2022.07.30/31

From the Pastor’s Desk: Rev. Simon Lee, Senior Pastor RCAC

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

Last issue: Pastoral Reflections on July 1 (1)

On July 1, we celebrated Canada Day here. I know, as I enjoyed a statutory holiday. This year is the 155^th Anniversary of Confederation. But for those of us who are from Hong Kong, we know that July 1 this year was also the day to commemorate the 25^th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).

In reflecting on these two anniversaries, the question that comes to mind is: What is there to celebrate? In Canada, in the past year we have been reminded again and again of the horrific history of mistreatment and injustice to the children from the First Nations at the Residential Schools and the trauma of their survivors. Furthermore, in the very place we are living in, there are so many other social problems such as the drug overdose crisis and the rising crime rate, just to mention a few.

In Hong Kong, we know that ten of thousands of HongKongers, on both sides of the political spectrum, had decided to leave Hong Kong, looking for a better haven for themselves and their families, many in such a hurry that they did not even say good-bye to their relatives and friends. The anxiety and fear of these people are compounded by the difficulties of finding and settling into a new home in Canada and elsewhere. Yes, “what is there to celebrate”?

The truth of the matter is whether in the birth and development of a nation as in Canada from over 150 years ago, or in the return of a colony to its motherland, as in Hong Kong, in the last 25 years till now, we witnessed prosperity mixed with upheavals, progress mixed with injustice, hope mixed with disappointments, bringing anxiety and tears to all looking for a better future. This is the sad history and geography of the migration of people since the beginning of times, repeated over and over again around the world. If there are achievements to celebrate, then there are also disappointments to grieved about. Again, what is really there to celebrate?

Abraham and the people of faith come to mind. We read in Hebrews 11 these words: By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, and he went out without understanding where he was going. ⁹ By faith he lived as a foreigner in the promised land as though it were a foreign country, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, who were fellow heirs of the same promise. ¹⁰ For he was looking forward to the city with firm foundations, whose architect and builder is God… ¹³ These all died in faith without receiving the things promised, but they saw them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth. ¹⁴ For those who speak in such a way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. ¹⁵ In fact, if they had been thinking of the land that they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶ But as it is, they aspire to a better land, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. (8-10, 13-16) Yes, Abraham and many others “aspire to a better land,” and ultimately it is “a heavenly one.” Those words ring true even today.

The truth is there is no place on earth that does not have its share of unrest and problem, because we are all sinful people living in a sinful world. The church does not and cannot offer any solution to political problems, but the church is where true faith, ultimate hope, genuine love can be found. Lasting peace (shalom) and total redemption are found in the church because “In God we trust.” People of all background, race or political background can come to Christ, the Prince of Peace. This is what we can truly celebrate.

Your servant in Christ,
Rev. Simon Lee

2022.07.30/31

列宣家的弟兄姊妹，

上期：教牧反思(一) ：7月1日，我們在這裡慶祝加拿大國慶。今年是加拿大聯邦成立 155 週年。但對於我們來自香港的，7月1日也有另外一個含義：因為這一天也是香港特別行政區成立25週年的日子。兩個背景截然不同的周年紀念日喚起了我截然不同的感受。

回顧這兩個七1週年紀念日時，我在想:有什麼是值得慶祝的？在加拿大，在過去的一年裡，我們一次又一次地讀到有關於寄宿學校中原住民兒童遭受虐待和不公正待遇的可怕歷史，以及那些倖存者所遭受的創傷。此外，我們也看到很多社會問題的出現，例如藥物濫用和犯罪率上升等等。

在香港，我們知道數以萬計的香港人選擇離開香港，為自己和家人尋找更好的避風港，許多人急得連向家人好好說聲再見的機會都沒有。這些人又因為來到加拿大或其他國家而面對不同適應及定居的問題而不能釋懷。是的，“有什麼值得慶祝的呢”？

事實是，無論是加拿大或是像香港，無論什麼時候，我們都可以看到繁榮背後夾雜著動盪，進步中夾雜著不公義，希望中夾雜著失望，一心為了要尋求更美好未來的人卻經歷了焦慮和淚水。這是人類自古以來遷徙時會遇到的，在世界每一個角落重覆地發生。“有什麼值得慶祝的呢”？

此時，亞伯拉罕和有其他信仰的偉人浮現在腦海中。我們在希伯來書11 章讀到：

8因著信，亞伯拉罕在蒙召的時候，就聽命往他將要承受為業的地方去；他出去的時候，還不知道要往哪裡去。9因著信，他在應許之地寄居，好像是在異鄉…。10因為他等待那座有根基的城，就是神所設計所建造的…。13這些人都是存著信心死了的，還沒有得著所應許的，只不過是從遠處看見，就表示歡迎，又承認他們在世上是異鄉人，是客旅。14因為說這樣話的人，是表明他們在尋求一個家鄉。15如果他們懷念已經離開了的地方，還有可以回去的機會。16但是現在他們所嚮往的，是一個更美的、在天上的家鄉。所以神不以他們稱他為神而覺得羞恥；因為他已經為他們預備了一座城。(8-10, 13-16)是的，亞伯拉罕和其他許多人都“渴望有更美好的土地”，其實唯有“天上的家鄉”才能夠真正滿足他們。

地球上沒有一個地方是真正的樂土，因為我們都是罪人。教會不可亦不能為政治問題提供任何解決方案，但是教會是一個地方讓人能夠找到終極盼望和永恆的愛，可以找到真正的平安(shalom)和完全的救贖，因為“我們信靠的是上帝”(In God we trust)。無論是什麼背景、種族或政治立場的人，都可以投靠這一位「和平之君」耶穌基督。而這個才是值得我們慶祝的。

主僕，
李耀全牧師

2022.07.23/24

From the Pastor’s Desk:Rev. Simon Lee, Senior Pastor RCAC

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

July 1, 2022 was a special day to me, thought-provoking, as one born in Hong Kong but who has for years made Canada my home. On July 1, we celebrated Canada Day here. I know, as I enjoyed a statutory holiday. This year is the 155^th Anniversary of Confederation. But for those of us who are from Hong Kong, we may know that July 1 this year was also the day to commemorate the 25^th Anniversary of the Establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). These were two anniversaries with very different background, evoking in me very different feelings and emotions.

I still remember when Canada celebrated the 150^th anniversary of the confederation, my wife Lydia and I took a trip to the Maritimes Provinces in Eastern Canada, together with my daughter Hannah and my son in law Eugene as tour guides. One place we visited was Charlottetown, P.E.I., where the conferences on the confederation of “Canada” all started in 1864. It ended in the birth of Canada in 1867, marked by the proclamation into law of the Constitution Act, 1867 (British North America Act).  On that trip, I learned a lot about Canada and its history, both the glorious and the ugly, of the treaties with the First Nations, colonialism, confederation, and history of immigrations.

One thing I learned was the name “Canada” comes from aboriginal roots, the Huron-Iroquois word “Kanata,” meaning “village” or “settlement,” the name given to the French explorers and settlers of the day, referring to the village of Stadacona, the site of the present-day City of Quebec. Canada was previously also referred to as a Dominion (part of the British Empire) by the British. But interestingly, it was New Brunswick’s Sir Leonard Tilley who suggested the use of the word “Dominion” of Canada, reportedly inspired by Psalm 72:8, “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.”  C&MA of Canada uses the 5S’s to denote its span of ministries, and the 5^th S, refers to “sea to sea” (Dominion of Canada). As an Alliance pastor, my prayer on July 1 in recollecting this was: May the Lord truly have dominion over Canada, which once had a lots of Christian roots!

My mind wandered to Hong Kong. As you know, on July 1, 1997, China regained control of the British colony of Hong Kong after 156 years. It was in 1839 that Britain invaded China to crush opposition to its opium trade and in 1842 the unequal Treaty of Nanking was signed ending the First Opium War, and the Island of Hong Kong was ceded to the British.   In September 1984, after years of negotiations, the British and the Chinese signed a formal agreement approving the 1997 turnover of the island, Kowloon and the New Territories back to China. One of the major concepts was “one country, two systems.”

On July 1, 1997, Hong Kong was orderly handed over to China in a ceremony attended by numerous Chinese, British, and international dignitaries. I was in Hong Kong, and still remember being glued to the TV, watching each event of the handover, and wondering what will happen to Hong Kong and whether the concept of “one country, two systems” will work. For us as a family, in 1994 we had decided to leave Vancouver to move to Hong Kong to serve there because of the tremendous need there. Little did we know Lydia and I would be there for 18 years till coming to serve at RCAC in 2012. I am amazed at how time flies and 25 years had gone by since the handover. Memories of the City and its development, both its prosperity and upheavals, flood back to my memory. Nowadays we are constantly reminded of the changes in Hong Kong because of the influx of newcomers from Hong Kong in the last year or so. Now half of the period of the promise of “50 years with no change” has passed, with all the many changes, nothing is certain except change itself. As someone who is from Hong Kong, I keep asking on July 1, what will Hong Kong be like after another 25 years?      (Next issue: Pastoral Reflections on July 1 (2))

Christ’s servant,
Rev. Simon Lee

2022.07.23/24

列宣家的弟兄姊妹，

你們好。今年 7 月 1 日對我來說尤其發人深省：我是一個出生在香港但多年來一直以加拿大為家的人。7月1日，我們在這裡慶祝加拿大國慶。我知道，因為在這一天我享受了一天假期！今年是加拿大聯邦立國155週年。但對我們來自香港的人，7月1日也有另外一個含義：因為這一天也是香港特別行政區成立25週年的日子。兩個背景截然不同的周年紀念日喚起了我截然不同的感受。

我還記得在加拿大慶祝建國150 週年時，我和師母Lydia，女兒Hannah 和女婿Eugene 一起去了加拿大東部的愛德華王子島省的夏洛特敦市。這裡就是“加拿大”的發源地，討論開始於1864 年，而在1867 年，加拿大便正式誕生。在這一年，憲法1867（英屬北美法案）正式成立。在那次旅行中，我學到了很多關於加拿大及其原住民、殖民、聯邦和移民的歷史。

在那次旅途中，我學到的一件事，那就是“加拿大”這個名字是有著原住民的根源，Huron-Iroquois人的詞“Kanata”，意思是“村莊”或“安置區”，這個名字是給當時的法國探險家和定居者的，指的是Stadacona 村，現在是魁北克市所在地。新不倫瑞克省的Sir Leonard Tilley稱加國為“Dominion” ，據報導他是受到詩篇72:8 的啟發，“他(神)要執掌權柄，從這海(Sea)到那海(Sea)， 從大河直到地極。”加拿大宣道會使用 了5S 來表示宣教事工的範圍，而第五個“S”是指“從這海到那海”即是加拿大。作為宣道會牧師的一名，當我想到這些事情的時候，我就向神禱告說：願主真正掌管加拿大，這是個曾經有很深基督教根源的國家呀！

我的思緒也飄到了香港。我們都知道，1997年7月1日標誌了中國在156年後重新管治作為英國殖民地的香港。1839年，英國入侵中國，是因為中國當時反抗鴉片貿易。又由於中國戰敗，被迫在1842年簽訂不平等的南京條約，香港島就被割讓給英國。 1984年9月，經過多年談判，中英聯合簽署正式協議，同意在1997年將香港一帶交還給中國。中國提出了一個“一國兩制”的概念。

1997年7月1日，香港有秩序地移交給中國。我當時在香港，還記得透過電視螢光幕，緊張看著移交儀式，心想知道回歸後香港會變得如何，“一國兩制”的概念是否會奏效？在1994 年我們一家決定離開溫哥華搬到香港事奉，是因為看到在那裡有很大的需要。在那個時候，Lydia和我也沒有想到會在香港事奉18年之久，然後在2012 年來到列宣家服事。時間過得真快，香港已經回歸祖國25 年了。這座城市及其發展的回憶，無論是繁榮還是動盪，都在這個時候湧上了我的心頭。在最近一年，我們目睹了大量從香港來的新移民，因著香港社會發生許多變化。 “50年不變”已經過了一半。但是，變化不斷發生。除了變化本身，沒有什麼是確定的。求主保守香港!

(下期：七、一(七月一日)的教牧反思(二))

主僕，
李耀全牧師