Dec 26-27, 2020
From the Pastor’s Desk: Rev. Simon Lee

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

Farewell to 2020

2020 is a year to which we are all happy to say good-bye.  Need I recount the pain and suffering from the pandemic. The lockdown has affected everyone in the Province since the middle of March. With the number of confirmed cases of positive test of COVID-19 infections at the end of the year still in the hundreds and the death toll is mounting every day, we are all filled with anxiety and for many, despair.

As a Church we have suspended all our worships and other activities held within our Church building and have move all of them online. Our Return-to-Church (RTC) guidelines has followed very closely the orders of our provincial Public Health doctors. After nearly a year of lockdown, we all long for the day when we can all return to worship and fellowship within our Church

When we began the year of 2020, we wanted to use the theme of “Launch out into the Deep” to encourage RCAC to leave our comfort zone and reach out into the community to share the gospel. Little did we know that we will be caught in the sea of Coronavirus So we quickly switched into the theme of “Jesus calms the storms of our lives” to seek to weather the storm. We then learned to “lament” using the “Lamentations of Jeremiah,” and were comforted with the teaching of God’s faithfulness amidst calamities and devastations. Then we went back to the original plan of studying the history of the early Kings of Israel. In the fall we wrapped up the year with the positive messages of Paul to the Philippians and learned to rejoice amid tension and adversities. We sincerely hope that we have been able to find this joy of living in Christ and serving Him. Christmas this year has come and gone before we even notice it, because it will be remembered as a Christmas like no other. But it is my hope and prayer that it has been a most special Christmas where Christ was not crowded out by any man-made trappings, that we finally see Christ clearly as the One born to be our Saviour and Lord.

Welcome 2021

I have never felt so filled with anticipation and hope for the dawn of a new year than this year. Needless to say, we all without exception hope that the new year will bring new life, new joy and new hope. First and foremost, we are all waiting to be vaccinated so we can build immunity against the Coronavirus that has brought so much destruction and devastation to so many people around the world. We hope this will turn things around so that the economy and the livelihood of people around the world can return to some form of “normalcy” with a new vibrancy that will reenergize our communities in enabling us to live with renewed joy and hope for a better future.  Even though it will take months before everyone who wants to be vaccinated will get his or her shot, perhaps way into the summer or even the fall. nevertheless, we are finally seeing the light at the end of the long tunnel.

As a church we look forward to returning to our church building to resume regular worships and other activities within the community, including fellowship gatherings, Sunday school and children ministries. Will that begin in the summer or the fall? We do not know. We need to wait patiently and return cautiously so that we can ensure that we are all safe. May we learn to wait before the Lord with anticipation and with patience at the same time.

In the first quarter of 2021, as scheduled in 2020, we will resume in our examination of the history of Israel and Judah in the book of the Kings. As I prepared the upcoming series, I was struck by the fact that the chosen people of God were constantly in a vicious cycle of enjoying the blessings of God but started to do evil in the sight of the Lord, and sometimes after being warned and judged by the Lord, would return to the Lord and do that which is right in the sight of the Lord. The fact of the matter is their relationship with God was heavily dependent on whether they had a good king or a bad king. After the kingdom was divided into Judah in the south and Israel in the north, there were all bad kings in Israel, and only a handful of good kings in Judah. We shall see highlights of this messy history and trace it all the way to the end of Israel as the result of the Assyrian captivity, and eventually to the end of Israel with the Babylonian captivity. We are going to study in more details the lives of Hezekiah and Josiah (as examples of good kings). I have entitled this series as “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,” and we hope that we can learn from both the success and failure of these kings.

However, in 2021, we hope to stay positive. Having looked at all these mostly bad kings of Israel and Judah, for the rest of the year we are going to turn our eyes to Jesus the Messianic King (in two separate quarters, Spring and Fall), and also the Royal Psalms in the summer. The idea and purpose is summarised in the theme of the year which is “Crown Him with Many Crowns.”

The reason for this theme should be obvious. Amidst all the calamities and desperations brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic which has exacerbated the ecological-socio-economico-political crises that we are experiencing, I sincerely hope to remind all of us that Jesus Christ is our Saviour, Lord and King. Herein lies our ultimate hope. So, let’s us worship Him and proclaim His majesty to all the earth.

Indeed, we have just celebrated the birth of Christ the King, but His kingdom is not of this earth, it is heavenly and spiritual. Just as we have learned in Philippians, Jesus came to take on the form of a man, a servant, and was obedient to God the Father to the point of death, even the death on the cross. “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phi. 2:8-11)

Have a blessed new year!

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Simon Lee

Dec 26-27, 2020
李耀全牧師

親愛的列宣家弟兄姊妹：
告別2020年
2020年不堪回首，是我們所有人都希望告別的一年。我毋須再敘述有關病毒大流行所帶來的痛苦與折磨，因自3月中旬以來，封鎖限令已影響及本省所有的人。直至年底，確診的感染病毒呈陽性的數百病例仍在激增，死亡人數每天也在增加，我們都充滿了焦慮，甚至許多人已感到絕望。
作為教會，我們暫停了在教堂建築物內舉行的所有敬拜活動和聚會，並將所有這些活動移師至網上舉行。我們按照的本省公共衛生醫官的命令，非常嚴格地遵循“重返教會指南”（RTC）。在封鎖了將近一年之後，我們極渴望可以回到教堂內進行崇拜和團契的一天。
自2020年開始時，我們盼望以“開到水深之處”為主題，以鼓勵列宣肢體離開我們的安舒區，並伸展至向社區分享福音。可是我們無法預料會被冠狀病毒浪潮所困，所以我們迅速轉至：“耶穌平靜我們生命中的風浪” 的主題，以度過難關。其後，我們學習從“耶利米哀歌”的“哀嘆”中，對神在災難和毀滅當中的信實教導得著安慰。然後我們回到原來的計劃去研讀以色列早期王國的歷史。在秋季，我們以保羅向腓立比人傳達的積極信息去總結這一年的學習系列，並在緊張和逆境中學到喜樂。我們誠摯地盼望所有人也能在基督裡找到生活和事奉的喜樂。今年的聖誕節來了，卻又在我們甚至未加注意中瞬息即逝，因為這是一個最特別的聖誕節。我盼望並禱告，基督沒有被任何人為的陷阱所摒棄，讓我們終能於清楚地看到基督是為我們而降生的救主和生命之主。
迎向2021年
送舊迎新，我對未來一年新的曙光從未感到如此充满期待和希望。毋庸置疑，我們所有人也同樣希望新的一年會帶來新的生活，新的喜悅和新的祈盼。首先最重要的是，我們都在等待著接種疫苗，這樣我們就可以增强針對冠狀病毒的免疫力，這種冠狀病毒已經給世界上許多人帶來了巨大的破壞和損害。我們希望可以扭轉這局面，以能讓全世界的經濟和生計可重新注入活力並能回到某種形式的“常態”，以致能令我們的社區充滿活力，使我們能夠重拾快樂的生活，以迎接更好的未來希望。即使需要幾個月的時間才能使每個想要接種疫苗的人都可以接種疫苗，也許須延至夏季甚至秋季。儘管如此，我們終於在時間的長廊盡頭看到了曙光。
作為教會，我們期待著返回教堂，繼續進行實體敬拜生活以及參與其他的群體活動，包括團契聚會，主日學和兒童事工等。那將會是在夏季還是秋季開始恢復進行？我們實在不曉得。我們需要耐心等待並謹慎地進行重返教會，以確保所有人都安全。願我們能學到，在存著充滿期待的心在主前等候的同時能，存著忍耐。
正如2020年的計劃一樣，在2021年度的第一季，我們將會恢復從列王記中對以色列和猶大歷史的研讀。當我準備未來的研讀系列時，令我震驚的是，神的選民竟然一直處於享受神的祝福並同時落在行神眼中看為惡事之惡性循環之中，但在受到神的警告和審判之後，他們回轉歸主，行主眼中看為善的事。事實上,他們與神的關係，在很大程度上是取決於他們是否有好的君王還是壞的君王。在王國分裂為南部的猶大和北部以色列之後，以色列的君主全都是壞王，而在猶大方面則偶有好王。我們於可看到這混亂歷史的亮光，這可一直追溯至以色列被亞述人俘虜並猶大終被巴比倫俘虜的窮途末路。我們將更深入地地研讀希西家和約西亞的生平（作為好王的例子）。我把這個系列的標題定為“從君王的好歹和醜惡中學習”，我們希望可以從這些國王的成功和失敗中汲取教訓。
無論如何，我們希望在2021年中保持樂觀。在讀完了所有這些以色列和猶大最壞的君王之後，本年度接下來的是分別於春季和秋季，將我們的目光轉向彌賽亞君王耶穌，夏季則研讀君王詩篇(彌賽亞君王詩篇)。本年的主題是：“擁戴基督為王”。
擬定這主題的原因應該很明顯可見。由於冠狀病毒大流行帶來的所有災難和絕望，加劇了我們正在所經歷的生態、社會、經濟、政治危機。我誠懇地提醒各位：耶穌基督是我們的救主，我們的主和君王, 祂是我們終極的盼望。因此，讓我們敬拜祂，並向全地宣揚祂的威榮。
確實，我們剛慶祝君王基督的降生，但祂的國度不屬於這世上，而是屬天和屬靈的。就像我們在腓立比書中所學到的一樣，耶穌成了血肉之軀，取了一個奴僕的形象，並且順服父神至死，而且死十字架上。 “因此，神把祂升為至高，並賜給他超過萬名之上的名，使天上、地上，和地底下的一切，因著耶穌的, 都要屈膝，並且口裡承認耶穌基督為主，使榮耀歸給父神。” （腓2：8-11）
願您新年蒙福！
主僕,
李耀全牧師

Dec 12-13, 2020
From the Pastor’s Desk: Rev. Simon Lee

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

It is the worst of times. It is the best of times. This is inspired by a quote from Charles Dickens’s A Tale of Two Cities that I remember from my secondary school days: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness…“  Christmas 2020 is a Christmas that is not “normal,” like no other that we had previously experienced. Also, we have been talking about expecting a “new normal” because of the pandemic. But with Christmas, I think we are in fact going “Back to an ‘Old Normal’,” or at least we will be more able to rethink what the first Christmas was really like. Yes, let’s start with the bad news and then go to the good news, after looking around us.

Right now, with the renewed lockdown a few weeks ago due to the second wave of the COVID pandemic, many people will no longer be able to celebrate Christmas like they used to do in the past. The usual rush in travel to be “home for Christmas” will not be possible for a lot of people as they will have to go into a quarantine of 14 days before they can see their folks they want to visit, and have to do the same when they return to their home. Many vacations will become staycations. The annual Christmas lights seem to be strangely dim and less people on the streets and in the malls; they will not be able to create the usual festive mood. The usual Christmas carols that fill the air will sound hollow. Can we really sing “Joy to the World?” There will not be the usual Christmas services, and there will be no Christmas caroling. The mall will not be filled with people all frantically trying to shop for the best Christmas gifts for their loved ones in the last minute. Many Santa’s will be out of a job!  After the Christmas holidays, there will be probably a lot of shops that will be closed declaring bankruptcy, as too many people will resort to buying online. Everyone (at least most people) will be going around with masks like they did in the many plagues pandemic in past history. Yes, this will not be the “joyous” Christmas that we have always anticipated at this time of the year. We are in the worst of times!

But maybe this is in fact a good thing. I like to think of our Christmas this year with COVID as an opportunity to really “go back” to what it was like in the first Christmas, before all the church traditions and commercialization made it into a “holiday season” that leaves “Christ” out of “Christ-mas.” Maybe when all these trappings of Christmas are removed, we will be able to rediscover and truly celebrate the real “reason” for the “season.”  Let us therefore go back to rediscovering what it was like in the first Christmas when Christ was born in Bethlehem:

 1.  The first Christmas was a time of political unrest and social tension in society

First of all, the Jewish people in Israel were governed by the Romans who were conducting a census at the time that forced the people to leave their home to go back to their birthplace (Lk 2:1-7). As a result, people were travelling here and there, not because they were happy to do so, but reluctantly because they had to. In fact, that was what happened to Joseph and Mary who had to travel from Galilee to Bethlehem, even though Mary was ready to give birth to Jesus at any time, they had no option but to take the journey. Maybe because they waited till it was too late and so many people were also travelling, “there was no place for them in the inn!” (Lk. 2:7)

Another picture of the hideous time can be seen from the story of the visit of the Wise Men from the east, sometime after the birth of Christ, recorded for us in the account by Matthew (Mt. 2:1-18). Herod the “puppet” king was so fearful of what might happen to his rule, that he plotted to follow the info of the wise men when they find “he who has been born king of the Jews” so as to do harm to Jesus with the pretense of “that I too may come and worship him.” (2:8b)   The story ended tragically with genocide, the slaughter of all male children under two years old in Bethlehem. Joseph and Mary with the baby Jesus became refugees to Egypt!

So we can see the first Christmas was totally devoid of any festive mood, it was instead filled with fear and anxiety, the people lived amidst the brutal and tyrannical rule of a very insecure “puppet” king that served the Roman Empire. Today we find ourselves similarly in our war-torn, poverty-stricken, politically-racially-divided and morally-decadent world. The COVID 19 has only made the situation worse by adding a viral infection pandemic that has also resulted in a global economic crisis. So though the causes of our distress are somewhat different, we are nevertheless definitely in a similar time of unrest, even despair. Every year we have come to expect as “normal” a festive and peaceful Christmas holiday, but the truth is that was not the case in the first Christmas and has never been the case down through the ages. We are indeed in the worst of times. That is the bad news. But we also have good news.

 2.  The first Christmas was a time of great anticipation and hope being realized

The best way to describe the “good news” is found in the declaration of praise by the angels as they announced the birth of Christ: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will among men!” (Lk. 2:14)  This was declared, amidst the turmoil and tension of the time, to the shepherds, simple folks who were keeping watch over their flock by night. The angels said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.” (Lk. 2:1­0-11)

The first thing to remember is that the birth of Christ is first and foremost to bring glory to God. This happens when the divine plan of God’s redemption that was in fact began at the fall of man after the creation, was to be fulfilled in the incarnation of the Son of God. This will bring “peace and goodwill” but it is rooted in Christ the Saviour and Lord, as His kingdom is not of this earth. Christ’s birth would therefore “bring good news of a great joy that will be for all the people.” This is demonstrated after the shepherd had visited Jesus in the manger, they returned “glorifying and praising God for all they have heard and seen, as it had been told them.” (Lk. 2:20) This was also similarly shown in the reaction of Mary (in the Magnificat) and in the words of Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist. The divine encounters with Jesus the Christ (messiah) or the news of his birth, first of all lead to the utterance of praise to God. Indeed we need to put “Christ” back into “Christ-mas” and bring glory to God.

The “good news” is qualified by “a great joy” which refers singularly and directly to the joy of the birth of Christ who is both the Saviour and Lord, the Saviour who delivers us from the bondage of sin, and the Lord (and master) who is sovereign over our lives whatever happens around us and to us.  It is “for all people,” starting with the lowly shepherds on their night watch, and includes us all in the second line of blessing that was first promised and given to Abraham and his descendants. Dr. Luke emphasized in his well-researched “gospel” document of the life of Jesus that Jesus came for all those who know they are lost, even those who do not (e.g. The three parables of the lost in Luke 15.) Therein lies the “good news.” The celebration of joy is “before the angel of God over one sinner who repents.” (Lk. 15:7, 10, cf. 32)

Yes, we have bad news as we are in the worst of times. But we also have good news, and we are indeed in the best of times. May this Christmas that is not normal be the Christmas we really go back to the old old story of the birth of Jesus Christ the Saviour and Lord at the crossroad of history (from BC to AD) and crown Him with many Crowns in the New Year.

Your servant in Christ

Pastor Simon

Dec 12-13, 2020
李耀全牧師

親愛的列宣家弟兄姊妹，

這是最糟糕的時代，這也是最美好的時代。我借用我中學時期所讀的查爾斯·狄更斯（Charles Dickens）的《雙城記》的第一句：「這是最好的時代，這是最壞的時代，這是智慧的時代，這是愚昧…」。2020年的聖誕不是「常態」的聖誕，有別於我們從前所經歷的。由於新冠疫症大流行，我們一直掛在口邊說我們需要接受活在「新常態」中。但對聖誕來說，我認為我們實際上是必須“返回「舊常態」”。我的意思是盼望我們將能夠重新思想第一個聖誕的真實情景。讓我們先從壞消息開始，環顧我們周圍，然後再回到好消息。

不用說由於第二波新冠疫症大流行，限聚令重新啟動及延長，許多人將不能夠像過往一般慶祝聖誕。以往許多人都會從外地趕回家過聖誕，但現在他們必須自我隔離14天才能與家人朋友見面，並且當他們回到自己的地方又必須同樣隔離14天。假期(vacation)實質成為本地渡假(staycation)。一年一度的聖誕燈飾似乎黯然失色，街上和商場裡人流稀少，無法營造以往的節日氣氛，原本充斥著歡樂氣氛的聖誕歌聲都變得冷清孤寂。我們真的能夠高唱「普世歡騰」麼？我們不會有以往的實體聖誕崇拜，也不會有報佳音。更不會見到商場裡人頭湧湧爭取在最後一刻瘋狂地搶購禮物送給摯愛的家人和朋友。許多聖誕老人將會失業！聖誕假期過後，可能會有很多商店關門倒閉，因為實在太多人轉向在網上購物。每個人（至少大多數人）都會像歷代的疫症大流行時期一樣配戴口罩。這確實不是我們每年在這個時候一直期待的「歡樂」聖誕。我們正處於最糟糕的時代！

但這也許實際上是一件好事。我嘗試將今年我們的聖誕與新冠疫症一起反思，回顧真正「返回」第一個聖誕及其當時的景象，現今所有的教堂傳統和商業化使聖誕成為一個「節日假期」，將「基督」(Christ) 摒棄出「聖誕」(Christmas)。也許拆毀這些聖誕外表的裝飾，我們才能夠重新察驗並真正慶祝這「節日」(season)的真確「原因」(reason)。因此，讓我們返回和重新體驗基督在伯利恆城降生的第一個聖誕的情景：

1. 第一個聖誕是一個政治動盪和社會局勢緊張的時代

首先，當時以色列的猶太人是處於羅馬政府的統治下，羅馬政府要進行戶口登記，迫使他們要返回自己的出生地（路2:1-7）。他們雖不願意但也不得不照樣遵行，他們就各歸各城去了。這也是約瑟和馬利亞要從加利利往伯利恆的經歷，儘管當時馬利亞的產期已到而耶穌會隨時出生，他們仍迫不得已也要踏上旅途。他們到達伯利恆的時候已不早，兼且有許多人同時在旅途路上，故此「客店裡沒有地方！」(路2:7）。結果耶穌便降生在馬糟裡。

使徒馬太（太2:1-18）為我們記錄了另一段可怕的事件，基督降生後不久，有三位博士從東方前來尋找耶穌的故事。「傀儡王」希律非常害怕自己的政權會發生什麼變化，他密謀關心三博士的消息，聲稱他們尋找到「那生下來作猶太人的王」時，就「好叫我也去拜他。」（2:8b）其實是要謀害耶穌。故事以滅絕慘劇結束，伯利恆所有兩歲以下的男童慘被屠殺。約瑟和馬利亞與小耶穌被迫逃亡到埃及暫住！

因此，我們可以看到第一個聖誕不但完全沒有任何節日歡樂的氣氛，而且是充滿了恐懼和焦慮，當時羅馬帝國由一個非常沒有自信的「傀儡」王執政，人民生活在他的殘酷和暴虐的統治中。今天，我們同樣生活在戰亂，貧困、政治動盪、種族分離和道德墮落的世界；新冠肺炎疫症使情況變本加厲，病毒感染大流行導致全球陷入經濟危機。雖然第一聖誕與今日造成困擾的原因有所不同，但我們絕對是處於同樣的不安，甚至絕望的時代。每年我們都期待著一個「常態」的節日和平安的聖誕假期，但事實上第一個聖誕並非如此，至今也一直陷於不同的動盪中。我們確實處於最壞的時代。那是壞消息。但我們也有好消息。

2. 第一個聖誕是充滿期待和盼望的時代

描述「好消息」最好的方式是天使宣佈基督降生時的頌讚宣言：「在至高之處，榮耀歸與神！在地上，平安歸與他所喜悅的人！」（路2:14）。正當政治動盪和緊張的時代，天使向那些在夜間看守羊群的牧羊人宣告說：「不要怕！看哪！我報給你們大喜的信息，是關於萬民的：今天在大衛的城裡，為你們生了救主，就是主基督。」（路2:10-11）。

我們要切切緊記基督的降生是要榮耀上帝，這是首要的事實。上帝救贖的神聖計劃實際上是在創造之初人類墮落時已展開，由上帝之兒子耶穌基督完成。這「平安與仁愛」是源於救主基督上帝，因為祂的國度不在這個世界。因此，基督的降生是如此宣佈「我報給你們大喜的信息，是關於萬民的。」，牧羊人在馬槽裡拜訪耶穌之後，就證實了這一點，「牧人因為聽見的和看見的，正像天使對他們所說的一樣，就回去了，把榮耀讚美歸與神。」（路2:20）。馬利亞的回應（尊主頌）和施洗約翰之父親撒迦利亞的說話也證明了這一點。與耶穌基督（彌賽亞）神聖的相遇或宣告祂降生的消息，首要的是讚美神。確實，我們需要將「基督」(Christ)放回「聖誕」(Christ-mas)裡面，並將榮耀歸給上帝。

「好消息」被表彰為「極大的喜樂」，直接指向基督的降生帶來之喜樂，基督既是救主又是上帝，救贖我們脫離罪惡的捆綁，上帝（和主宰）擁有我們生命一切的主權。這是給「萬民」的，從夜間看守羊群卑微的牧羊人開始，並將我們所有人都包括在祝福的行列裡，這是最初應許給亞伯拉罕和他的後裔的。路加醫生在他的「福音書」記載有關耶穌生平裡強調指出，耶穌來是要尋找那些失喪的人，甚至那此不曉得的（例如，路加福音15章三個迷失的比喻）。這是「好消息」。歡喜快樂的慶祝是「因為一個罪人悔改，神的使者也必這樣為他歡喜。」（路15:7,10,參32）。

是的，我們有壞消息，因為我們處於最糟糕的時代。但是，我們也有好消息，而且我們確實處於最好的時代。讓我們真正返回那古舊的故事，救主耶穌基督降生的歷史交叉點（從公元前到公元後），使這個聖誕成為不一樣的聖誕，並在新的一年擁戴祂為王。

主僕

李耀全牧師