Mar 13-14, 2021
李耀全牧師

親愛的列宣家弟兄姊妹：

我們身為人類的一份子，即使會為美國最新探索火星，這宇宙中的巨大行星而感到自豪，我們更應讚嘆神在亙古以前的輝煌創造奇功。正如我們在上一篇“擁戴我主為萬世之王”文章中所看到的，耶穌是時間和空間的主宰。

在過去的12個月中，我的好幾位導師，摯友和同工的離世與主同在，令我痛惜我們在世上時間的有限，以及人生的短暫。他們之所以令我感受切膚之痛，是因為他們都是我所尊敬的出色導師及基督徒領袖，或是我深交的同輩友伴。其中包括忠心事主的資深前輩牧者，從事神學教育的麥希真牧師、我在維真神學院的傑出同學楊錫鏘醫生(Philip Yeung牧師)，及前教授兼老師巴刻博士(J.I. Packer)、充滿活力的宣教同工曾湛光牧師(Nick Tsang)，以及我們教會的前任同工及老師Pastor Ward (Ward Gasque博士)等。三月五日，我們敬愛的同工王允志牧師吾友經過一年與病魔爭戰後，凱旋進入神的樂園！首先求主安慰王師母與他們的女兒Wendy 和Pamela及家人。我們實在不捨得王牧師的離開，但他已息勞歸主，就讓我們延續王牧師的遺志，努力建立我們這個家、尤其是我們普通話的事工，和宣教的使命，特別是在馬來西亞的宣教事工。

每當遇到這些影響著我的佳模典範、良善忠心神僕的離去，總令我想起摩西的詩篇：“我們一生的日子都在你的震怒中消逝，我們度盡的年歲好像一聲歎息。我們一生的年日是七十歲，如果強壯，可到八十歲，但其中可誇耀的，不過是勞苦愁煩；我們的年日轉眼即逝，我們也如飛而去了。誰曉得你怒氣的威力，誰按著你該受的敬畏曉得你的忿怒呢？求你教導我們怎樣數算自己的日子，好使我們得著智慧的心。” (詩90:9-12）是的，求神教導我們怎樣數算自己的日子，好使我們得著智慧的心，使我們能為主而活，擁戴我主基督為王。

擁戴尊崇基督為萬世之主，就是要識意到我們的生命，無論長短，全在於神的手中。我們與其向神求長壽，不如首先向神祈求生活的智慧，以能在人生中實現神對我們在世上的使命，並且能榮耀神。

同樣，在新約聖經中，因著我們生活在邪惡的世代裡，保羅亦敦促我們要按照主的旨意“善用時間”：他說：“要謹慎你們的行為，不要像無知的人，要像智慧的人”(“要善用時間”(making the best use of the time)：英王欽定本譯作:“贖回時間”(redeeming the time)），因為現今的世代邪惡。不要做糊塗人，要明白主的旨意是甚麼。”(弗5:15-17–現代中譯)。歌羅西書4:5-6節中也有相同的教導：“你們要把握時機(making the best use of the time)，用智慧與外人來往。你們的話要常常溫和，好像是用鹽調和的，使你們知道應當怎樣回答各人。” 因此，我們瞭解到，保羅所說 “要把握時機(充分利用時間)”的意思是指，心中有智慧，知道怎樣與人交往，有如基督的大使，與人建立聯繫。新國際譯本(NIV)的翻譯是:“充分善用每個機會”，意即：我們要時刻作好準備，在日常生活中成為基督活潑的見證。

耶穌教導門徒必須贖回時間：趁著白晝，我們必須作那差我來者的工；黑夜一到，就沒有人能作工了。”（約9:4）耶穌在世時，一直在意識到自己於世上的使命，並時刻緊記著那“時候”的來臨，就是祂順服父神，為我們的罪釘死在十字架上的時刻。

美國民間音樂藝術家Tim McGraw在2004演唱了一首歌曲《過每一天，當過生命中最後的一天》(Live Like You Were Dying)。這首歌是由Tim Nichols 和Craig Wiseman根據家庭和朋友的故事而寫的，而這些故事讓他們瞭解患病(癌症)以及如何令他們的人生觀產生變化。這首歌的故事是關於一個中年男子，在被告知他罹患癌症並只有很短的生存時間時，他想做所有自己希望做到的有趣事情。雖然這首歌的重點是要在餘下生命裡追求塵世間的樂趣，但歌詞在總結時也含蘊著深遠意義，是他在閱讀“好書”(聖經）之後所得著的啟迪：

“I finally read the Good Book, and I
Took a good, long, hard look
At what I’d do if I could do it all again…
Someday I hope you get the chance, to live like you were dying.”

“我終於讀到「好書」(聖經)，
我好好地讀，用很長時間看，深入去讀
如果我能重頭再來，我應該怎麼做……
我希望您有機會能過每一天，當過生命中最後的一天。”

實在是的，作為基督徒，我們應該把每一天，都當”當過生命中最後的一天”，並在有生之年追求神所賦予我們的一切。雅各提醒我們：”你們的生命是甚麼呢？你們本來是過眼雲煙，轉瞬之間就消逝了”。(雅4:14) ， “Carpe diem”(拉丁語：“採摘一天”或“搶佔一天”)是羅馬詩人霍勒斯(Horace)所用的一句話，表達出一個人應該趁著尚可以的時候享受的生活。但是對於我們基督徒來說，“Carpe diem”的應該意味著我們要充實地生活，並要將最好的奉獻給主，因為祂是歲月的主宰，萬世之主。

再念與我於45年來交情甚篤的朋友和UM大學同學，亦是我在列宣的親愛同工，王允志牧師，在退休後擔任我們的普通話事工牧者，他從未錯失任何機會，於此同時，常偕Stella師母一起前往巴拿馬和吉隆坡及在馬來西亞等地作短宣。在過去的12個月中，即使他被診斷出罹患胰腺癌，他仍繼續成為我們所有人的鼓勵，他稱之為“邁向神樂園的進程”。王牧師已跑完當跑的路。願王允志牧師的榜樣鼓勵我們為主盡忠。願列宣家眾肢體在全年中及往後的日子裡能高舉主基督為王，“擁戴基督為萬世之主”。

主僕,

李耀全牧師

Mar 06-07, 2021
From the Pastor’s Desk: Rev. Simon Lee

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

This is the 5^th and final article (in 2 parts)  on “Crown Him with Many Crowns,” which is the theme of 2021 at RCAC. Taken from the hymn with the same title, we have seen that this means worshipping Christ who is “the Lamb upon the throne,” “the Lord of love” and “the Lord of peace.” Let us worship Christ the King for who He is, as the focus of our lives in the new year, and live confidently in the King’s presence, despite the pandemic. Let us now also Crown him the Lord of years!

The truth underscored here by the hymn writer Matthew Bridges is that Jesus Christ is the sovereign and almighty Lord of time and space.

“Crown him the Lord of years, The Potentate of time,–Creator of the rolling spheres, Ineffably sublime!

Glassed in a sea of light, Where everlasting waves reflect his throne,–the Infinite!

Who lives,–and loves–and saves.”

Yes, the amazing brilliance of the universe displays and reflects the glory of God the creator and Christ the King on His throne. Indeed, Jesus Christ is not only our Saviour, He is also the “potentate of time.” According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, “Potentate” has the following definition:

POTENTATE po’-ten-tat (dunastes, “mighty one,” from dunamai, “to be able”): A person who possesses great power and authority. Only in I Timothy 6:15 , “the blessed and only Potentate” (= God)…

As seen in the above definition, in the Bible the word translated as “potentate” is found only in the charge of Paul to Timothy “to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁵ which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign (potentate, dunastes), the King of kings and Lord of lords, ¹⁶ who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.” (I Tim 6:13-16)

Christ the King is the blessed and only Sovereign (potentate, dunastes), the all-powerful creator of the universe, who deserves all our praise and worship. This is the reason for the charge of Paul to Timothy (and to us), and in view of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. There are several things in this charge that we need to note:

1. We need to keep this commandment without spot or blame.

Our charge is “to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach.” (14) Here the “commandment” (the command) refers first to the pastoral duties laid upon Timothy (in Ephesus, I Tim. 1:3-20; 6:2c-5). But broadly speaking it refers to the entire body of sound teaching Paul had been describing throughout the letter. By his own godly life and faithful ministry, Timothy was to preserve this body of truth from stain or reproach. Our worship of the King is not just lovely sounding praise, but our spiritual worship or reasonable service before God. (Rom. 12:1,2)

2. We must be faithful till the second coming of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Faithfulness to serving the King is ultimately living our lives with the anticipation of the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. When Christ comes, and only then will our spiritual battle be over. Paul says, “Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.” (I Tim 6:12)

3. We know the Jesus Christ will return “at the proper time” known only to God.

One of the hardest things in our Christian life is to discern what it means by Christ is the “Lord of years.” One thing we all want to discern is His timing and His will in our lives, and ultimately when he will return, which is the ultimate source of our hope. While Jesus was on earth, Jesus Himself even admitted that only God the Father knows when the end will come. Here “the proper time” or “the right time” in the original Greek is simply “the time” (kairos) which means “the season or opportunity,” the idea of proper or right time is implied. There is another word in ancient Greek for time “chronos” which refers to chronological time. The important thing is not exactly “when” Christ will return, but that He will return.

4. We will praise God the ultimate ruler of the universe, the King of kings and Lord of lords.

“To crown Him with Many Crowns” is described in the inspiring doxology to the God who is the Creator, the ultimate Ruler of the universe, the King of kings and Lord of lords. The apostle John declares, “They will make war on the Lamb, and the Lamb will conquer them, for he is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those with him are called and chosen and faithful.” (Rev. 17:14) Such a Lord deserves an awesome reverence combined with complete humility. To Him be honor and might forever. Amen

(To be continued in Crown him the Lord of years! (II)

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Simon Lee

Mar 06-07, 2021
李耀全牧師

親愛的列宣家弟兄姊妹：

本文為教會2021年度的主題“擁戴我主為王”，按照同名詩歌而撰寫的第五篇心聲，亦為最後一篇(共分上、下兩次刊登）。我們已於前文探討過詩歌中有關擁戴基督為王的幾方面：“擁戴寶座上的羔羊”、“擁戴愛之君王”及“擁戴和平之君”。讓我們在這新的年度裡集中於，按照神的本體和屬性去敬拜祂為王，儘管疫情肆虐，我們仍然能夠存著信心活在君王基督面前。讓我們同來擁戴主基督為萬世之王！
詩歌作者Matthew Bridges在詩歌的第四節強調的真理是：耶穌基督是至高無上、統管時空的全能主。

“擁戴我主為王，祂是萬世之王([統管]時間的大能者，Potentate of time) ，
宇宙天體乃主創造，榮美無可比量，
齊來頌讚救主！你曾為我受死，
讚美尊貴榮耀救主，直到永世無窮。”
誠然，宇宙穹蒼的奇妙輝煌展示並反映出神榮耀的創造和基督永恆的寶座。事實上，耶穌基督不僅是我們的救主，祂也是那”統管時間的大能者”(The Potentate of time，萬世之王) 。根據“國際標準聖經百科全書” “Potentate”一詞的定義如下：

POTENTATE po’-ten-tat (希臘文dunastes, “大能者” 的字根為 dunamai :”大有能力”)：指一個擁有強大權力和權威的人。此詞在聖經中，提前6:15形容為：”那可稱頌的、獨一的全能者“（= 神）…

如上所述的定義，在聖經中，這”大能者“一詞只用於保羅對提摩太的囑咐：”…你當毫無玷污，無可指摘地持守這命令，直到我們主耶穌基督的顯現。15到了適當的時候，那可稱頌的、獨一的全能者，萬王之王，萬主之主，必把基督的顯現表明出來。16只有他永遠不死，住在不能接近的光裡，沒有人見過他，人也不能看見他。願尊榮和永遠的權能都歸給他。阿們。”(提前 6:13-16)

基督君王是那可稱頌的，也是唯一的至高無上主宰(權能、大能者)，宇宙的全能創造者，配得我們所有的讚美和尊崇敬拜。這也正是保羅因著主耶穌基督的第二次再臨，囑咐提摩太(和我們)的原因，在這囑咐中，我們必須注意下列的幾方面：

1. 我們應當毫無玷污，無可指摘地持守這命令(14節上)。 這裡的”命令”(誡命)：首先是指保羅在以弗所對於提摩太牧養職責的囑咐(提前1:3-20; 6:2-5) 。但從廣義上而言，這裡指的是保羅在全書中描述的整全教導。提摩太以他敬虔的生命和忠心的事奉，保存真理不受玷污及無可指摘。我們對君王的敬拜不僅僅在於美妙歌聲的讚美, 屬靈的敬拜(spiritual worship)，而是我們在神面前理所當然的事奉(“reasonable service”)。（羅12:1-2）

2.我們必須保持盡忠，直到我們的主耶穌基督第二次再臨 (14節下) 。
過盡忠事奉君王的生活基本上是連繫於對我們主耶穌基督第二次再來的期待。我們的屬靈戰爭唯有在基督再來時才會止息。故此，保羅說，”要為信仰打那美好的仗，持定永生；你是為這永生而蒙召的，又在許多的證人面前承認過美好的信仰。” (提前 6:12)

3.我們知道耶穌基督會在那只有神知道的”適當的時候”再來。
我們基督徒生活中最難以明白的事情之一，就是辨明基督是”萬世之主”(統管時間的大能者)的含義。我們都很想辨明神在我們生活中的時間和旨意，以及祂最終何時會回來，這是我們終極盼望的源頭。當耶穌在世上的時候，祂曾表示這世界的末了只有父神才知道是什麼時候。此處的“適當時間”（新譯）或“到了日期” （和合）在希臘文是:“時機”(kairos)，意即“時段或機會”，暗示著適當的時候與時機。古希臘語中還有另一個字詞去計算時間的，就是”年代排列的順序(chronos)，即指時間的順序。其實，重要的不是基督“什麼時候”回來，而是祂必會再來。

4. 我們要讚美神是宇宙的終極統治者、萬王之王和萬主之主。
“擁戴主基督為王”詩歌在鼓舞人心的教義中描述神是造物主，宇宙的終極統治者，萬王之王和萬主之主。使徒約翰宣稱，”他們要跟羊羔作戰，羊羔必勝過他們，因為他是萬主之主，萬王之王。那些與羊羔同在、蒙召、被選、有忠心的，也必勝過他們。” (啟17:14)。這樣一位大而可畏的榮美主宰，實在是配得我們完全謙卑俯伏的尊崇與敬拜。願榮耀，權能歸於祂直到永遠！阿門！
（“擁戴主基督為萬世之王”5(之二)，下文待續）

主僕，
李耀全牧師

Feb 13-14, 2021
From the Pastor’s Desk: Rev. Simon Lee

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

Peace. World peace. Inner peace. We all want peace. But peace is so fleeting and so elusive.

In the Inauguration of President Biden, the young 22-year-old African American poet laureate, Amanda Gorman, read a composition she wrote called, “The Hill We Climb.” An excerpt on world peace relevant to our thought here is as follows:

Scripture tells us to envision
that everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree
and no one shall make them afraid.
If we’re to live up to our own time,
then victory won’t lie in the blade.
But in all the bridges we’ve made,
that is the promise to glade,
the hill we climb.

The phrase “everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree” alludes to a verse found in the Bible Micah 4:4. The context of the allusion is a time of peace, a metaphorical time and place where one feels secure. This sense of security allows the people to enjoy their personal freedom without fear of being disturbed by external powers. The passage (Micah 4:3-5) actually speaks of the Lord’s rule of peace, but this predicates on the people following God’s ways. The Biblical imagery is applied to the hope for peace today in America. How wonderful it would be if the truth here is fully applied, for peace would indeed come.

In my graduate training at UBC in professional counselling psychology, I studied the work of world-renowned family therapy pioneer, Dr. Virginia Satir. One of the meditations she wrote was: Peace Within, Peace Between, Peace Among. Even though her aspiration was not based on Christian teaching, nevertheless we can see “peace” is what the world seeks. “Peace” is also what we Christian seeks. But how is the peace that we have different from the world’s?

We had looked at the first and second stanza of Crown him with many crowns (HL#9), which focused on “The Lamb upon his throne” and “Crown Him the Lord of Love.” Now we look at the third stanza: “Crown him the Lord of peace!”

The lyrics is as follows:

Crown him the Lord of peace! Whose power a scepter sways,
From pole to pole,–that wars may cease, Absorbed in prayer and praise:
his reign shall know no end, And round his pierced feet
Fair flowers of paradise extend Their fragrance ever sweet.

The Scriptural imagery and background of this stanza is found in the book of Hebrews, where the author is making the point that the Son is superior to angels. God says of the Son,

“Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom.

9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. So God, your God, has anointed you over your companions with the oil of rejoicing.” (Heb 1:8, 9)

Jesus Christ the King has come to rule with a scepter of righteousness in His hand. His throne is eternal. Therefore we can all rejoice. The author of Hebrews is actually quoting, from Psalm 45:6-7,

“Your throne, O God, is permanent. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice. 7 You love justice and hate evil. For this reason God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy, elevating you above your companions.”

We can see the sacrificial Lamb of God, the Lord of Love, is described here as the Lord of peace and righteousness.  What is declared in the Old Testament is the final triumph of King David’s Son, the Messiah, who is also God. Therefore, the author of Hebrews want to underscore the fact that the Son is superior to angels because He is God. The scepter He holds is not only a symbol of power, but of righteousness and justice.  Peace comes from the rule of righteousness and justice by Jesus Christ who is the Lord of Peace.  We can find this concept proclaimed also by the prophet Isaiah in these words found in Isa 9:6, “For a child has been born to us, a son has been given to us. He shoulders responsibility and is called: Amazing Adviser, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. The messiah King is called the “Prince of Peace.”

The peace that Jesus brings is from the rule of righteousness, but it is not just worldly peace but an inner peace, the peace of Christ himself as Jesus says in John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; I do not give it to you as the world does. Do not let your hearts be distressed or lacking in courage.”  The disciples of Jesus were worried about their well being and security when Jesus their master announced to them that He was leaving them. But Jesus assured them that even though physically He is not going to be with them, He will leave His peace with them. Jesus Emmanuel is “God with us,” and as we abide in Him, He abides in us. That is the assurance we all have in all our troubles, including the current pandemic.

Paul, in his letter to the Philippians, teaches them to rejoice always and not be anxious about anything. Paul then shows them the secret of overcoming anxiety with these words, “Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phi.4:6,7)  But then he goes further to urge them to walk with Christ constantly as it would result in “the God of peace will be with you,” meaning the indwelling of God of Peace Himself in us always. Yes, pray when you are anxious, you will have the peace of God. But how much better when you live a prayerful life centred in Christ, because in so doing, the God of peace is with you all the time, come rain or shine.

Let us therefore crown Him the Lord of Peace.

Your servant in Christ,

Pastor Simon Lee

Feb 13-14, 2021
李耀全牧師

親愛的列宣家弟兄姊妹：

平安。世界和平。內在的平安。我們都盼望得著平安。可是平安難尋並且迅間消逝。

22歲非裔美國青年阿曼達·戈爾文(Amanda Gorman) ，於美國總統拜登就職典禮上朗讀了她所撰寫的獲獎詩篇，詩題名為: “我們所攀越的山丘”。詩辭內容為世界和平，其中與本文思想有關的摘錄如下：

聖經教導我們去展望，
各人將安坐在自己的葡萄樹和無花果樹下，
不受任何人的驚嚇。
若我們不辜負這個時代，
勝利不在於利刃刀鋒。
而在於我們築起的橋樑，
就是通往美好境地的承諾，
我們所攀越的山丘。
“各人將安坐在自己的葡萄樹和無花果樹下” ，此句原出自聖經彌迦書4：4。經文背景描繪出一片和平及安居樂業的景象。這份安全感使人民享有個人的自由，而且毋須擔心受到外界力量的干擾。這段經文(彌4:3-5)實際上是論到上主掌權的平安統治，並以神的子民順從神的道路為前提的。聖經的意像被應用於當今美國對和平的盼望。若聖經的真理能充分應用實行出來，和平即將實現，那是何等美好。

筆者於卑斯省立大學接受輔導心理學專業研究培訓時，曾研究世界著名的家庭療法先驅弗吉尼亞·薩蒂爾博士的著作。她的思維重點之一是：內在的平安，彼此間的和平，人際的和平。即使她的意願並非基於基督教的教義，但我們從而可見世人對“平安”的渴求。“平安”亦是我們基督徒追求的目標。可是，究竟我們所擁有的平安與世人所求的平安有何分別？

我們於前已看過生命聖詩第九首: “擁戴主為王”的第一和第二節，重點在於“擁戴寶座上的羔羊為王”和“擁戴愛之王”。我們現在來看第三節：“擁戴和平之君！”。
歌詞如下：
擁戴我主為王，祂是和平之王，
普天之下戰爭停息，和平統治四方，
遍地禱頌聲揚，國權萬世永長，
美花環繞曾受傷足，朵朵歷久芬芳。
以上詩詞的背景和意象出自希伯來書，作者指出聖子遠超越於天使。神論到聖子，如此說：
“神啊！你的寶座是永永遠遠的，你國的權杖，是公平的權杖。”
“你喜愛公義，恨惡不法，所以，神，就是你的神，用喜樂的油膏抹你，勝過膏抹你的同伴。”(來1:8, 9）
君王耶穌基督手中握著公義的權杖施行統治。祂的寶座存到永遠。因此，我們可以滿心喜樂。希伯來書的作者實際上引用了詩篇45：6-7，“神啊！你的寶座是永永遠遠的，你國的權杖是公平的權杖。你喜愛公義，恨惡邪惡，所以，神，就是你的神，用喜樂的油膏抹你，勝過膏抹你的同伴。”

我們可以看到神那被犧牲的羔羊，愛之主在此被描述為和平與公義的主。舊約預言所宣告的，大衛王的兒子 (後裔)彌賽亞的最後勝利，祂就是神。因此，希伯來書的作者想強調一個事實，即兒子是超越、高於天使的。祂手持的權杖不僅象徵著權力，並且象徵著神的義與公義。和平來自和平之主耶穌基督的義和公義的統治。先知以賽亞也藉著以賽亞書9：6中所言來宣揚這觀念：“因為有一個嬰孩為我們而生，有一個兒子賜給我們；政權必擔在他的肩頭上；他的名必稱為“奇妙的策士、全能的神、永恆的父、和平的君”。彌賽亞君王被稱為“和平的君”。

耶穌所帶來的平安來自祂公義的統治，但這不僅是世人所渴求的平安，更是內在的平安，正如耶穌在約翰福音14:27中所說的，是基督自己的平安。“我留下平安給你們，我把自己的平安賜給你們；我給你們的，不像世界所給的。你們心裡不要難過，也不要恐懼”。當主向門徒宣布祂要離開他們時，他們正在擔心自身的安危，耶穌向他們保證，即使祂的肉身不能與他們同在，祂也仍然與他們同在。耶穌以馬內利就是“神與我們同在”，當我們在祂裡面時，祂也在我們裡面。這就是我們之所以能在一切的困境中，包括在病毒大流行當前時的保證與確據。

保羅在寫給腓立比信徒的書信中教導他們應當一無掛慮，要常常喜樂。保羅接著向他們指示出克勝憂慮的秘訣：“應當毫無憂慮，只要凡事藉著禱告祈求，帶著感恩的心，把你們所要的告訴神。這樣，神所賜超過人能了解的平安，必在基督耶穌裡，保守你們的心思意念。”（腓4:6,7）他更進一步地敦促信徒要不間斷地與基督同行，因為這樣就能否達致“賜和平之神就必與你們同在”，意即賜平安之神時刻在我們裡面。是的，當您在心中焦慮時祈禱，您便能得到神所賜的平安。若您過著以基督為中心的禱告生活，您必然體驗其中的美好。如此，賜平安之主必常與您同在，風雨無間。

讓我們同來擁戴我主為和平之君。
主僕,
李耀全牧師

FEb 06-07, 2021
From the Pastor’s Desk: Rev. Simon Lee

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

At the beginning of a new year (2021) and also as we celebrate our Chinese New Year, it is most appropriate that we celebrate the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ is King. This is indeed our hope and prayer after a devastating year of 2020 filled with chaos, and gloom and doom from the pandemic. Biden, the new President of the United States in his Inauguration Speech on January 20, quoted from Psalms 30:5 – “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Indeed, we share this hope and look forward to the dawn when we can all rejoice in the Lord.
We had looked at the first stanza of Crown him with many crowns, which focused on “The Lamb upon his throne. In this article, I would like to share with you the themes of the second stanzas of the hymn (HL #9), which is “Crown Him the Lord of Love.”

The lyrics is as follows:

Crown him the Lord of love!
Behold his hands and side,–
Rich wounds, yet visible above,
In beauty glorified:
No angel in the sky
Can fully bear that sight,
But downward bends his burning eye
At mysteries so bright!

Jesus is the Lord of Love

Jesus Christ is King because he is the Lord of love. We are brought to the cross where Jesus Christ the sinless Son of God was crucified for our sins. If we have any question about how much Jesus loves us, we only have to go back at the cross and “behold his hands and side, rich wounds, yet visible above, in beauty glorified.” The scene was “beauty glorified” because it symbolized the fulfilment of God’s plan of redemption of all mankind, but at the same time it was so painful that the hymn writer tells us that even the heavenly angels cannot “fully bear that sight.” In contrast Jesus with His head bend down and with “burning eye” (eyes of the King , the Judge) was gazing at this divine mystery, the mystery of the incarnation, the atonement of sin and the defeat of Satan.

This demonstration of true love is described well in the words of John: “For God so love the world, that He gave His only son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Paul puts it this way, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Rom. 5:8)

One of my favourite hymns is “Love Was When” and the lyrics of the first verse is:

Love was when God became a man,
locked in time and space, without rank or place.
Love was God born of Jewish kin;
Just a carpenter with some fishermen.
Love was when Jesus walked in history.
Lovingly He brought a new life that’s free.
Love was God nailed to bleed and die,
to reach and love one such as I.

Imagine God the creator of the whole universe, “became a man, locked in time and space, without rank or place.” Incredible! Unthinkable! This is LOVE! The hymn writer urges us to ponder on the fact that the sinless Son of God came and “Lovingly He brought a new life that’s free. Love was God nailed to bleed and die, to reach and love one such as I.” Herein is LOVE! We praise God that we are a follower of Jesus who is the “Lord of Love.” We are to worship Him by crowning Him the Lord of Love. What does this mean?

Crown Him the Lord of Love

Apart from quoting from Psalm 30:5, it is interesting that Biden also invokes Augustine in call for American unity based on their common values. As a cradle Catholic, he quoted a teaching of St. Augustine whom he referred to as “a saint of my church” – that “a people are a multitude defined by the common object of their love.” The Church father Augustine in City of God presented love, not law, as the thing that binds a society together. He also wrote, “the soul takes on the character of what it loves.” Biden is appealing to Americans to love and put into practice their common values and therefore be united as a nation.

Applying it further to the Church, Jesus taught “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (Jn 13:35) Jesus also underscored the relationship of loving God and following His commandments: “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” (Jn 14:21) These two dimensions of love described by John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, in these two references is summed up in Jesus’ own summary of the Great commandments, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27)

Jesus is the Lord of love, the very personification of the virtue of love. He urges us his disciples to love God vertically by following His commandments and horizontally by loving one another. Jesus has set an example for us as the Lord of love. His sacrificial love for us should motivate us to respond by loving Him and loving another in Christ. This is what is implied when we sing “crown Him the Lord of Love” as it reminds us to worship God for who He is,” the Lord of Love,” and do so by practising love, for God and for one another.

May we in RCAC all learn to “Crown Him the Lord of Love” in 2021 and beyond!

Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Simon Lee