From Ritual to Relationship

Awe and Wonder - A Starry Night

 'Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear  my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.' Rev 3:20 (NLT)

Have you ever wondered in attending church services how leaders and congregation are more concerned about the conduct of worship than the experience of worship itself? Our Pastor in his opening sermon on the 1 Jan 2023, brought the congregation of Charis back to the basics when he encouraged us to experience worship as a meeting of God's people in God's presence. 

He asked two fundamental questions

1. What is worship?
2. What is needed in worship?

Let's ponder over these questions because many have become rather disillusioned with the way worship of God proceeds in our church worship services today. 

What is worship? Rev Lui stressed the point that worship happens when people encounter God. It happens when people meet God and vice versa. Rather than become distracted by the mechanics in the conduct of the service, we should experience the encounter. We should be cautious NOT to create the impression that God can be 'more present' when we use music, sermons, rituals to engender a more inspirational atmosphere. Rev Lui said, "Don't feel pressured to make God show up." The presence of God is entirely of God's doing. 

• God's Promised Presence. This is a gift of God's love for us individually and corporately. In the meeting between God, Moses and the people in the Sinai wilderness, God promised

'My presence will go with you and I will give you rest' Exodus 33:14

• God's Experienced Presence. There is no substitute for the manifested presence of God. Each time we enter a church or be called as a people of God to worship, we should feel or find the presence of God within us or around us, He is always present. How God would meet us is entirely up to Him, we cannot manipulate it. Moses understood this fundamental requirement when he rejected the suggestion to use angels to guide the people's journey in the wilderness

'If Your presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here. How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and Your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and Your people from all the other people in the face of the earth?' Exodus 33:15-16

• God's Unveiled Presence. Cultivate a hunger for the Lord and not rely on methods and programmes. There is no substitute for God's presence. Over-polished, entertaining, professional atmospheres and environment  distract and detract from the raw presence of God. Anticipate that God will reveal himself to us as we enter into the worship relationship. Moses was bold when he asked the Lord to show His glory.

'Then Moses said, "Now show me Your glory" And the Lord said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim My name, The Lord, in your presence." Exodus 33:18 and 19a

What is needed in Worship? A hunger for God and an encounter with God. Moses asked God

"Teach me Your ways" Exodus 33:13.  

He was not asking for information or knowledge of God. Moses was not looking for facts but for the real experience of encountering God.

When we next come to Church for worship we should

1. Anticipate God's presence
2. Look for God's hand at work
3. Listen for God's voice
4. Open ourselves to God

Let's move from Duty to Devotion, from Ritual to Relationship. Come back to the 'Heart of Worship.'

Lionel

Ref: Sermon by Rev Lui Yuan Tze on the 1 January 2023 at Charis Methodist Church

Sing to the Dawn

Dawn@WanlapaFarm, Lopburi Thailand

'From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.' Psalm 113:3

The dawn and sunrise over Wanlapa Farm, a rice field we stayed in at Lopburi, Thailand on the 28 Nov 2022, was a spectacular experience. The sun rose and suddenly the rice fields became alive as the egrets and birds flew about as if to heat up their wings. The dragonflies and insects started flittering and all life awoke, singing to the dawn.

It is a time to praise the Lord.

Emily Dickinson described a similar experience,

The birds begun at four o'clock

Their period for dawn.

A music numerous as space

And measureless as noon

I could not count their force

Their voices did expend

As brook by brook bestows itself

To magnify the pond

Their witnesses were not

Except occasional man

In homely industry arrayed

To overtake the morn

Nor was it for applause

That I could ascertain

But independent ecstasy

Of Deity and Men

Like Emily, I realised that dawn is a time of freshness, a time to ecstatically praise God.  Early in the morning, life stirs. It is a time when 'all nature sings and round me rings the music of the sphere' A time to celebrate that 'This is my Father's World.' 

This is my Father's world

And to my listening ears

All nature sings, and round me rings

The music of the spheres

This is my Father's world

I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas

His hand the wonders wrought

This is my Father's world

The birds their carols raise

The morning bright, the lily white

Declare their maker's praise

This is my Father's world

He shines in all that's fair

In rustling grass I hear Him pass

He speaks to me everywhere

This is my Father's world

O let me ne'er forget

That though the wrong seems oft so strong

God is the ruler yet

This is my Father's world

Why should my heart be sad?

The Lord is King, let the heavens ring!

God reigns, let earth be glad!

This is 2023 and the new dawn of the New Year will rise with the sun. What will it bring? 2022 has not been a good year with its tragedies, wars, economic downturn, pandemic. 2023 promises hope and better tomorrows. Hopefully the world will be rid of the Covid scourge. Hopefully there will be peace in Europe.

The prophet Isaiah proclaimed

'Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.' Isaiah 60:1

Every new year on 6 January, Christians remember the light that shines in the darkness, the Epiphany. It commemorates the Adoration of the Magi, the wise men from the East who were guided to Bethlehem by the bright star to the baby Jesus. This was predicted by Isaiah 

'The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.' Isaiah 9:2 

Epiphany, a light shining in the darkness, assures us of God's guidance as life continues into the new year; new roads appear up ahead. New roads that will lead us into new adventures, new opportunities and new challenges.

The Hymn, 'Morning Has Broken' celebrates the dawn of the new year. It was written by Eleanor Farjeon in 1931 and popularise by Cat Stevens in the 1970s.

Morning has broken like the first morning

Blackbird has spoken like the first bird

Praise for the singing, praise for the morning

Praise for them springing fresh from the world

Sweet the rains new fall, sunlit from Heaven

Like the first dewfall on the first grass

Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden

Sprung in completeness where His feet pass

Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning

Born of the one light, Eden saw play

Praise with elation, praise every morning

God's recreation of the new day

Morning has broken like the first morning

Blackbird has spoken like the first bird

Praise for the singing, praise for the morning

Praise for them springing fresh from the world

Happy New Year 2023!

Lionel

Peace And Goodwill To All Men

'And the angel said unto them, "Fear not: for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men."  Luke 2:10,11 and 13,14 (KJV)

Merry and Blessed Christmas! 

The first Christmas greetings under the night sky of Bethlehem was proclaimed by the angel and multitude of the heavenly host to the shepherds. There were two messages

• The birth of Jesus Christ, long awaited and a fulfillment of prophecies, 

'For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulders. And He shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.' Isaiah 9:6-7

• The prayer and expectation of Peace on Earth. Jesus was declared the Prince of Peace.

Christians rejoice at the coming of Jesus, our Saviour who forgave our sins and ushered us into a new and living relationship with God. For more than two thousand years Christians enjoy this reality. But the promise of peace appears elusive; many lament the fact that peace on earth is never experienced even since the birth of Christ. 

Let me share my journey in understanding this Peace.

The first is Elusive Peace. This was most sarcastically commented by this rendition of Silent Night by Simon and Garfunkel over the Seven o'Clock News read by Charles O'Donnell.

That album was released in the 1966, things have not changed. Since then there has not been a Christmas in which there is no war, crisis or conflict somewhere in this world. This Christmas the war in Ukraine rages on and there will be no Christmas truce this time. Is Christmas and its promise of peace on earth good will among men irrelevant today?

The second is Inner Peace. How can we find peace in the midst of dismal circumstances? If peace cannot be found externally, can it be found within us? Having peace within, perhaps we can be at peace with others. A Chinese poem reads,

If there is a light in the soul there will be beauty in the person,

If there is beauty in the person there will be harmony in the house,

If there is harmony in the house there will be order in the nation,

If there is order in the nation, there will be peace in the world.

"Let There Be Peace on Earth" is a song written by Jill Jackson-Miller and Sy Miller in 1955. Jackson-Miller, had been suicidal after the failure of her marriage, she wrote the song after discovering what she called the "life-saving joy of God's peace and unconditional love." The main message is in the refrain, 'Let peace begin with me.' 

The third is Heavenly Peace. There is another kind of peace, not coming from within but peace from above, transcendental peace. This is the peace offered by Christmas, Jesus said,

'Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.' John 14:27

Saint Paul described this as a peace which passed all understanding,

 'And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.' Philippians 4:7

This was the peace Saint Francis understood when he prayed 'Make me an instrument of thy peace.' The peace comes from God and if we can become just instruments, conduits of this peace, there is a chance for peace and good will among men.

Enjoy this Christmas carol, Silent Night. 

Merry Christmas! May the Light of Jesus Christ be the light in your souls!

Lionel

God Answers Prayers

'I prayed to the Lord and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces.' Psalm 34:4-5 (NLT)

Two recent experiences taught me some truths to the reality of this often used phrase, God answers prayer

We went on a family holiday, mission trip and spiritual retreat to Thailand. My brother-in-law John was most keen to go on this trip. He wanted so much to see the mission work in Phrao. But the night before, John spotted a fever of 41 degrees centigrade. He was devastated; so were we because a drop-out from the trip would have spoilt the entire holiday. We all resorted to prayer for him that his condition would not be so severe as to have him opt out of the trip. Early next morning John saw his General Practitioner. The ART for Covid-19 was negative, so was the test for Dengue and the GP cleared him to go on vacation. God answered our petition positively and the entire 8 of us with John had a wonderful 16 days of family vacation and bonding.

Our next experience was not answered by God in the manner we had hoped for. Pat's friend, developed severe lung infection on vacation in Europe. Her cough went on for couple of months. We prayed for healing, however she developed respiratory failure and had to be on respiratory support for several weeks. We kept a prayer vigil for her recovery. Pat would write prayer responses which her daughter would read to the mother. Sadly she died. God chose not to answer our prayers the way we wanted, which is for recovery. But several days before she died, she chose in one of her more lucid moments, to be baptised. A professing Christian for many years, her more recent baptism anchored her faith. We knew then that God had answered our prayers in a far better manner that we had hoped for; Pat's friend had a home-coming and stood before her Lord Jesus Christ.

We can sometimes lose interest and faithfulness in prayer because we treat prayers to God as in going to an ATM to draw out cash. We expect always to have God answer our prayers in the way we wished for. Some even believe that if we persistently badger God, He will answer. They use this passage as justification.

'Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.' Matthew 7:7-8

Hence, some believe that if they are very persistent in praying, they will get what they want. They simply lack faith, if they don't, and they should pray even more. They fail to read the following verses wisely,

'Which of you, if your son asks for bread will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to you children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who asks Him!' Matthew 7:9-11

These verses tell us that God will always answer our prayers, not in the ways we wanted but in ways that is best for us. Sometimes, what is best is a 'No' as an answer or sometimes it is 'Wait' for God's good timing. Simply put, God knows what's best.

What Jesus is teaching us in the passage in the Sermon on the Mount is not to treat God as an automated answering machine nor attempt to placate God with our offerings in order that our prayers will be answered. We need not pester God into getting our way. More than a practice of prayer, Jesus is trying to establish a special relationship between us and God through our faithfulness in prayer  

So whether, answered positively or negatively, God answers prayers for our good. Build a prayer relationship with Him and as this song emphatically puts it, 'God Answers Prayer'

Have you ever talk to God above?

Tell Him that you need a friend to love

Pray in Jesus name believing

That God answers prayer

Have you told him all your cares and woes?

Ev'ry tiny little fear He knows. 

You can know He'll always hear

And He will answer prayer.

You can whisper in a crowd to Him

You can cry when you're alone to Him

You don't have to pray out loud to Him;

He knows your thoughts

On a lofty mountain peak, He's there.

In a meadow by a stream, He's there

Anywhere on earth you go,

He's been there from the start.

Find the answer in His Word; it's true.

You'll be strong because He walks with you

By His faithfulness He'll change you, too

God answers prayer.

Lionel

Climb Up Higher

Starting the Climb to Mount Sinai

'When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai.... to the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain.' Exodus 24:15,16a and 17 (NLT)

On the 4 Dec 2010, the tour-pilgrimage group from Singapore reached St Catherine's Monastery. We journeyed by bus via a tunnel under the Suez Canal and through the Sinai Desert for about 7 hours.

At this spot at the foot of Mount Sinai, Moses encountered God in the burning bush, where he received the commission to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. On a second occasion, at the top of the mountain, Moses received the Ten Commandments. We all felt that we were on Holy Ground

A much smaller group, 5 out  of 37 of us, decided to brave the biting cold and make the 3 hours climb up to the summit, 2285 metres high. They wished to see the sunrise at the mountain peak. More importantly, in making the climb they hope in the stillness of the dawn to very personally find God at a most sacred place. The rest of us lesser mortals settled in our beds to rise up early to worship at the foot of the mountain.

The Bible passage in Exodus 24 describes a similar group of pilgrims; the Israelites arriving at this same location after several days of walking through the Sinai desert. Here, the Lord God called Moses and the Israelites into a covenantal relationship with Him. Just like us, at the invitation to climb higher up the Sinai, the congregation separated; this time into 3 groups. Bishop Robert Solomon expounding from the passage described this as 3 levels of intimacy, the general congregation at the foot of the mountain, the seventy elders at mid-level and Moses alone at the mountain top.

At the foot of Sinai, the general congregation experienced their first introduction into a relationship with God :

'Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel' Exodus 24:4 

Sacrifices were made and blood was shed. This reminds us of baptism, which hinges on the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross and His blood shed as atonement for our sins.

The second level is represented by the elders who went with Moses halfway up the mountain. It was recorded that they ate and drank at the feet of God:

'Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.' Exodus 24:9-11

The scene depicted the communal relationship of God's people, among themselves and with God. In the church we express this in the Holy Communion.

Then, Moses was invited alone into a deeper relationship with God; he was called to come up to God.

'The Lord said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction.' Exodus 24:12 

There was a cloud covering the mountain, which appeared to be on fire. In a spiritually charged atmosphere, Moses worshipped God alone.

Pilgrims from Singapore by the walls
of St Catherine Monastery

On that cold morning on 4 Dec 2010, every one of the 37 pilgrims who came from Singapore to Mount Sinai wanted to feel very close to God.

The five that went up the mountain will no doubt always remember the physical feat that led to a very special spiritual experience. At the summit, they worshipped and sang 'How Great Thou Art'. The rest of us worshipped by the walls of the Monastery of St Catherine, at the foot of the mountain. We sang 'To God Be The Glory'.

Here, on this historical site, God revealed himself so dramatically in ages past. 'This is holy ground.' We were glad that we came. During our worship, a special communion transpired between  our human spirit and the Holy Spirit. We knew that wherever we are and whatever level we are at, God will still beckon us to 'Come Up Higher'.

This is holy ground,

We’re standing on holy ground,
For the Lord is here
And where He is holy.
This is holy ground,
We’re standing on holy ground,
For the Lord is here
And where He is holy.

These are holy hands,
He’s given us holy hands,
He works through these hands
And so these hands are holy.
These are holy hands,
He’s given us holy hands,
He works through these hands
And so these hands are holy.

We are standing on holy ground

And I know that there are angels

All around

Let us praise Jesus now

We are standing in his presence

On holy ground

We are standing on holy ground

And I know that there are angels

All around

Let us praise Jesus now

We are standing in his presence

On holy ground

We are standing on holy ground

And I know that there are angels

All around

Let us praise Jesus now

We are standing in his presence

We are standing in his presence

We are standing in his presence

On holy ground

Lionel

Updated 1st published 4 Dec 2010