He will bless and establish the work of our hands, for His glory." 

Apichai Chenrungrotsakun, fondly known as Loong, introduced me to the Hebrew word Avodah (עֲבוֹדָה). Do you know that in the Bible the English translated work, worship and service all originated from one Hebrew word, Avodah? For example, 

“Then man goes out to his work (avodah), to his labor until evening.” – Psalm 104:23

“This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship (avodah) me.” – Exodus 8:1

“But as for me and my household, we will serve (avodah) the Lord.” – Joshua 24:15

Using Avodah, William Perkins puts it altogether, "The main end of our lives…is to serve God (worship) in the serving of men (service) in the works of our calling (work)." Our work, our service and our worship are all intertwined because it is all part of living our lives devoted to Christ Jesus. And St Paul summed up,

'Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.' Colossians 3:23, 24b 

There is no separation between the spiritual and the secular. Every moment, every hour, everyday we are living for Christ, whether we are missionaries or plumbers, doctors or gardeners we are working and serving God and treating every action as an act of worship. This changes everything, no task in life is too hard and or too menial. 

John Wesley had this to say about Christian industry, "Use all possible diligence in your calling. Lose no time. If you understand yourself and your relation to God and man . . .If you understand your particular calling as you ought, you will have no time that hangs upon your hands. . . . Never leave anything till tomorrow, which you can do to-day. And do it as well as possible. Do not sleep or yawn over it: Put your whole strength to the work. Spare no pains. . . ."  (Ref 1)

Minister Lawrence Wong, Singapore's Finance Minister and the designated next Prime Minister said, "I suppose in the Methodist tradition, you would say your work is your worship, right? You don't delink faith from day to day. Whatever you do on a day-to-day basis, if you do it well, if you take responsibility, that in itself is a testimony of how you as a person are an example, you know, a light for the world." (Ref 2)

'We need to be energetically at work for the One sent Me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls the workday is over.' John 9:4

Jesus Christ worked to do the will of His Father with a single minded purpose and mission, He said 'Work for the Night is Coming,'

Work for the night is coming

Work thru the morning hours;

Work while the dew is sparkling,

Work ‘mid springing flow’rs.

Work when the day grows brighter,

Work in the glowing sun;

Work, for the night is coming,

When man’s work is done.

Work, for the night is coming,

Work thru the sunny noon;

Fill brightest hours with labor –

Rest comes sure and soon.

Give ev’ry flying minute

Something to keep in store;

Work, for the night is coming,

When man works no more.

Work, for the night is coming,

Under the sunset skies;

While their bright tints are glowing,

Work, for daylight flies.

Work till the last beam fadeth,

Fadeth to shine no more;

Work, while the night is dark’ning,

When man’s work is o’er.

President Ronald Reagan once quipped, "There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit." 

'Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working to the Lord, not for human masters.' Col 3:23

Lionel

Ref 1: Christian History Institute, Christian History, Issue 110, 2014

Ref 2: The Straits Times, Lunch with Sumiko, 1 Nov 2020

The Masking of Nations

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and Love your neighbour as yourself' Luke 10:27

Covid-19 pandemic forces several countries in the world to mandate mask wearing as a preventive health measure. It was felt that since this Corona virus spread by way of droplets, mask wearing could prevent infection from coughing and sneezing whilst at the same time protect the wearer. While many obeyed this rule dutifully, many others revolted against it claiming that mask wearing cramped their styles.

The masking of nations exacerbates a well-known but largely ignored condition of modern society - loneliness, withdrawal, seclusion and self-imposed confinement. In crowded urban societies individuals exist with glassy looks speaking to no one, glued to their computers, TVs and reduced to texting on their mobile phones. These individuals eventually become very depressed and suicidal. The social distancing and mask wearing imposed in the wake of the pandemic invoked a wave of suicides.

This condition is not new, the masking of nations only serves to unmask a condition which, as early as 1963, Paul Simon starting writing about. In 1964 the famous duo Simon and Garfunkel recorded the 'Sounds of Silence'.

 

Hello darkness, my old friend

I've come to talk with you again

Because a vision softly creeping

Left its seed while I was sleeping

And the vision that was planted in my brain still remains

Within the sound of silence

In restless dreams I walked alone

Narrow streets of cobblestone

'Neath the halo of a streetlamp

I turned my collar to the cold and damp

When my eyes were stabbed 

By the flash of a neon light that split the night

And touched the sound of silence

And in the naked light I saw

Ten thousand people, maybe more

People talking without speaking

People hearing without listening

People writing songs that voices never shared

No one dared disturb the sound of silence

"Fools," said I, "you do not know

Silence like a cancer grows

Hear my words that I might teach you

Take my arms that I might reach you"

But my words like silent raindrops fell

And echoed in the well of silence

And the people bowed and prayed

To the neon god they made

And the sign said, "The words of the prophets

Are written on the subway walls

and tenement halls."

and whispered in the sound of silence

Paul Simon was expressing his angst towards the extent of alienation in this modern world. Garfunkel summed up the meaning of the song as the inability of people to communicate with each other. In the end these become people who are unable to love each other.

Nothing was done to alleviate this condition and in the 2019-2021 pandemic, the mask became symbolic of people unable to speak to each other. 

In this silent crowded world, the Bible speaks loudly of love and of being brotherly, sisterly and neighbourly. We learnt about reaching out to the lonely, the marginalised and ignored people of this world by way of a trick question posed to Jesus Christ, Who is my neighbour? In response, a parable was told by Him. It will do well for the world and especially Christians, to learn and live the way of the Good Samaritan:

• Help a friend, a stranger, even an enemy
• Render assistance at  anytime and anywhere
• Give personal care and attention 
• Act from good underlying attitudes and inner beliefs
• Be consistent and not just offer a one-off act of kindness         

Yes Jesus Christ emphasised a deep abiding community spirit and rejected the  alienation in modern societies, Luke 6:35-38:

"But love your enemies, do good to them

and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.

Then your reward will be great

and you will be children of the Most High

because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Do not judge and you will not be judged.

Do not condemn and you will not be condemned.

Forgive and you will be forgiven

Give and it will be given to you. 

A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap."

There is an old forgotten song, a favourite of the late Rev Martin Luther King, that is worth listening to once again at these times when people are hearing without listening, 'If I Can Help Somebody As I Pass Along'.

If I can help somebody as I pass along,

If I can cheer somebody with a word or song,

If I can show somebody that they're travelling wrong

Then my living shall not be in vain

Then my living shall not be in vain

Then my living shall not be in vain

If I can help somebody as I pass along

Then my living shall not be in vain

If I can do my duty as a Christian ought

If I can bring back beauty to a world up wrought

If I can spread love's message as the Master taught

Then my living shall not be in vain

Lionel