26/09/2018
I have cherished the feeding of God’s word in the BSF (1) class. Especially at the time when my words got dry. This year we are in the book of the Romans. Every week, I have found myself seriously humbled in the group sharing and seriously challenged listening to the lecture. I am studying the same book the second time, except that I am attending the women’s class in Singapore that conducts in Chinese.
Two weeks ago, the homework was for us to chew on two scriptures from Romans 12:1-2 (2), Apostle Paul beseeches us to offer our bodies a living sacrifice and renewing our minds to what is the perfect will of God. The first 11 chapters of the book were on what’s the ‘right believing,’ and the emphasis on what’s the ‘right living ‘ for Christians would be from Chapter 12 onward till the end of the book. I had mixed feelings on an unavoidable 4-days trip to Tokyo that week.
I was comforted to know that at least, I wouldn’t miss my Sunday worship. Then my husband proposed that we should extend our staying and spending the weekend in Tokyo. How tempting to a weekend in Tokyo? But I need to get approval to leave with absence from the clinic on Monday. In the end, every green light was for us to go even the weather forecast was on our favour after the recent devasted typhoon in Hokkaido and disruptive flood in the Osaka area.
The flight was uneventful. The first time, in my life, I didn’t check the in-flight entertainment and dived into doing my homework and was led to reading a few of the books in the Old Testament. The airport transfer was smooth and got the message that Aimin from my chat group and her husband Henry were scheduled to arrive Tokyo the next morning for their 5-days visit before going on a cruise.
We had dinner together and invited them to attend Sunday worship at the Tokyo Union Church (3), which is the church whenever we were in Tokyo for a more extended stay. I was joyous to learn that Pastor Johann Symington was preaching. It was on September 16th, 2018 at 11:00 am, the ‘Hymn of Preparation‘ by the Praise Team was “Psalm 19” – ‘May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my hearts, Be pleasing to you, pleasing to you. My God (4).
The first scripture reading was the entire Psalm 19. Pastor Johann recounted that many great musicians such as Beethoven or Bach were inspired by Psalm 19 for their musical settings which interfaced with God’s glory like how the Sun and the Moon are One with God. The Pastor discussed how can we be One with our Creator as God created us in His image, One with others.
The 2nd scripture reading was on Mark 8:27-38 (5). The background was that soon after Jesus’ feeding of the 4000 with 7-loaves of bread (Mark8:20) and healed the blind man (Mark 8:22-26), HE asked His disciples “whom people say that I am?” (Mark8: 27-28). Simon Peter was the first to declare that Jesus is the Son of God (Mark 8:29). However, Peter turned around to rebuke Jesus as he couldn’t accept when Jesus foretold about His sufferings, death and came back to life in three days.
Pastor Johann elaborated on why Jesus‘ rebuke Peter ” to get behind me, Satan; after Peter’s astounding declaration “(vv30-33). It is simply because of Peter’s self-willed expectations and presumptuousness that in a result, he was ignorant that Jesus was God’s redemptive plan for humankind. Pastor Johann also gave us a quick run on Peter’s life and reminded us that Jesus said “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this Rock, I will build my church (Matthew 16:18)(6).
In Mark 8:34-38, Jesus invited the people unto Him with His disciple to take up the Cross to follow Him. I was moved by an absolute excellent perspective to look at when Pastor Johann explained why he used Psalm 19 to interface with the Gospel of Mark 8:34-38. The sermon lasted a little over 20 minutes. However, I know what I have learned would stay in my being for a very long time. It is not about ‘the word of God‘, but is ‘the God of the word.‘
I started pondering the life of Apostle Paul, of his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus; his suffering of exceptional hardship; death threats and imprisonments He did offer himself as a living sacrifice so that he was able to write episodes that perfectly expound the Gospel to glorify God’s name, such as what he says in Romans 12:1-2. It was Jesus’ deep love and long-suffering patience when Simon Peter was forgiven so much, so he loved much in the end.
Indeed I missed my class, and my daddy God made sure that I didn’t miss the lesson that HE cut out for me that week. As HE is the God who heals, I was not guilty ridden to miss being with my patients. And how can HE not know that I love Tokyo? Except there were too many traps all over the Ginza area when all the pre-fall collections were up in the shop window, it’s hard not to look twice, or bring home with things are out of necessities.
The immediate Sunday upon our returned from Tokyo, the minutes I stepped into my church, I was in tears when we all asked to stand to sing the old hymn ” Jesus Paid it All, all to Him I owe..” ” I hear the Saviour say; thy strength is small, Child of weakness watch and pray, Find Me thine all in all”(7)
My dear daddy God, thus I asked, what can I bring or what can I do? May the hymn of Psalm 19 be my Psalm of worship to you and my prayer.
p.s. Linda this piece is for you and hope you like it
The Light Of Faith 