March 11/12, 2023

From the Pastor’s Desk: Rev.Jason Cheung

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

There are two kinds of people you meet in life: those who love you, and those who use you.

Even parents can use their children. Unfulfilled dreams of our past can be burdened onto our children.  Inordinate pressure to be successful in certain vocations, for certain incomes, for certain lifestyles, for certain prestige.

Our supervisors at work may also, at the bottomline of things, be drawing the most productivity out of us.  Nothing wrong with this; efficiency and wise management can be a virtue of stewardship.  But, where is the line between good business and being a good human?

Using people to benefit you, ultimately, is image marring.  The Scriptures attest to God’s design and plan, that each person is created in his image (Genesis 1:27), and if the basic ethic woven in humans is love, then any type of using another is not only unloving, but also harmful.

The vision of the kingdom of God, that Jesus speaks of – and lived out – is essentially a reverberation of the core design of humans: to love God and to love one another.  Love.

Stamped deeper within than our DNA is a desire to be known, and to know the other.  Andy Crouch, in his book, The Life We’re Looking For, begins “Recognition is the first human quest.”  From every infant’s first breath they are searching for a face, to see and be seen.  Crouch writes, “They are looking for a face, and when they find one–especially a face that gazes back at them–they fix their eyes on it, having found what they were most urgently looking for.”

This ‘looking for a face,’ stays with us our entire lives, I believe, because it is part of our ‘image-of-God’ bearing nature.

This is a cornerstone reason why Christians gather together.

Some regard small groups or fellowships or bible studies as one of either social gatherings or for Chrisitian discipleship (or education).  This is true.  But, seeing only these categories assumes the Christian life is fragmented into the social or educational realms.  (We have these same categories for our children)

But, if we rigidly apply this same fragmented framework to discipleship we miss out, and miss out big.  Instead, we are made to face God and face one another – face to face.

At the heart of our faith is a relationship with the Holy, Almighty God – Yahweh, who reveals himself as the Triune God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.  And as we learn more of who he is, and how he loves us, and how he created us – “made in his image” – we learn more of who we really are.

So, for those who argue, “I only need God, I don’t need the church (or to fellowship with others)” – not only is this view  theologically shallow, it will lead to a wafer-thin Christian life.

For those who say, “I only need people (brothers and sisters in Christ), and I don’t need to worship God” – the danger here is of idolizing human relationships (or at least, whatever benefits I gain from others).

These views are deficient because, first, both are bent to use the other (God and people) for their own purpose, and second, both neglect Jesus’ command that both loving God and loving others are the most important commandments in the kingdom of God.   Matthew 22:36-40 –

³⁶ “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

³⁷ Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Sisters and brothers, our church is not merely to be a place for gathering socially.  Neither is it a place only for transcendent worship, reaching into the mystery through Scripture and song.  Our church is for both – gazing into the face of our Lord Jesus, resplendent in glory and grace, and seeing one another, face-to-face, bearers of the image of God, basking in the love of God together.

May the Spirit grow this fruit in us, the fruit of love.

Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Jason Cheung

2023.03.11/12

親愛的列宣家弟兄姊妹：

人生裡你會遇到兩種人，一種是愛你的人，另一種是利用你的人。

甚至父母也會利用他們的孩子，他們從前未能實現的夢想，或會成為孩子的重擔。父母的期望使孩子為了在職業、收入、生活方式、名聲上取得成功，而構成龐大的壓力。

職場上的上司也一樣，他們要在各人身上汲取最高的生產力，這沒有錯。效率和明智的管理可以是管理的優點。但是，一盤成績卓越的業務和做一個善待他人的人的界線在哪裡？

利用他人為自己謀利益最終是在損害形象。聖經印證上帝的設計和計劃，每一個人都是按照神的形象被造的（創世記1:27），如果人類的基本道德是愛，那麼任何形式的利用他人不僅缺乏愛心，而且是有害。

上帝國度的異象是愛，愛上帝和彼此相愛，是神造人核心的設計，耶穌已闡明並彰顯在祂生命中。

深究我們人類的基因是渴望被認識並認識對方。安迪·克勞奇 (Andy Crouch) 在他的書《我們正在尋找的生活》(The Life We’re Looking For) 開始說：“認可是人類的首要探索” 從每個嬰兒的第一口呼吸開始，他們就在尋找一張臉孔，想要看到和被看到。克勞奇寫道，“他們正在尋找一張臉孔，當他們找到一張臉孔時－尤其是一張回望著他們的臉孔－他們會盯著他看，因為他們已經找到了他們最迫切想要尋找的東西。”

我相信，這種“尋找臉孔”會伴隨我們一生，因為它是我們擁有“上帝形象”的本性的一部分。這是基督徒聚集在一起的基石原因。

有些人將小組或團契或查考聖經視為社交聚會或基督徒訓練（或教育）之一，這是真確的。但是，只看到這些類別就假設基督徒的生活被分割成社交或教育領域（我們的孩子也有這些相同的類別），特別是如果將同樣的框架應用於門徒訓練，我們就錯過了許多。相反，我們被造是為了面對上帝和彼此面對，面對面。

我們信仰的中心是與聖潔全能的上帝耶和華的關係，祂將自己啟示為三位一體的上帝，聖父，聖子和聖靈。隨著我們更多的認識祂是誰，祂如何愛我們，以及祂如何創造我們－“按照他的形象創造”－我們會更多的了解我們到底是誰。

所以，對於那些爭辯 「我只需要上帝，我不需要教會（或與別人有團契生活）」的人來說－這種觀點不僅在神學上留於表面，而且會導致基督徒的生活變得淺薄。

對於那些「我只需要與人（主內的弟兄姊妹）一起，我不需要敬拜上帝」的人來說－這裡的危險是崇拜人際關係（或者至少，從別人身上得到的任何好處）。

這兩個觀點都有不完善的地方。首先，兩者都傾向於利用對方（上帝和人）來達到自己的目的，其次，兩者都忽視了耶穌的吩咐，即愛上帝和愛別人是上帝國度中最重要的誡命，馬太福音 22:36-40已經說明了。

弟兄姊妹，我們的教會不僅僅是一個社交聚會的場所。它也不僅僅是透過聖經和詩歌進入奧秘，超然敬拜的地方。我們的教會是為兩者而設的－注目在我們主耶穌的面容，在榮耀和恩典中熠熠生輝，並面對面地看到彼此擁有上帝的形象，一起沐浴在上帝的愛中。

主僕
張志成牧師

February 25/26, 2023

From the Pastor’s Desk: Alex Poon

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

Jesus surprises us, doesn’t he? He does meet our expectations. He intentionally does things that leaves us sometimes in confusion.

In John 11, the account of Lazarus, we see Martha wondering aloud to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21)

He remained in remained for two days longer in the place where he was in (John 11:6).

All to set up a scene where Lazarus would be raised up from the dead, and he would declare “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.”, and declaring all this so he would ask the question of utmost importance, “Do you believe this?” (John 11:26)

We ask, where was he when he was most needed?

The Gospel of John 12 and Luke 19 together gives us another surprising story. Jesus sends two of his disciples to fetch for him a young donkey who has never been ridden (Luke 19:30).

And upon his arrival into Jerusalem, the crowds gather to welcome him in. “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” (John 12:13)

The crowds praise his name… but were they expecting another kind of king? Perhaps a mighty warrior who would ride into their city to wage war against their Roman oppressors. A mighty King who would rescue them from their immediate problems…

Instead… this king wouldn’t take the lives of his enemies, but rather, he would give his own life for the ransom of many.

He would lay down his own life to rescue us from the bigger problem – the problem of eternal damnation, to give to us eternal life.

Whatever may be going on in your life, however you feel these days, I pray that you would be revealed to the surprising king in a way that anchors your worship.

Our Lord does not fit into our boxed definitions of who he is. May we see a clear picture of his heart.

His plans may surprise us; we cannot contain his knowledge of what we need best. We cannot contain his purposes for us, nor his purposes for the world.

Worship still.

Worship in way that trusts him.

Worship in a way that adds to your faith.

Worship, with an anchored hope that Christ does knows all, that he sees all things going on, and he’s in control of it all. He remains Lord of it all.

Worship, declaring his praises because you know truthfully, that Christ has not abandoned anything.

Worship, even when you’re surprised, all because you can rest in the hope of our Coming King.

You’re invited to worship, even when it’s hard. And in our worship, we’ll be reminded of Christ who is very much alive, still, in the most surprising kind of way.

Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Alex Poon

2023.02.25/26

親愛的列宣家弟兄姊妹：

耶穌給我們驚喜，不是嗎？ 祂確實回應我們的期望。 祂刻意做一些讓我們有時感到困惑的事情。

在約翰福音 11 章拉撒路的記述中，我們看到馬大大聲地對耶穌說：「主啊，如果你早在這裡，我的兄弟就不會死了！」（約翰福音 11:21）。耶穌聽說拉撒路病了，仍然在原來的地方住了兩天，（約翰福音 11:6）。一切都是為了營造一個拉撒路從死裡復活的場景，耶穌說：「我就是復活和生命；信我的人，雖然死了，也要活著。所有活著又信我的人，必定永遠不死，你信這話嗎？」 （約翰福音 11: 25-26）。

我們會問，最需要祂的時候祂在哪裡？

約翰福音 12 章和路加福音 19 章同樣講述了另一個令人驚訝的故事。 耶穌派祂的兩個門徒去為祂牽來一頭從沒有人騎過的小驢（路加福音 19:30）。

當祂到達耶路撒冷時，群眾聚集起來迎接祂，「和散那，奉主名來的以色列王，是應當稱頌的！」 （約翰福音 12:13）。群眾一邊讚美祂的名字，另一方面祂們是否期待著一個王， 一個威猛的戰士，騎馬進城，與當時壓迫祂們的羅馬政府抗爭，解決祂們眼前的困苦，把祂們解救出來。相反… 這個王不會除掉敵人的性命，而是會獻出自己的生命來救贖許多人的生命。祂犧牲自己的生命來拯救我們脫離罪惡，永死的刑罰，賜予我們永恆的生命。

無論你生活在任何光景，我為你祈禱願你能定晴敬拜給我們驚喜的主耶穌。我們的主不單單局限於我們對祂的認識，願我們能清楚地看到祂的內心。祂的計劃可能會讓我們驚訝， 祂完全知道甚麼是我們最需要的，祂對我們甚至對世界的旨意，我們無法猜透。

唯有專心敬拜祂，以堅定和信靠祂的心敬拜祂，祂是全知全能宇宙萬物的主宰。

敬拜祂，讚美祂，祂沒有撇下我們不顧。祂是我們再來之王，在祂裡面我們得安息。

邀請你與我們一起敬拜，即使是在艱難的時候， 在我們的敬拜中，我們會想起基督，祂仍然以最令人驚訝的方式活著。

主僕
潘啟華傳道

Feb 18/19, 2023

From the Pastor’s Desk: Pastor Karen Quan

1 John 1: 5-10 (The Message)

5 This, in essence, is the message we heard from Christ and are passing on to you: God is light, pure light; there’s not a trace of darkness in him.

6-7 If we claim that we experience a shared life with him and continue to stumble around in the dark, we’re obviously lying through our teeth—we’re not living what we claim. But if we walk in the light, God himself being the light, we also experience a shared life with one another, as the sacrificed blood of Jesus, God’s Son, purges all our sin.

8-10 If we claim that we’re free of sin, we’re only fooling ourselves. A claim like that is errant nonsense. On the other hand, if we admit our sins—simply come clean about them—he won’t let us down; he’ll be true to himself. He’ll forgive our sins and purge us of all wrongdoing. If we claim that we’ve never sinned, we out-and-out contradict God—make a liar out of him. A claim like that only shows off our ignorance of God.

Vancouver winters, although mild in temperature, can be so very dark and dreary. Although I’ve lived here for over 26 years, I still find myself longing to see the sun, even if it’s a short glimpse, especially after many endless days of rain. Slowly, the days are getting longer and I find myself emerging from what seems like this endless gray canvas.

Feb 22, 2023 marks Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. A solemn season in the church calendar that prepares our hearts for the death of Christ (Good Friday). It’s a time to quietly reflect on the greatest sacrifice of all time, as Christ gave up his life for our sin. It’s an opportunity to pause and make time to draw closer to God. For some, a time that might include practices such as extended prayer or fasting. This preparation can assist us to truly appreciate the resurrection of Christ celebrated on Easter.

This passage in 1 John, tells us of how God himself is light, even brighter than that of the sun. Darkness and light do not belong together, just as God and sin cannot coexist. God calls us to be in the light with him, and not stumble around in the darkness. He calls us to walk closely with him in this light and as the light reveals our sins, we’re to confess them to Jesus, for only He can forgive and remove these sins.

May the Lord give us fresh new ways to experience Lent this year so as to know Him deeper and so as to walk more freely in the Light.

Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Karen Quan

2023.02.18/19

親愛的列宣家弟兄姊妹：

約翰一書 1:5-10（新譯本聖經）

「5神就是光，在他毫無黑暗。這是我們從主所聽見、又報給你們的信息。6-7我們若說是與神相交，卻仍在黑暗裡行，就是說謊話，不行真理了。我們若在光明中行，如同神在光明中，就彼此相交，他兒子耶穌的血也洗淨我們一切的罪。8-10我們若說自己無罪，便是自欺，真理不在我們心裡了。我們若認自己的罪，神是信實的，是公義的，必要赦免我們的罪，洗淨我們一切的不義。我們若說自己沒有犯過罪，便是以神為說謊的，他的道也不在我們心裡了。」

溫哥華的冬天雖然氣候溫和，同時也非常陰黑和沉悶。縱然我已經在這裡居住了26年多，我仍然發現自己渴望看到陽光，即使是短暫的一瞥，尤其是在連續下了很多天雨之後。日照慢慢地變得越來越長，我發現自己正在從這片似乎沒有盡頭的灰色畫布中走出來。

2023 年 2 月 22 日是聖灰星期三，預苦期開始，這是教會年曆中一個莊嚴的季節，讓我們的心為基督的死做好準備（耶穌受難日）。也正好是時候我們靜靜地反思，耶穌基督的偉大犧牲，祂為我們的罪捨棄了自己的生命。這是一個停下來騰出時間安靜默想親近上帝的機會。對一些人來說，他們在這段日子會操練不住地祈禱或禁食。這樣可以幫助我們真正體會在復活節慶祝基督的復活。

約翰一書的這段經文告訴我們，神就是光，比太陽還光亮。黑暗與光明從不相屬，就像上帝與罪不能共存一樣。上帝呼召我們與祂一起生活在光中，而不是被罪絆倒生活在黑暗中。祂呼召我們在這光中與祂親密同行，當光顯露我們的罪時，我們要向耶穌認罪，因為只有祂才能赦免和除掉我們的罪孽。

願上帝給我們新的方式來體驗今年的預苦期，以致我們更深入地認識祂，更自由地行走在光中。

主僕
關潔玲傳道