4th Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 29.01.2023

 Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13 / 1 Cor 1:26-31 / Matthew 5:1-12

During this festive period, one of the common greeting phrases is “Gong Xi Fa Cai”. 

That phrase means “wishing you wealth and prosperity”. 

That phrase is easy enough for children to say, and it is used during this festive period as a general greeting. 

For the Chinese, and as well as for other cultures, wealth and prosperity are symbols of a good and comfortable life. 

And with wealth and prosperity comes along status and social standing, as well as recognition and influence. 

So, with this kind of understanding, then obviously wealth and prosperity would be a priority in life. 

With wealth and prosperity, then we would be comfortable and we would be happy. 

Actually, the priority in life is that we want to be happy and comfortable, and the means to that would be wealth and prosperity. 

But, can happiness in life be brought about by wealth and prosperity? In other words, can money really make us happy? 

Oh yes, money can buy luxuries and make us comfortable, but money cannot buy us happiness, and we know that from the experience of life. 

Because happiness is a blessing from God and money cannot buy God's blessings. 

In the Old Testament, when God gave His people the Ten Commandments, it also came along with blessings and curses. 

As long as the people were faithful to God and kept the Commandments, God will bless them. 

But if the people were unfaithful to God and broke the Commandments, then they are asking for trouble in the forms of misfortune and tragedy. 

The Ten Commandments form the groundwork and the blueprint for the people's relationship with God and for the norms of morality. 

But along the way, the thinking became such that as long as the Ten Commandments are kept to the letter, then God will impart His blessings and that would be in the form of wealth and prosperity. 

Then came Jesus, and in the gospel, we heard His teaching about the Beatitudes. 

Beatitudes means blessings, and Jesus taught us what true blessings are, and how to receive those blessings. 

It is in being humble and gentle, compassionate and kind, striving for justice and peace, enduring abuse and persecution, that God will pour His blessings on us. 

So even if others throw a brick at us, let us not throw it back at them. Let us see as a blessing from God.

There is a story of a young and successful executive who was traveling down a neighborhood street, in his new expensive sports car. 

Suddenly, a brick smashed into the car's side door! He slammed on the brakes and reversed the car back to the spot where the brick had been thrown. 

The angry driver then jumped out of the car, grabbed the nearest kid and shouted, "What was that all about? Just what are you doing? That's a new car and that brick you threw is going to cost a lot of money. Why did you do it?" 

The young boy was apologetic. "Please, sir, please, I'm sorry but I didn't know what else to do," he pleaded. "I threw the brick because no one else would stop..." With tears dripping down his face, the boy pointed to a spot just around the corner. 

“It's my brother,” he said "He rolled off the curb and fell out of his wheelchair and I can't lift him up." 

Now sobbing, the boy asked the stunned executive, "Would you please help me get him back into his wheelchair? He's hurt and he's too heavy for me." 

Moved beyond words, the young executive tried to swallow the rapidly swelling lump in his throat. He hurriedly lifted the handicapped boy back into the wheelchair, then took out a handkerchief and dabbed at the scrapes and cuts. A quick look told him everything was going to be okay. 

"Thank you and may God bless you," the grateful boy told the young executive. Too shook up for words, the man simply watched the boy push his wheelchair-bound brother down the sidewalk toward their home. 

It was a long, slow walk back to the car. The damage was very noticeable, but the young man didn’t bother to repair the dented side door. 

He kept the dent there to remind him of this message: "Don't go through life so fast that someone has to throw a brick at you to get your attention!" 

More than that he remembered what the boy said to him: "Thank you and may God bless you"

Yes, God’s abundant blessings come in surprising and even unexpected forms.

When we understand the spirit of the Beatitudes, we will experience the wonderful and beautiful blessings of God, blessings that are beyond wealth and prosperity.

So, we continue to wish each other “Gong Xi Fa Cai”, and may God bless us with a wealth of love and may we be prosperous in good works.

3rd Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 22.01.2023

  Isaiah 8:23 – 9:3 / 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17 / Matthew 4:12-23

Today we begin the first day of the Chinese New Year or the Lunar New Year with much rejoicing and gladness. 

For the past 2 years, there were restrictions to observe, but this year we can move around and run freely like rabbits. 

We already had our family reunion dinner last evening, and today we are here in church as the family of God to give thanks, to celebrate God's love and to pray for blessings as we begin the new year. 

As in every celebration, there will be an abundance of food and goodies, exchange of Mandarin oranges (later we will be receiving the blessed oranges), and for the children, it is also a time to collect ang-pows. 

As in every celebration, it is also about the renewing and the reunion of relationships. In fact, the joy and meaning of any celebration of a festival is about the renewing and reunion of relationships. 

It is about the relationship between God and us, and about our relationships with one another. 

In the midst of the New Year celebration, the church has also designated this Sunday to be the “Word of God Sunday”. 

And that leads us to a reflection and meditation of the Word of God in our festive celebrations, in our lives and in our relationships. 

In the gospel, we heard that Jesus began His ministry with the message of repentance, and that the kingdom of God is close at hand. 

Then He called His first disciples, Peter and his brother Andrew, and also James and his brother John. 

So, four of His disciples were brothers and the rest will develop a relationship with one another along the way. 

So, the Good News of Salvation began with the message of repentance and built on relationships and on the building of relationships. 

The mission of Salvation is built on relationships. God sent His only son to be our Saviour, and in Jesus we become children of God. 

And as children of God, we want to go to heaven to be with God, but we are not going there alone. 

We also want to tell others about heaven, where God is waiting for us to come home. 

We also want to help others go to heaven. That is our mission as children of God. 

So, as we go about celebrating the new year, let us remember that over and above the food and the ang-pows, it is also about the renewing and the reunion of relationships. 

We will be receiving the blessed Mandarin oranges in the specially designed carrier bags, (more is available at the entrance of the church). 

With the subtle colours of the Chinese New Year theme, there are also Christian symbols. 

There are words of blessing in Chinese and in English.

There is also the ancient Christian symbol of the fish, the fish in Greek “ICHTHUS”, which stands for “Jesus, Son of God, the Saviour”. 

And the fish is not swimming sideways but upwards, to mean that Jesus is leading us to heaven.

And then there is the little rabbit (Year of the Rabbit) looking at the fish that is swimming upwards. All this info is available at the Parish Facebook page. 

So, in receiving the blessed oranges in these carrier banks, we go forth to share the message of God's love and salvation. 

And as a topic of conversation, we can share with our relatives and friends and tell them about Jesus. 

Let us go with Jesus to celebrate and to renew and to reunite our relationships with one another. 

May the Chinese New Year celebrations also be a celebration of God's love and a celebration of the joy and the blessings of salvation.

2nd Ordinary Sunday, Year A, 15.01.2023

 Isaiah 8:23 – 9:3 / 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17 / Matthew 4:12-23

There are many things that we take for granted, and we will only realize it when they are taken away from us. 

One of which is our ability to see. To be able to see is a great gift, and there are so many things that our eyes are doing for us. 

With our eyes we are able to admire the beauty of the things around us. We are able to read books and watch videos and movies. We are able to see people's expressions and actions and we can also see how they feel. 

As much as we can see, we may not be able to see that clearly, or see deeper than appearances. 

When John the Baptist saw Jesus, he saw Him as more than just another ordinary person. 

John the Baptist saw Jesus as the Lamb of God. He even saw the Holy Spirit come down upon Him at His baptism. 

John the Baptist was able to recognize Jesus and see more and see deeper when John the Baptist baptized Jesus and saw the Holy Spirit come down upon Jesus. 

We may not see the dramatic things that John the Baptist saw. 

But the Holy Spirit will open our eyes to see what God wants us to see. 

At our baptism, the Holy Spirit came down upon us to enable us to see that we are created in the image of God and to be able to see God's love in us. 

And we are also given eyes of love to see that every person is created in the image of God and to see God's love in every person. 

But just as we have to take care of our eyes so that we can see clearly, we also need to take care of our faith in order to see what God wants us to see. 

There is this story of a person who came from overseas and he was looking for a church to attend worship services. 

He came to a parish and he approached the priest and he asked the priest, “How are the people in this parish? Are they nice?” 

The priest replied, “How are the people in the parish you came from?” 

The person replied, “Arg! They are selfish and proud. The rich look down on the poor and there are often quarrels here and there.” 

The priest replied, “Oh, the people in this parish are also like that.” 

Some time later, another person, also from overseas, came to the parish and asked the priest, “How are the people in this parish? Are they nice?” 

The priest replied, “How are the people in the parish you came from?” 

That person replied, “Hmmm. They are kind and helpful. They look out for each other and offer help to those in need.” 

The priest replied. “Oh, the people in this parish are also like that.” 

What we see around us and what we see in others is often a reflection of ourselves. 

God gave us eyes to see His love in others. When we can see God's love in others, then we are also looking at a reflection of ourselves. 

So let us see kindness and compassion, let us see goodness and beauty in others, and we will be looking at a reflection of ourselves.

And it is also a reflection of the love and the image of God in ourselves and in others.

Epiphany, 08.01.2023

 Isaiah 60:1-6 / Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 / Matthew 2:1-12

The meaning of the Feast of the Epiphany is that the birth of Jesus is proclaimed to the whole world. 

At Christmas, the birth of Jesus was made known to the people of Israel. So, the people who knew of the Christmas message were Mary and Joseph, the shepherds at the fields, and even king Herod and the chief priests and the scribes at Jerusalem. 

In the Epiphany, the highlight is on the three wise men, presumably there were three because of the three gifts. 

These wise men came from the East and they brought along gifts of mystic meaning. 

Their journey began when they noticed a star, and it beckoned them to pay homage to the infant King of the Jews. 

So, with their gifts, they began their journey to a foreign land in search of that infant King. 

But the star wasn't always there to guide them, and hence they came to Jerusalem, thinking that the infant King ought to be found in the capital of the country. 

However, they discovered from King Herod and the scribes, that according to the scriptures, the Christ would come from Bethlehem. 

So, they went on, and this time the star was there, and it led them to the infant King. And they found Him in a poor and humble situation, with the infant King lying in a manger and the parents don't look anything like royalty. 

Whatever their expectations, the wise men fell to their knees and paid homage to the infant King, with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, gifts that have mystic meanings. 

The gold represents the royalty of Jesus, that He is the king. 

The frankincense represents the Divinity of Jesus, that He is God. 

The myrrh represents the humanity of Jesus, that He would suffer and die on the Cross for the salvation of sinners. 

The word “Epiphany” has meanings of manifestation, revelation and realization. 

For the wise men, it was an experience of all three meanings. Because Divinity was manifested in humanity, the Saviour was revealed to the world, and the wise men realized that the ways of God is different but it is also wonderful. 

Just as it was for the wise men, so it is for us, as we celebrate this feast of the Epiphany. 

We see the manifestation, we ponder on the revelation, and we wonder with realization. 

The three gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, also have a Mystic meaning for us, and this story may help us understand the experience of the wise men.

Once, there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams, and the First tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. I could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty." Then the Second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull.” Finally, the Third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God, and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."

 After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodcutters came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter," and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest. 

At the second tree another woodcutter said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship. 

When another woodcutter came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if he was cut down, his dreams would not come true. The woodcutter said, "I don't need anything special from my tree, so I'll take this one", and he cut it down. 

 When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. 

The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.

 The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

 Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and He stood and said "Quiet and be still" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of kings in its boat. 

 Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill.

Then the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill, and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

So, each of the trees got what they wanted, but just not in the way they had imagined. 

So, when things don't seem to be going our way, as it was with the wise men, let us always know and trust that God has a wonderful plan for us. 

May we see the manifestation of God’s plan for us, ponder on the revelation, and give thanks to God as we wonder with realization.