21st March 2011 (LENT)
Dear Members and Friends of BRMC,
Greetings in Jesus’ most Precious Name!
Recent events especially the Tsunami in Japan brings to mind the words of Kazoh Kitamori, a Japanese Christian pastor and theologian who wrote in the 1950’s about ‘The Pain of God’. This was what he said to the Japanese Church: ‘The message ‘the Son of God has died’ is indeed most astonishing….God died! If this does not startle us what will? The church must keep this astonishment alive. The church ceases to exist when she loses this astonishment’. Kitamori was, of course, speaking to a church within a nation that had both gone through the pain and devastating defeat of the Second World War. He wanted to declare that the God who comes to us in Jesus Christ is a God who has experienced unimaginable pain and a cruel human death, as well. It is only such a God that will be able to connect with those who are also going through a tragic human existence, suffering greatly and horribly for no apparent reason, now.
Some will surely point out that Tsunamis do not immediately appear because of wicked men. Tsunamis come because Mother Nature seems to be ruthlessly out of control, causing havoc to anything and anyone in her path. St Paul declared about such occurrences: ‘For we know that up to the present time all of creation groans with pain like the pain of childbirth’ (Romans 8:22, GNB). According to Genesis, it started with Adam’s act of rebellion against his Maker: ‘Because of what you have done, the ground will be under a curse’ (Gen 3:17, GNB). Ever since then, Nature has often had her irrationally destructive moments. Biblical scholar Richard Bauckham explains: ‘The Fall disturbed humanity’s harmonious relationship with nature, alienating us… so that we now experience nature as hostile.’.
Yet it is our Easter Faith that empowers us with the audacity of hope: that we can do more than just cry ‘why me?’ That creation’s story will have a happy ending after all, inspite of what is happening now. CHRIST HAS DIED, CHRIST IS RISEN AND CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN! Hallelujah! Moreover, our Easter Faith gives us the strength to also turn tragedy into triumph. John Piper explains redemptive suffering; ‘The heart of the Bible is not an explanation of where evil came from…the most profound thing we can say about suffering and evil is that, in Jesus Christ, God entered into it and turned it for good’. Consequently, the Christian is not to run from victims of natural disasters but is instead, to provide help as we are enabled, so that those who have gone through the horror of natural calamity will be able to rebuild their lives, knowing full well that this is the will of the God Who raised Jesus from the dead. God’s love remains in spite of the pain of a present Fallen world. Our Easter Faith also declares that on that Final Day when Christ returns, Nature will be restored to her original harmony with humanity where even ‘wolves and sheep will live together in peace; and leopards will lie down with young goats.’ (Isaiah 11:6-9 GNB).
Our ultimate hope is not to escape a damned world, but that God’s will shall be done in His redeemed world… Believers are not optimists, they are people of hope. Their only reason for so huge a hope is the story of how the Maker of the world once came to His world, died, lived again, and still intends to come back and fix His world once and for all. (Lewis Smedes)
On behalf of my fellow Pastors, the Rev CS Wee David, the Rev David Wee BH, the Rev Noel Goh, the Rev See Swee Fang, the Rev Terence Yeo and our loved ones, together with all Leaders and Staff (Pastoral & Admin) of BRMC, may I invite you to observe Holy Week with us. Christus Crucifixus – Christus Victor! Christ Crucified is also Christ Victorious! His victory has become ours also. Jesus said: ‘Because I live, you also will live’. (John 14:19 GNB).
Great is the Power of the Gospel: CHRIST HAS DIED, CHRIST IS RISEN AND CHRIST WILL COME AGAIN! Hallelujah! See you in church for Holy Week 2011.
Grace and Peace
Rev Malcolm Tan O.S.L
Pastor-in-charge
Barker Road Methodist Church
