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

Day By Day

 
'Who is a God like You, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance? You will again have compassion  on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depth of the seas.' Micah 7:18-19

Today is New Year's Day for 2021, a year that all of us hope to be much better than the Covid-laden 2020. Having faced the pandemic how would we live 2021? What will be our New Year resolution? 

At the close of his book the prophet Micah asked the question Who is a God like You? It is a question many of us should ask. Who is God? And do we know our God? Perhaps we can make this our 2021 resolution, to know God better.

This brings us to a song Day by Day in the musical Godspell. Day by Day is a very catchy tune, like a modern day nursery rhyme. This song became a top hit as many people were attracted to the simple repetitive tune. It is based on a prayer ascribed to the 13th-century English Bishop Richard of Chichester.  

"May I know Thee more clearly,

Love Thee more dearly,

Follow Thee more nearly."

 

We know that the uniqueness of Christianity is the restoration of our relationship with God. However, many of us after being restored, fail to further this relationship. Perhaps we can use this song to deepen our relationship and to

Know Jesus
Love Jesus

Obey Jesus 

There is another song with the same title, Day by Day (and with Each Passing Moment), a hymn written in 1865 by Carolina Sandell Berg, known as the Fanny Crosby of Sweden. On a voyage with her father, Pastor Sandell, the boat they were on lurched to one side and her father was thrown overboard. He drowned as Carolina looked on. In this tragedy, she discovered that God's comforting presence is always near and this, inspired her to compose the hymn.   

Day by day and with each passing moment,

Strength I find to meet my trials here;

Trusting in my Father's wise bestowment,

I've no cause for worry or for fear.

He whose heart is kind beyond all measure

Gives unto each day what He deems best--

Lovingly, its part of pain and pleasure,

Mingling toil with peace and rest.

Ev'ry day the Lord Himself is near me

With a special mercy for each hour;

All my cares He fain would bear, and cheer me,

He whose name is Counselor and Pow'r.

The protection of His child and treasure

Is a charge that on Himself He laid;

"As thy days, thy strength shall be in measure,"

This the pledge to me He made.

Help me then in eve'ry tribulation

So to trust Thy promises, O Lord,

That I lose not faith's sweet consolation

Offered me within Thy holy Word.

Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting,

E'er to take, as from a father's hand,

One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,

Till I reach the promised land.

So how would we make good this New Year resolution? We turn to God for every encouragement, help, mercy and strength to walk through life one step at a time, day by day, using this prayer hymn. The secret to a deepening relationship with Jesus, to know, love and obey Him, is to pray day by day.

May 2021 be the year where we discover God, His will, His purposes for our lives.

Happy New Year 

Lionel 

Give Me This Mountain

The Dolomites

 'I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith' 2 Tim 4:7

Caleb was a man that could truly claim that he had fought the good fight and finished the race. He was one of two spies that Moses sent to recce the promised land across the Jordan who came back with a positive and optimistic analysis of the terrain and enemy. The other spy with the same analysis was Joshua. Ten other spies brought back negative and depressing news that obstacles before them could not be surmounted. In Joshua 14:7-8 Caleb recalled, "I brought him (Moses) back a report according to my convictions but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear.

 

So at age 85 years, just as the the Israelites were dividing the conquered territories of Canaan amongst the tribes, Caleb staked his claim, "Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me." Joshua 14:12 

Caleb in Hebrew means 'faithful, devoted, whole hearted, bold, brave'. True to his name, Caleb was a remarkable man, resolute and tenacious. Dr Alan Redpath who wrote Victorious Christian Living, Studies in the Book of Joshua (Ref 1) described Caleb's legacy as 

• A Faith that never wavered
• A Strength that never weakened

Caleb left an example for all who are living out the Christian life for many years. Our faith should not grow dim even as our eye sights may be failing us. Dr Redpath hoped that "the faith which is ours in youth may be undimmed in old age, that the vision of the Lord shall be clearer as we grow older, that when life's journey is almost done we shall not be content merely to survey the past but be ready and eager still for battles with the enemy".

Alan Redpath hit the nail on the head when surveying the challenges of the older and grey-haired Christians. Many of us who had retired from our lifelong employments think also that we can retire from our Christian duties and service. We feel that we have done enough and now it is time to sit back and relax and allow the younger Christians to take up the cudgel. Nothing can be more threatening to our continuing faith if we take a backseat, trying to rest upon the laurels of past service as though we can now cash in on our past investments. 

When we become Christians we have a perspective of eternity which has no place for retirements. Harry Blamires wrote, 'A prime mark of the Christian mind is that it cultivates the eternal perspective. It looks beyond this life to another one'. (Ref 2)

Caleb at a ripe old age said, "So here I am today, eighty-five years old! I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out; I'm just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then" Joshua 14:10-11.

Most Christians do not live like Caleb who was wholehearted in his faith and steadfastly resolute to defend it. Bishop Solomon told the story that when the Irish tribes were baptised, their warriors raised their right hands above the baptismal waters, the hands that wielded their swords. The Bishop commented that they were willing to give up certain parts of their lives but hold back other parts from God (Ref 3). Most Christians are like that, half-hearted sacrifice and half hearted surrender. Hudson Taylor, the founder of the China Inland Mission, now known as OMF said, "Christ is either Lord of all or is not Lord at all".

Where are the Calebs today? In 1874, Frances Havergal wrote a familiar hymn, 'Take My Life'. 

Frances enacted her lyrics, a line of which says "Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold." In 1878, four years after writing the hymn, Miss Havergal wrote a friend, "Take my silver and my gold" now means shipping off all my ornaments to the Church Missionary House, including a jewel cabinet that is really fit for a countess, where all will be accepted and disposed of for me...Nearly fifty articles are being packed up. I don't think I ever packed a box with such pleasure."

1. Take my life and let it be
   Consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
   Take my moments and my days,
   Let them flow in endless praise.
2. Take my hands and let them move
   At the impulse of Thy love.
   Take my feet and let them be
   Swift and beautiful for Thee.
3. Take my voice and let me sing,
   Always, only for my King.
   Take my lips and let them be
   Filled with messages from Thee.
4. Take my silver and my gold,
   Not a mite would I withhold.
   Take my intellect and use
   Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.
5. Take my will and make it Thine,
   It shall be no longer mine.
   Take my heart, it is Thine own,
   It shall be Thy royal throne.
6. Take my love, my Lord, I pour
   At Thy feet its treasure store.
   Take myself and I will be
   Ever, only, all for Thee.

This is a hymn of total surrender, a hymn of consecration, a hymn for the Calebs of today

Lionel

Ref 1: Alan Redpath. Victorious Christian Living, Fleming H. Revel, Baker Book House Company 1955. 
Ref 2: Harry Blamires. The Christian Mind, SPCK, 1963 
Ref 3: Robert Solomon. Growing Old Gracefully, Following Jesus to the End, Discovery House, 2019

What Can I Give to Him?

' For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace' Isaiah 9:6

'Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!' 2 Cor 9:15

The Christmas of 2020 must surely be one of the bleakest Christmases in history. The news of the unrelenting Covid-19 pandemic hitting record highs in infections and deaths is unrelenting in the week leading to the 25 December 2020. A new highly infectious strain of the virus appeared in Britain, has crossed into Europe and threatens to spread throughout the globe. 

This season, governments are advising citizens not to go out to make merry, not even to meet in extended families to celebrate the Christmas. Christmas eve service in Bethlehem will not have a congregation. The Pope in the Vatican said Christmas mass without the usual crowded audience in St Peter's Square. Yesterday my family had our unusual virtual Christmas celebration on Zoom linking those of us from separate homes in Singapore, UK and the USA. 

The shops are depleted of customers. There is almost no Christmas shopping. No one is trying to go bargain hunting for gifts this Christmas. There will be many a disappointed young boy or girl who will not receive many, even any, Christmas presents.

The tradition of giving each other gifts during Christmas is symbolic of the gift of the Christ child at the first Christmas. It also signifies the act of adoration and giving of presents to the Jesus by the Magi who visited him guided by the star in the east.

Now that many of us will not be receiving gifts, we can ask ourselves whether these gifts, however expensive, really matter? Instead, can we offer to each other something of worth? Can we offer to Jesus something of real worth this Christmas?       

The Charis Methodist Church Choir rendered as a gift offering, a zoom virtual presentation of the song 'When I Kneel At The Manger Tonight' at our Covid-restricted, limited number, Worship Service on the 20 Dec 2020. The lyrics attempt answers to the question: What can I give to him? The real answer is, 'I have nothing to bring', nothing of worth, which is exactly what is happening with the lack of gift exchanges this Christmas. 

What can I give to Him, a heavenly King?
What can I give to Him? 

I have nothing to bring, but I'll offer my heart

When I kneel at the manger tonight

What can I give to Him, to honour His birth?

What can I give to Him?

I have nothing of worth, but I'll offer my heart

When I kneel at the manger tonight.

If I were as shepherd boy, I would give him a lamb

If I were a mighty king, I would give Him a golden ring

But what can I give to Him I have nothing at all?

What can I give to Him? 

Would my gift be too small, if I offer my heart

When I kneel at the manger tonight.

Is it necessary to bring a gift? What if you are too poor to buy one? The Christmas carol, 'The Little Drummer Boy' helps put to rest the dilemma that we are facing about gifts and their value on this gift-less Christmas. 

It is a tender story of a little boy who is told, apparently by the Magi, to go and see the new born Jesus bringing gifts to honour the baby. The boy is poor and doesn't have anything to give, so he offers to play his drum. His offering is accepted with Mary nodding her approval. The boy plays the best he can, and the infant King smiles at him.

Come they told me

A new born king to see

Our finest gifts we bring

To lay before the king

So to honor him

When we come

Little baby

I am a poor boy too

I have no gift to bring

That's fit to give our king

Shall I play for you

Mary nodded

The ox and lamb kept time

I played my drum for him

I played my best for him

Then He smiled at me

Me and my drum

In this  consumer-dominated world, we often value a person by the kind of gift  he brings. This Covid-19 Christmas will teach us that presents and gifts of whatever value and cost do not really matter. We can afford to strip Christmas of its commercial overtones. We can return to fully appreciating the real gift of Christmas, the gift of Jesus, an indescribable gift!

Lionel

Inspired by a sermon preached by Rev (Dr) Andrew Peh on 20 Dec 2020