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

Feb 06-07, 2021
李耀全牧師

親愛的列宣家弟兄姊妹：

2020年由於病毒大流行而帶來充滿紛亂、愁雲慘霧、厄困和毀滅的一年。於2021年新年之始，也是正當我們在慶祝農曆新年之際，讓我們同來慶祝主耶穌基督是君王的事實，這是最適合不過的了。這確實是我們的盼望和禱告。美國新總統拜登在1月20日的就職禮演說中引用了詩篇30:5 的話：“夜間雖然不斷有哭泣，早晨卻必歡呼”。事實上，我們共同擁有這盼望，並期待著黎明時，我們都可以在主裡歡欣喜樂。

我們於上文曾集中去思想生命聖詩第九首：“擁戴我主為王”詩歌的第一節，重點是“在寶座上的羔羊”。在本文中，我想與各位分享詩歌的第二節，重點在於：”擁戴仁愛之王”。詩詞如下：

擁戴我主為王，祂是仁愛之王，
祂手祂足肋旁受傷，今仍顯明天上，
何等奇妙奧祕，發出榮美光芒，
天使驚奇不敢仰視，一同俯首頌揚。

耶穌基督是愛之主

耶穌基督是君王，祂是愛之主！讓我們來到十字架前，瞻仰神無罪之子耶穌基督，因著我們的罪被釘在十字架上。若我們尚未能明白耶穌有多愛我們，我們只要”回到十字架前，去看“祂的雙手和雙足、看祂的肋旁，祂受傷深刻的釘痕仍然清晰可見，仍在發出榮美光芒”。這情景“在發出榮美光芒”，是因為它象徵著神救贖全人類計劃的應驗，但同時我們可以體驗到詩歌作者描述給我們明白的，是主所忍受極大的苦痛，即使是天上的使者也不忍“全然正視這一景象”。在此，耶穌那“低垂的頭”，相比於祂那“好像火燄的眼睛”(君王、審判者銳利的眼目)，在凝視著這神聖的奧秘，道成肉身的奧妙，罪的代贖和撒但的被擊敗。

引用約翰所說的話，可充份透切地將神這真實的愛顯明、示範出來：“神愛世人，甚至把他的獨生子賜給他們，叫一切信他的，不至滅亡，反得永生。”(約3:16)。保羅更如此形容：“唯有基督在我們還作罪人的時候為我們死，神對我們的愛就在此顯明了。”(羅5:8)

我最喜愛的詩歌之一是 “愛就是”。第一節的歌詞如下：

愛就是，神屈尊為人，
受時空限制，無地位權勢；
愛就是，主生在猶太，
為木匠兒子，跟漁夫一起。
愛就是，主降世成就大事，
因愛賜世人新生命福氣；
愛就是，主流血捨身，
妙愛臨到我這罪人。

試想像一下，神是整個宇宙的創造者，“神屈尊成為人，受時間空間限制，無地位權勢”。這實在是不可思議！不可想像的！這就是愛！詩歌作者敦促我們去思考一個事實，就是無罪的神兒子來世：“因著愛神釘死流血捨身，帶來了使人自由的新生命，祂竟然愛一個像我這樣的人”。由此可看到何謂愛！我們稱頌讚美神，因我們能跟隨這位“愛之主”，我們要尊崇祂！“擁戴祂為愛之王”。是甚麼意思？

擁戴祂為愛之主

有趣的是，拜登除了引用詩篇30:5，他還沿用奧古斯丁的教導呼籲美國人民在共同價值觀的基礎上團結一致。自幼身為天主教徒，他引用了聖奧古斯丁的教導，並稱之為“我的教會聖人”，他指出，一個民族是以愛的共同基礎元素所定義的。古教父奧古斯丁在其著作“上帝之城”中提到：能將一個社會聯繫在一起的元素是愛，而不是法律。他還寫道：“靈魂以愛作為品格的厘定”。拜登呼籲美國人要實踐愛，以愛的共同價值觀，達成團結一致。

若以此教導應用於教會，耶穌教導我們：“如果你們彼此相愛，眾人就會認出你們是我的門徒了。” (約13:35）耶穌也強調愛神和遵守神的誡命兩者之間的關係：“那領受我的命令，並且遵守的，就是愛我的；愛我的，我父必定愛他，我也要愛他，並且要親自向他顯現。”(約14:21）。主所愛的門徒約翰描述了耶穌自己總結了愛的兩方面相連關係，祂說最大誡命的總意就是：“你要全心、全性、全力、全意愛主你的神，並且要愛鄰舍如同自己。” (路10:27）

耶穌是愛之主，愛的美善品德的化身。祂敦促我們作為祂門徒的，於上向方面要敬愛神，遵照祂的誡命，於橫向方面要彼此相愛。耶穌為我們樹立了“愛之主”的榜樣。祂為我們捨身的愛是為著要激勵我們要以愛來回應祂，並在基督的愛裡彼此相愛。當我們唱頌“擁戴愛之主為王”時，就是表示，藉此詩歌來提醒我們尊崇敬拜神，因為祂是那“愛之主”，並為愛神而彼此去實踐愛。
願我們列宣家眾肢體能在 2021 年及日後學會怎樣去“擁戴愛之主為王”！

主僕,
李耀全牧師

Jan 23-24, 2021
From the Pastor’s Desk: Rev. Simon Lee

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

Our theme this year, based on the hymn by the same name, is “Crown Him with Many Crowns.” There are totally12 verses, first 6 by Matthew Bridges (1851) and 6 additional verses by Godfrey Thring. Let us reflect om the rich theology of this hymn based on the Holy Scriptures and discover what it means by looking at 10 of the 12 verses, one at a time, beginning with verse 1.

Crown him with many crowns

Crown him with many crowns,
The Lamb upon his throne;
Hark! how the heavenly anthem drowns
All music but its own:
Awake, my soul, and sing
Of him who died for thee,
And hail him as thy matchless king
Through all eternity.

Crown Him with Many Crowns. We have already noted that the title comes from Revelation 19:12,
11 Then I saw heaven opened and here came a white horse! The one riding it was called “Faithful” and “True,” and with justice he judges and goes to war. 12 His eyes are like a fiery flame and there are many diadem crowns on his head. He has a name written that no one knows except himself.

Revelation 19:11-16 is about the return of Christ to Earth, the first of seven things John saw the Son of God goes to war against Satan. When the heaven opened, the Son of God returns riding on a white horse which symbolizes victory over one’s enemies. He is described as “Faithful” (trustworthy) and “True”(righteous, the real Messiah). This contrasts with the Antichrist who was unfaithful and untrue. Jesus Christ Has come to judge the beast and make war with him.

Jesus Christ’s eyes are like a fiery flame (with piercing judgment) and there are many diadem crowns on his head. “Diadem crowns” were a type of crown that symbolizes the highest ruling authority of a king. Jesus refused the diadem when Satan offered it to Him during His temptation (Mt. 4:9) and now He is the King of Kings, not of an earthy kingdom, but a heavenly one. He is also given a name that is above every name (Phi. 2:9). But here, at His return, He has “a name written that no one knows except himself.” Christ comes with power and authority to rule.

The Lamb upon His (the) throne:

The above imagery of Christ the King who has returned to rule and judge is the culmination of a series of revelations that begins in Chapter 4 of Revelation. The imagery of the Lamb is drawn from Revelation 5, especially Rev. 5: 6 -14. The Lamb that was slain was standing in the middle of the throne, and He alone was worthy to open the seven seals of the scroll in the right hand of God the Father. When the Lamb took the scroll, the four living creatures and the 24 elders prostrated before Him and worshipped him singing:

“You are worthy to take the scroll
and to open its seals
because you were killed,
and at the cost of your own blood you have purchased for God
persons from every tribe, language, people, and nation.

10 You have appointed them as a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will            reign on the earth.” (Rev. 5:9-10)
“Myriads and myriads” (ten thousand times ten thousand) angels joined in the chorus:
“Worthy is the lamb who was killed
to receive power and wealth
     and wisdom and might
     and honor and glory and praise!” (Rev. 5:12)

This was followed by every creature singing:
“To the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise, honor, glory, and ruling power forever and ever!” (Rev. 5:13)

Finally, “the four living creatures were saying “Amen,” and the elders threw themselves to the ground and worshiped.” (Rev. 5:14) This is the resounding sound of praise and worship captured in verse 1 of our hymn.

To crown Him is to worship Him: To “Crown Him with Many Crowns” who will come again to be rule and judge in the end times is therefore above all to truly praise and worship Christ the King, the Lamb upon the throne. Christ is the Coming King, as is emphasized in the fourth element of the Four-fold Gospel of the Christian and Missionary Alliance Church. Our ultimate hope is that when Christ returns, He will bring divine judgement to the earth. This is why we celebrate this truth by worshipping Him as the King of Kings now and forever.

The world we see is filled with pain and suffering, evil and injustice, much of which we cannot escape from, exasperated by the unfortunate devastation of the pandemic on the one hand, and on the other, the corruption from the misuse of power. But may be find peace, hope and joy in Christ and sing,
Awake, my soul, and sing
Of him who died for thee,
And hail him as thy matchless king
Through all eternity.

Your servant in Christ,
Rev. Simon Lee