20/01/2021

No Word To Describe 2020 

2020 was an eventful year. The Washington Post asked the reader to use one word or phrase to describe it (www.washingtonpost.com/2020-in-one-word). I was toying with the idea to attempt to respond before the end of the year but in vain. COVID-19 Pandemic and the US Presidential Election must be the topmost events of 2020. Regrettably, I have found no right word or phrase could describe it.  Now, it’s the third week of January 2021. I wonder why not many people talk about their New Year resolutions?

If what says is true that future/current will always be part of today’s cause, I can freely talk about 2020 and its impact upon us when we are ushing into the New 2021 and thereon. Suddenly, I need to revisit the Epiphany Sunday worship service that I attended at the Tokyo Union Church the 06/01/2019 to talk about 2020. The sermon was with the title of ‘One Church‘, by its Senior Pastor Symington.  Briefly, he expanded the spiritual significance and the root of ‘Epiphany,’ and it’s ‘to see ‘or ‘get a new view.,’ or ‘to experience. 

‘Scriptures are reading of Matthew 2:1:12  spell out the Magi’s pilgrimage,  a none Jew to receive God’s Vision; Ephesians 3:1:12 elucidate how Apostle Paul, a ‘Jew of the Jews’ to be able to claim as ‘the prisoner of Christ for the Gentiles.’ The pastor further stated that if Christians had ‘limited views of our God; if churches have polycentric natures, then we have different  Christianity.’ ‘And God’s love is for all people; all Christians must be transmitters of God’s grace to the world,’ as the ‘One Church’ for Christ. 

I made it to thank Pastor Symington for his message the next day, in his office. I didn’t realise that he was about to retire from the church and return to South Africa soon. The same year we went back to Tokyo for 2019 Christmas. It was emotional; worship service no Pastor Symington preaching. We rejoiced to be home to attend our Vision Sunday to embrace the theme of 2020, ‘Time and Space.’ The whole of 2020 we were called to see HIS attributes, and know that HE transcended ‘Time and Space’ in whatever HE wills to accomplish.

It would be out of people’s minds to say that the same nature of transcended ‘Time and Space’ to the Coronavirusspread how a small bug could globally affect people’s lives, works and travels. It has been off-putting to see the frightening case reports that last for so long. I had my Epiphany in May 2020, to see the Fear of Fear the repercussion of the COVID-19, in people. I also saw humans’ contagious sinfulness as ramifications of all safety measures governments are trying to manage the pandemic, such as travel restrictions, social distancing and mask-wearing. 

I shared my thoughts in my piece of ‘The Invisible Epidemic.’ I switched my posting to draft when the book study on Genesis started in September. I did the book study before. But why BSF (www.bsfonline.org) scheduled Genesis for the calendar year of BSF-2020/2021 amazed me.  My Senior Pastor, Joseph Prince, has always cautioned us to pay extra attention to anything mentioned in the Bible for the First time. ‘God speaks nothing into existence.’ As I ponder God’s Creation, people would have no excuse for not knowing God (Romans 1:20 NIV).

After the fall in Genesis 3, the Oneness between man and God was fractured. It is for natural men to reckon the plague of ‘Fear/threat of death and Guilt for life.’ The Bible pronounces the First murder case; First bigamy. What God saw as written in Genesis 6:5b that  “every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was only evil continually.” In chapter 7-8 was Noah’s Ark and the First Flood. In Genesis 9 was about God’s First Covenant with man, the Rainbow signal the promise the Salvation of humanity. 

Noah didn’t become sinless after the Flood. The entire Old Testament is the history of human sinfulness. When people killed all God’s Prophets, HE sends His Son to die, to bring peace to the world. Finally, I had the validation to put up my rewrite on 01/10/2020. We know nothing about Noah’s life inside the Ark for over a year. I know that God didn’t send us the COVID-19,

but HE hasn’t stopped the pandemic since the first report case of Coronavirus was January 2020 in Wuhan, China. 

And reports from The Strait Time, the Singapore local newspaper, “The number of deaths linked to the coronavirus is still accelerating at an alarming pace, with the world crossing the grim milestone of two million fatalities on Saturday.” (Jan 17 2021). If indeed, the spreading of Fear and Sinfulness of man is more harmful than the COVID-19 pandemic. We need to be still and to know that HE is God (psalm 46:10 nkjv). Top with the global Vaccine confusions, what is the correct remedy to fight the virus? Can our life be the same again after we are COVID free? 

As for the US Presidential Election saga, I have to go back to 2016 to comment about it. If running a country is for the government-run, it runs the business, and it is refreshing to have a businessman to run for the Office. With a tested, proven track record, Mr Trump certainly fit the bill. His first principles that he elaborated in his book ‘The Art Of The Deal (2004)‘ is to ‘Aim High.’ He managed to win prayer supports from various Christian groups. We do have a prayer answering God, and later many Christian leaders gain direct access to the Oval Office.

Trump  had a keen eyes upon the Jewish communities, especially in the city of New York. Although the Jews are minority in the US, but they had achieved a historic reversal of financial power and fortune in America and around the world. During the 2016 election, one of Trump’s campaign promises was to move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem which he pronounced as the “eternal capital city of the Jewish people.” It says God to Abraham that “I will bless those who bless you, and will curse those who curse you.”. 
genesis 12:3 kjv

All Christian leaders were on fire to believe that God will bless America, as long as the US President can give what the Jewish people want. Finally, the campaign was a history. On June 1, 2017, Trump, none like any former US Presidents in US History, boldly signed a waiver on the Jerusalem Embassy Act. Trump is not a practice Christian. It has become the deep obsession of Trump’s administration, and thereon that his supports to identify him with Cyrus, a heathen king and deliverer of the Jews, as God’s ‘Chosen One’ for the USA Today. 

The four years of Trump’s administration is about coming to an end after the 2020 election. It took months for him to concede the result. He probably failed to realize that only God can speak nothing into existence. He can’t say nothing was proven to be ‘an existing  fraud.’ God is sovereign.’ It was by God’s Grace, to allow him to be up in the US Capitol Hill for four years. Whether he likes it or not; it deems wise for him to take heed on the last principle that he lists in ‘The Art of The Deal’ and is to ‘Know When To Fold when his time is up.

When I was totally devasted to see the clips of US Capitol Hill riots on YouTube 6 January, 2021. Below, I saw the link, live from “St. Peter’s Basilica, Holy Mass presided by Pope Francis for the solemn feast of the Epiphany of the Lord.” I am not about to change my religion, but like to remember that we were still in the twelve days of Christmas celebration. It is perfect to allow the spirit of reverent to open my heart to worship my dear Lord of God, Jesus to welcome for the year of 202, in His love and safe keeping. 

Psalm27:8 njkv

When You said, “Seek My face,”
My heart said to You, “Your face, Lord, I will seek.”