Easter Digest 2007
This post will chronicle and give you a digest on my activities during the Easter Week of 2007. Some insights from the events I attend will also be thrown in to give you a fuller meaning and things to think about this Easter.
Monday
Nothing really related to Easter today. As is the case with the previous week, today I attend the Bereans Forum, an interchurch bible study activity on the Letters to Seven Churches in Revelations, which has been interesting so far. Today we learned about the letter to Pergamos and it was interesting, as this is the city where God said Satan’s throne is. It is probably because Aesculapius is the main influential god here.
The problem with this church is toleration and compromise. They had some among them who holds the doctrines of Balaam and Nicolaitans - who taught sexual immorality and eating food that had been sacrificed to idols. This problem too often applies with us too in this age. Sometimes, we are in the presence of others who hold beliefs that contradict our faith, but we tolerate them and compromise our faith in order to please them, or maybe simply because we are afraid to stand up. The most prominent case where this happens is for those of us who are Chinese, we often have to follow traditions that contradict our faith, such as offering incense and bowing to the dead. Sometimes, we are afraid of confrontantions with our family and friends that we tolerate and compromise in these situations, but God wants us to do otherwise. Do we dare to stand up and speak out our faith (as those situations might be a chance to let our faith be known by others)?
Tuesday, Wednesday
No special activities today. Went to SKS Bookstore to buy the Expositor’s Bible Commentary for S$75.90 and spent the day in learning the Bible and trying to get closer to him. Continues until Wednesday.
White Thursday
Fasted from the morning until 6pm, then we had dinner together in the church (where I ate too much). The sermon topic for this night was “Did God’s Love Falter in Gethsemane?” - about Jesus’ time in Gethsemane where he was afraid. What was He afraid of? Did His fear overcome His love for us in Gethsemane? No. He still loves us. It was the separation between the Father and the Son that He was afraid of. He who was one with the Father since the beginning of time until the time to come, now must be separated to pay for our sins. He will be the one to satisfy the anger of God against men’s sins. He could have ran away from the cross, but He willingly gave His life, out of His love for us.
Good Friday
This is it. The day to remember the sacrifice of Jesus. The day to remember as the day I was called again to start my ministries three years ago. Today I ministered with the Ekklesia choir to sing two songs, “Via Dolorosa” and “The Cross of Calvary”. Coupled with the Passion of the Christ mini-clip that was shown before these songs, the atmosphere was really solemn this day, and I’ve seen many wept from my place with the choir in front of the congregation. The sermon topic was “Had God’s Love Been Proven In Calvary?”, in continuation with the overall theme about God’s Love (the whole Easter theme was actually centered on the book of Hosea). The verses were taken from Phillipians 2:5-11. Yes, God’s love has been proven in Calvary, but have we actually received His sacrifice, His love, and accepted Him as our Lord and Savior? If you have not, do so today before it is too late.
Black Saturday
ORPC had no youth meeting today so I went to BBPC to watch the musical drama entitled “Love”. This drama was taken and improvised from Hosea 1-3. It was greatly touching and the songs were great too (they composed the songs on their own). Hosea shown true love on Gomer, but Gomer is always unsatisfied with his husband, who does not have riches and precious jewelry. Gomer then started to flirt with other rich men, until one day Hosea finally found her on an affair with another man. Then Gomer left Hosea, but after a few years, Gomer’s life took a downturn and she was sold from place to place, eventually becoming a harlot. But Hosea’s love remained for her, and in the end he bought her back and continued to love her, even though Gomer said that she is unworthy and she is nothing but trash (arg, that final scene is touching, I can’t help not to burst into tears).
Who are we that we deserve to be loved by God? Aren’t we all just dust? God loves us, and still we often betray Him and forsake His love. Yet God does not forsake us, and still loves us no matter what. Do not hurt His heart any longer, if now you are forsaking His love, return to Him and be with Him. His love will never change for you and me.
Easter Sunday
Resurrection day! Today I sing once again with Ekklesia for a song titled “The Mind of Christ”, taken from that Phillipians 2:5-11 from earlier. It is a nice song but somewhat difficult for the Tenors to sing, as the highest note in the song reaches a high 6 (’la’) in 1=Es, definitely unreachable without falsetto. There is also a short musical drama comparing the lives of Peter and Judas. Both disciples have betrayed Jesus at some point, but their reactions to the betrayal are different. Judas chose to drown in his shame and guilt which led to his eventual suicide. Peter decided to ask the Lord for forgiveness (singing Kyrie Eleison), and he started his life anew in Christ (singing Amazing Grace), where he continued to serve Christ and led many people to salvation, especially during Pentecost.
Today’s sermon topic is “The Unbreakable Love of Christ”. It evaluates Christ’s love that are unbreakable and is from forever to forever. Even though we hurt Him, sometimes we betray Him, still He loves us the same. What will be our response to His love? Will we let our mistakes continue to haunt us and separate us from Him like Judas? Or will we ask for forgiveness and repentance like Peter, asking God to wash our life anew to be used by Him for His purpose, mission and glory? No one will be able to continually live withour error in God’s eyes, because we all have sinned. It is our response that matters. Leave your sins behind in the past and accept Christ’ forgiveness. Start your life anew with Him.
