peace . love . joy

There is something very encouraging, very pleasing, very exciting, very satisfying about John 12: 20-26.

'Now among those who went up to worship at the feast were some Greeks.
So these came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus."

Philip went and told Andrew; Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.

And Jesus answered them, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Truly, truly I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also. If anyone serves me, the Father will honour him.'

In the very last verse of the very last chapter of the Gospel of John, he writes

'Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.'

Considering that, it probably means that whatever is contained in his message, whatever detail he includes, it must be of utmost importance and bear much significance for John to make a note of it and feel it imperative that it be passed down the generations.

So what is it that is so important in this passage?
And why is it so beautiful?

Well, read all four Gospels once more and be alert as to how many times the word "Greek", as in referring to a person of that heritage, is mentioned.
You will find that it appears not in Matthew, nor Luke, and but only once in Mark. Twice the Greeks are mentioned in John.

It is in this interview with Jesus that the Greeks are taken special notice of a second time in John.
And it is in this interview that Jesus reveals a vital information, a Truth, Salvation.
Never before in John has Jesus said "the hour has come". Until that instant, it has always been "the hour is coming" and others like it bearing that same message.

Jesus chose to "drop the bomb" in the presence of both Jew and Gentile.
This dual presence hints at the inclusion of both peoples, indeed all peoples, in partaking the benefits of His death and resurrection and ascension.
Jesus, the Son of Man, the Son of God, the Risen Lord, He opens His arms wide to receive both Jew and Gentile into His embrace!

In God's eyes, there is no more a distinction between Jew, traditionally known as the exclusive God's people, and Gentile, the other less favourable horde.
We are equal heirs to God's Kingdom and riches, doesn't matter our ethnic heritage, our skin colour.
We are all memebers of the body of Christ, doesn't matter our language.

We are all God's people: ransomed, redeemed, beloved.

There is just something very encouraging, very pleasing, very exciting, very satisfying about John 12: 20-26..

Especially for one such as I, a gentile.

Legoland: a fun-filled place for the kiddies. Where the rides are tame and the queue is young, where the language is pure(r) and the attire less provocative.

I went to Legoland last Saturday thinking it'd be heaps of fun. It's probably not the funnest place on my list but it did take me back to my childhood days of Barbies, Tea sets and tricycles. It made me miss my family all over again, made me want to analyse each conversation I had with each family member as we passed the golden gates into the land of play, as we waited in line for our turn to ride the biggest, baddest coasters, as we ravenously devoured our meals.. It made me miss my friends with renewed vigour..

Seeing whole families, grandparents, parents, neighbours, aunts, uncles, friends, children, cousins.. together agitated worry to suddenly reach out and squeeze my heart.

I wondered what would happen to me next year after I graduate from the university.
See, schooling (especially in Singapore) has been rather a rather fixed and uniformed course for all, our experiences moulded and shaped by and around it:
(some of us enter) kindergarten,
then comes the compulsory 6 years of primary and 4 years of secondary education.
After which, the road forks into at least 4 possible routes. I took the junior college path.
2 years after college, I founnd myself in the university.
Come August, I would be embarking on my very last year of undergraduate studies.
And then..?

Where would I go?
What would I do?
Who will I meet?

Having spent my first 21 years out of an unknown total I have, dictated and guided by the people and institutions around me, my family, the government, &c., and now, facing the frightening future of uncertainty, of (almost) absolute freedom to choose and chart and commence across vast and unpredictable waters.. It is quite unnerving..

Will I have enough resources to strike out on my own and survive?
Will I not simply survive, but actually live?
Will I make new and keep old good friends?
Will I be married and have a family?
Will I find favour with God?

You never know what rickety bridge, what mountain pass, what raging river you will meet.
You never know what you'll find at each turn of the labyrinth, on every stepping stone you will step upon.

But while the future may seem like a gigantic, muscular, angry black bull hooving the sandy earth, readying itself to charge in your direction,

'Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn,
and yet God feeds them.
Of how much more value you are than the birds!

And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?
If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest?

Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,
yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven,
how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!

And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried.
For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them.
Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Sell your possessions, and give to the needy.
Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approches and no moth destroys.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.'

~ Luke 12: 24-34

I don't know exactly where I'll find myself at each complete orbit of the Earth around the sun, but this I know:
I shall keep my eyes on His face,
my feet shod and pointed His way,
my hands tightly gripping His
and my heart and mind on Him.

And I shall see you all at our final destination:

Heaven.

Last Night, I attended Shine, a Christian "concert" organised by Chosen CF of the University of Surrey. The last act they had on was a team from Hillsong, and what the worship leader said fascinated me: ...

Worship in the Bible has been defined in many ways, they refer to many things, many angles, many attitudes. Undoubtedly, the English "worship" cannot suffice to even begin to hint to the vastness of the meanings, of the words in Hebrew and Greek that were so broadly grouped into that one English term.

Some Hebrew words translated into "worship" mean a physical posture (to postrate before, to bow down before, to kiss, &c.). And especially in the Old Testament, the act is associated with paying respect, paying homage to God, and is almost always used in the context of a specific place, the Temple or the Holy City, and sometimes even time.

In the New Testament, noting that well-used passage of John 4: 7-26, Jesus himself tears down the barrier of physical space, of physical time. He emphasizes the inner intangible state of the heart, of the spirit, of the mind. "Worship" can no longer be termed simply an act, but more than that, as someone suggested, it is both an act and a state.

More often than not, "worship" is linked very much to the idea of sacrifice, of displaying reverence, praise, submission, obedience, and the like.

How many of us know that worship is not simply the act?
That it is spawned in the hidden wonders of the heart and the spirit and the soul, that the mind acknowledges and expresses into outward witness-able actions. It requires the heart, the mind, the spirit, the body.

How many of us have heard our leaders insist that worship is not simply the part where we sing songs during a church service?
That worship goes far beyond that limited, fenced-off time, spilling over to engulf our entire lives. Every moment (I'd go so far as to say in waking consciousness and in sleeping, dreams), every moment of your life, you have a choice to worship God with the things you say, the actions you perform, the thoughts you think.

But how many of us actually realise that worship is more than that?
That it leads us to something that God desires us to obtain?
Worship, so defined by the Hillsong team leader, is to become more and more like the character of God.

The more I think of it, the more I think it true.
If worship is what we are to do, what we want to do every day, every second, every moment of our lives, meditating on God's character & His laws, praising His works, interceeding for others, begging forgiveness, sacrificing for His sake, obeying His commands, submitting to His will, conversing with Him, we cannot help but glorify Him in our doings and thinkings, we cannot help but become more and more like Him. The saying "what goes in, must come out" holds quite true both literally (with food) and metaphorically. The more time you spend with God, the more you become like Him. The more you worship God, the more you become like Him.

Our unifying purpose, my brethren, is to worship Him.
Our aim, my friends, is to become more and more like Him.
Worship leads us to that goal of Christ-likeness.

The more we worship Him in spirit and in Truth, the more we see how marvellous and how deserving He is of our praise, our adoration, our allegiance, our submission. We cannot help but want to worship Him as much we can. It may never feel nor seem enough what we do, but we want to and we do anyways. We give our best and try to out-do ourselves each successive time.

That is why we do what we do. Some of us sing, some jump, some dance, some sit quietly and reflect, some draw, some paint, some create, some cook, some clap, some raise their hands, some fall down, some weep, some write, some clean, some teach, some smile, some play...

And the more we reside in His presence, the more we converse with Him, the more we walk with Him,
the more our hearts beat as one with His, the more our characters bend to His,
the more we become like Him.

What goes in, must come out.

Worship - - - - - - > Christ-likeness

When I first came to the UK at the beginning of my exchange in January, one of the things I knew I needed was to find a church that I could attend faithfully. I didn't quite know how to get about doing that. How indeed does one judge which church to attend? What criteria does one base the judgement upon? What makes one church better than another? I came to no conclusion, found no answers that satisfied me to any of the three above questions. I did manage to find a church that I now attend faithfully. How did I make that decision to stick to this church? Well, I asked God. And during the first song we sang in that church, I felt God tapping on the walls of my heart and I felt that there was something that God would have me do for this church, that I could offer them. I felt I must stay. And stay, I did.

This church offered me what I really longed to have from any church - fellowship.
Every Sunday, after the service was over, we, unless called away by prior engagement or by an emergency, all adjourned to a room in the back where we had tea or coffee and some biscuits. There, we'd stand or sit around and talk and catch up with one another. And they really make a stranger feel so welcomed. I love that. That friendly smile or nod just as service begins, that reassuring "I'm so glad to see you here this week!", that sincere remembrance of what was shared or conversed the week before between two people. It really is like a family.

But there is one thing that I felt lacking in this church. And it is something that I never really could imagine myself saying before. In fact, I probably would never have said nor noticed this were I to never have come here. The way they sang songs to God together as a congregation, to me, leaves quite a bit to be desired. Perhaps I am too "modern" in my thinking, or too accustomed to hearing clapping hands during a fast-paced song, or seeing lifted hands, upturned faces, swaying bodies, jumping bodies...

This puzzled me. Granted, the population of this church is quite old, many were born during World War II, many are parents, grandparents, but surely a trifle so small as rhythm-clapping hands to accompany an up-beat song to express a light-hearted emotion could be witnessed? During my first Bible study with one of the church's small groups, I was a little discouraged to learn that quite a number are very closed to the idea of outward expressions of emotions and even manifestations of the Spirit; gifts from the Lord (such as the speaking in tongues). Yes, even the clapping of hands, someone was dead against it. Not all of them think that way, mind you. But it was still a little discouraging because many, if not all appear to take their cues from those who are very strict and reserved; not many dare (in fact I think only a handful, but they do not often outwardly display either).

Why don't I ignore them and worship God as I feel fit?
Well, it is really not as easy as it sounds. Imagine being in a small congregation of about fifty or so, and being the only one clapping and singing at the top of your lungs. Imagine all eyes on you, among them disapproving stares. I learnt from a Nigerian lady who is about my age that in Nigeria, some of the more conservative churches actually ask you to leave if you so much as clap during the singing of songs.

However, I am not giving up on these people. At least not so easily. A very kind and trusting church lady told me that she thought this very reserved and quiet nature of many of the older generation had to do with their upbringing. These people were born either just before or during the War. These people were the ones whose fathers went off to fight, whose mothers left each day to work. Some of the fathers came home, some never did. These children watch their mothers never physically show any emotion. They watch their fathers go on endless strolls by themselves, or sit in a room staring blankly. So when they grow up, that's all they know. That's what they think is right and so they too in turn hide their emotions. But the lady told me that the more something matters to them, the more they hold dear in their hearts, the more they hide it away. But if I should go and talk to them one-on-one, there is a chance that I might see what they treasure. She told me not to be discouraged.

I think it really is interesting that childhood matters so much. This really is like sociology, psychology coming to life right before my eyes. Intriguing!

Very interesting to learn of and witness the different styles of worship!
But I do so love to worshipping God with what He has given me. I personally cannot imagine worship without at least facial expression... What God has given me, whatever I can use, my physical body, my mental capacity, my abilities, my gifts from Him, &c., I shall use to worship Him as best I can because that is all I can offer Him for so much that He has given me.

No style is perfect.
No style is wrong.
What matters is that you are worshipping the Lord as best you can and as best you know how.