Jul 04-05, 2020
李耀全牧師

親愛的列宣家的弟兄姊妹，

2020年我們以「開到水深之處」為主題，第一季探討「宣道會：身份、立場和使命」。由於冠狀病毒COVID-19大流行打斷了我們的計劃，到第二季度，我們轉換了「耶穌平靜我們生命中的風浪/主啊，求祢更新我們」為分題。現在，將進入第三季度，新常態中，我們將回顧聖經的歷史，查考以色列和猶大諸王的興衰，作為我們今天的生活和教會的成長汲取教訓。列王紀上、下給我們的教訓主要是，不遵行上帝所啟示的旨意會導致敗壞和滅亡。所羅門時代，以色列國達到了權力和威望的最高峰。由於所羅門背叛神和沒有遵行摩西的立約，以色列國漸漸走向滅亡。

聖經學者不知道列王紀上、下經卷的作者是誰，但列王紀內所敘述的歷史時期共約413年，始於大衛立所羅門為王（公元前973年），至約雅斤從巴比倫被擄獲釋（公元前561年）結束。但是，列王紀大多數是記錄從所羅門登基為王到公元前586年耶路撒冷被毀的時期共387年。開始的時候是聖殿被建造，最後是聖殿被燒毀。我發現Constable以下的註釋非常有幫助：

「… 列王紀上、下通過一系列事件描述以色列的歷史，以色列民族如何及為什麼從繁榮盛世淪落到被擄和流亡的深淵。」

「更具體地說，列王紀上、下解釋了以色列民族如何及為什麼失去了他們在約書亞年代艱辛贏得，以及在士師記及撒母耳記上、下年代努力經營的國土。」

「情節將故事中的因果聯繫起來。因此，列王紀上、下的故事線可能是以色列流亡，但情節是以色列民族違背上帝的教導以致亡國被擄。打開故事的因果關係，情節通常至少具有兩個基本層面：衝突和解決。劇情的衝突是故事中的緊張局勢，使故事變得精彩，而劇情的解決則是解決衝突的途徑。作者如何發展這兩個組合通常決定了情節的起伏。」

第三季的講道的主題乃開到水之深之處III：國度興衰、匹夫有責（列王紀上、下經訓）。主題顧名思義是指出以色列國的興衰直接與國王和領袖的行為好壞正邪息息相關。目的是以史為鑑，反思我們在疫情大流行中教會(神的國度在列宣)的興衰也是與教會的牧者與領袖的生命好歹不可分割，而您我作為教會的一份子，教會成敗，匹夫有責！分題安排如下：

日期                    讀經(新譯本)                               講題內容

7月4/5日            王上1:28-40, 2:1-4, 10-12        所羅門(1): 王朝興起

7月11/12日         王上3:5-15                                 所羅門(2): 王的智慧

7月18/19日        王上 5:1-6:1                              所羅門(3): 建造聖殿

7月25/26日       王上8:1-21                                 所羅門(4): 奉獻聖殿

8月1/2日            王上9:1-9                                   所羅門(5): 神的應許

8月8/9日            王上11:1-14, 41-43                   所羅門(6): 王朝衰落

8月15/16日         王上12:1-24                               王國分裂(1): 百姓叛亂

8月22/23日        王上13:7-32                               王國分裂(2): 神僕受誘

8月29/30日        王上14:1-20                               王國分裂(3): 詭詐受罰

9月5/6日             待定                                             青年事工/基教崇拜

9月12/13日          王上15:1-24                                王國分裂(4): 改革復興

9月19/20日         待定                                             聖樂崇拜/差傳

9月26/27日         王上15:25-16:7                          王國分裂(5): 變本加厲

在新常態中，讓我們謹記上帝在以色列歷史上已經彰顯了自己。透過每次的證道，我們將回顧這段歷史，列宣作為神的子民的教會我們著眼於如何跟從上帝的教導，免得我們像這段歷史時期上帝的子民一樣跌倒！我們將在7月至9月的這個季度中涵蓋列王紀上1-16章的歷史，並在稍後的日子（預計在2021年1月至3月的冬季）繼續歷史的其餘部分。這樣我們將能在今年秋季返回研讀新約。讓我們一起探討上帝的話語。

主僕

李耀全牧師

主任牧師

Jun 27-28, 2020
Rev. Simon Lee, Senior Pastor RCAC

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

• Why do we need to be calm?

“Not Cancelled” is a book published recently, putting together 49 inspiring stories from across Canada of people who have acted kindly, calmly and courageously during the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst news of people still fearful or not following the guidelines for reopening, and even news of racial discrimination against Asians, I really welcome the book as a breath of fresh air. Yes, we need to encourage each other to be kind, be calm in facing the challenge before us in order to stay safe, as Dr. Bonnie Henry has called us to do repeatedly over the past three months. We need to continue to be vigilant.

From personal experience, I know that I can stay calmer in adverse situations if I know the threat I am facing, and know how to deal with them with the resources I can gather. The more I understand the threats, the more I am prepared to deal with them, and the more I can remain calm. I go into a panic mode when I am caught off guard. As a boy growing up, I was a Boy Scout for many years, and I learned to “Be prepared” and engaged in activities and training to increase my survival skills and ability to respond to difficulties. The more I mastered those skills, the more I felt confident to face different unexpected challenges. So preparedness and availability of resources are keys to staying calm.

The pandemic have come upon us with such speed that we quickly lose our security, stability and equilibrium in life. The threat is greater because the things we are seeing and experiencing are unprecedented and there are so many unknowns. We become restless, nervous, anxious and sleepless, and prolonged anxiety can led to different anxiety disorders. Like SARS in Hong Kong 17 years ago, if anxiety is left unchecked, people can develop Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD), that is, become anxious over everything, or even Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), with obsessive thought and compulsive behaviour, as for example, in uncontrolled and repetitive need to wash one’s hands. So the ability to be calm, cool and collected will help prevent us from such anxiety mental disorders.

• What are some psychological perspectives of being calm?

Moving away from the medical model of mental illness, if kindness is regarded as a Character Strength and Virtue (in Positive Psychology) under the category of “humanity,” then where does “being calm” fits in? We find that “calmness” would probably also fit well in the category of “humanity” as an expression of “love, kindness and social intelligence.” However if we see this as a quality required in adversities, then the category of “courage” (valor) which includes virtues like “bravery, perseverance, honesty and zest” will be appropriate as well. “Calmness” in adversities then is an expression of bravery to face adversities (in a gentle way if I may add), the ability to persevere when trials persist, maintaining one’s integrity and vitality, despite ongoing pressure. “Calmness” is a product of the human will backed by different sources of strength from existential meaning and purpose. From this perspective, calmness is part of personal growth in our development of humanity and courage.

From another perspective, if “kindness” can be measured in EQ or Emotional Quotient or Intelligence, then “being calm” can be seen as a crucial element measured in AQ or Adversity Quotient. The term “adversity quotient” is coined by Paul Stoltz in 1997 in his pioneering book Adversity Quotient: Turning Obstacles Into Opportunities. It is commonly known also as the science of resilience. When it comes to dealing with everyday challenges, or even catastrophic one, AQ has been recognized a more powerful coping mechanism than IQ. It is learning not to quit right from the start or half way when the going gets tough. We need to be vigilant and meet challenges with clarity and calmness.

• How does Jesus model for us staying calm in adversities?

We have already looked previously at how Jesus calmed the storm, and learned that in the same way Jesus can calm the storms in our lives. Another picture that comes to mind is the picture of Jesus when His enemies came to arrest him. The Gospel of John stated that Simon Peter impulsively cut off the ear of Malchus, the servant of Caiaphas the High Priest (Jn. 18:10). Luke adds that Jesus instead healed the wound (Lk. 22:51) and in Matthew, Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” (Mt. 26:52) What a contrast, we can see whereas Peter was “fearless and courageous” (or impulsive?) in his action, Jesus was calm and collected in the whole process, showing an inner peace even when He was betrayed by Judas his disciple with a kiss. How was Jesus able to stay calm in such atrocities?

It is instructive to note that the whole incidence happened after Jesus prayed in the garden of Gethsemane, during which the three closest disciples of Jesus including Peter could not stay awake. Jesus’s prayer battle in Gethsemane and His prayer life throughout His days on earth was a source of strength for Jesus, the reason for being able to stay calm when facing the most difficult challenge of His earthly life. Throughout the life of Jesus, he knew exactly why He was on earth, and he was resolute in His determination to go to cross. He was prepared for every step of the road to Calvary, and remained calm throughout the Passion Week in all his trials and tribulations. Jesus could stay calm because He knew that He was following and fulfilling the perfect will of God. So if we know we are walking in the path of God, we too can stay calm in adversities. Walking close to God prayerfully is key to staying calm and serene.

• What does the Bible teach us about staying calm in adversities?

In our favourite Psalm, Ps. 23, David says, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” (1,2) The picture is one of calmness, peacefulness, tranquility and serenity. With Jesus as our Good Shepherd, we can be calm. Indeed this psalm has down through the ages brought peace to many Christians in times of need.

From the perspective of courage, in times like these, we are told to “be strong and very courageous,” just as Joshua was told when he faced the daunting task of leading the people of God into Promised Land. Joshua and Caleb had years ago in fact spoken out courageously after they and the rest of the 10 spies returned from their trip of spying out the land of Canaan, but unfortunately they were rejected by the people of the Exodus. Now after almost 40 years they were given the “impossible” task of leading a new generation of Israelites into the Promised Land, claiming it and dividing it among the tribes so as to settle in it. God’s word of encouragement to “be strong and courageous” came to Joshua with the passing of Moses. With these words, Joshua was also instructed to follow closely “the Torah,” with the promise of the blessings of God if he carefully observed this instruction (Joshua 1:1-9).

However I see people who are calm display more than raw courage and strong resilience when faced with danger and threat. There is an inner strength, quiet restfulness and a serene spirit that is the very opposite of impetuousness and toughness. Calmness is not just an outward behaviour when challenged, as it is a reflection of something deeper – the maturity of a person, the inner quality of his/her spirituality. It is heeding God’s calming voice that says “Be still and know that I am God.” (Ps. 46:10)

• How do we practice being calm in the New Normal?

In the model of Soul C.A.R.E.S that I have developed over the years, one of the core competences in pastoral care and counseling is providing spiritual formation and direction that helps a person comes to term with adversities/trauma by nurturing a serene spirit, with the attitude of full surrender to God and His sovereignty. When all fails, we find peace in God because humans are created “with a God-shaped vacuum” (Augustine) that only God can fill, and we will be restless until we find rest in Him. So ultimately, a Biblical way to look at the ability to be calm is to find rest and peace in God. This is achieved by spiritual disciplines through God’s Word and through close communion with God in our daily lives.

In the New Normal, a new anxiety can creep into our lives, the anxiety of wanting to go back to normal quickly, and the impatience with the slow and cautious reopening that we are going through. Be calm means to go in step with the Province and to move cautiously to make sure we do not trigger a second wave of the spread of the Coronavirus. Indeed, let us be kind and be calm.

Your servant in Christ

Rev. Simon Lee
Senior Pastor

Jun 27-28, 2020
李耀全牧師

列宣家親愛的弟兄姊妹,

• 為何需要保持冷靜(be calm)？

＜沒有取消＞ (“Not Cancelled”)是近期出版的一本書，書中匯集了來自加拿大各地的49個振奮人心的故事，內容講述於病毒大流行期間，人們所展現出的友善、鎮定和勇氣。正當普遍人仍然心存恐懼，或輕視拒絕遵照重新開放指引而感到不耐煩，又或是在面對亞裔人士被歧視的個案之際而恐慌，書中的內容像一口清新的空氣令人振奮，值得一讀。是的，正如邦妮·亨利醫生呼籲我們在過去三個月中重覆必須做的，我們需要互相鼓勵，繼續保持警惕性及保持友善、冷靜去應對挑戰，以確保安全。

就我個人的經驗來說，若我能預先知道自己所面臨的挑戰，並可尋找足夠資源來應付它，也就能夠在遇到不同處境時保持冷靜。如我對挑戰的了解越足夠，我就越能作好應對的準備，並更能保持鎮定。但若遇措手不及情況，我難免會感到恐懼。在我成長期間，我曾參加童子軍多年，在其中我學會“常作準備”(Be Prepared)，並透過各種活動和培訓，以提高我的生存技能和應對困難的能力。我越熟練掌握這些技能，就越有信心面對不同和意外的挑戰。因此，時刻作好準備和具備各方資源，是保持冷靜的關鍵。

病毒大流行如此快速地擴散，使我們在短期內失去了生命中的安全感、穩定和平衡。威脅之大，是因為我們所經歷的是前所未有的，而且尚存很多未知之數。我們因而變得焦躁不安，緊張，焦慮和失眠，長時間嚴重的焦慮(超過兩週)可能會導致各種情緒病症。就如17年前香港的SARS一樣，如果對焦慮不加以控制，可會使人形成廣泛性焦慮症（GAD），即對所有事物都變得焦慮不安，甚至患上強迫行爲失調症（OCD），影響患者產生強迫性思維和行為。例如，在無法控制情況下不住反覆洗手等。因此，能夠保持鎮定、冷靜和泰然自若的的能力，會有助於防止我們患上此類精神失調病症。

• 一些有助於保持冷靜的心理觀點

倘若撇開從精神病症的醫學模式來看，如 “仁慈友善”(be kind)是正向心理學的範疇品格的力量與美德中「人性」之一，保持冷靜(be calm) 又怎樣可與它扯上關連？我們發現 “冷靜”也很可能在“人性” (humanity) 範疇中 “愛，善良和社會智慧” 之表現。如果我們認為這是逆境中所需要的勇敢(courage)素質，那麼它可視為“勇敢、毅力，誠實和熱情” 等美德之內。

如此，逆境中的“冷靜”就是勇敢面對逆境的一種表達（我認為它要加上柔和的方式），即使在不斷的壓力下，仍能持續不斷地保持個人的正直和活力。保持“冷靜”是人類意志的產品，出自生存意義和目的之各種力量來源。從這個角度來看，冷靜是我們人性和勇氣發展中個人成長的一部分。

從另一個角度去看，如果可以用情緒商數(EQ)，或以智能商數來衡量“善良”，那麼“保持冷靜”也可以被視為用逆境商數(AQ)來衡量的關鍵要素。史托茲（Paul Stoltz）在1997年的創新性著作《逆境商數(AQ)：將障礙轉化為機會》中提出了“逆境商數”(AQ)一詞。一般稱之為毅力(Resilience) 科學。當面對日常生活挑戰甚至是災難性挑戰時，逆境商數被公認為比智能商數(IQ)更有應對的能力。可以學習在艱難開始時不馬上退出或中途放棄。我們需要保持警惕性，以清晰和冷靜的態度以應對挑戰。

• 主耶穌如何為我們樹立在逆境中保持冷靜的榜樣？

在此之前，我們曾看到主耶穌如何平息風暴，並瞭解到祂可以平息我們生命中的風暴。我聯想到的另一幅圖畫是在耶穌的仇敵逮捕他之時的景象。約翰福音指出，西門彼得衝動地削掉大祭司該亞法的僕人馬勒古的耳朵（約18:10）。路加補充說，耶穌反而把他醫好了（路22:51），耶穌在馬太福音中對彼得說：“收刀入鞘吧！凡動刀的，必死在刀下。” （太26:52）我們可以看到一個對比，彼得在行動中“無所畏懼，勇敢”（或出於一時衝動？），然而耶穌卻在整個過程中保持冷靜和鎮定，即使被猶大以親吻背叛，祂仍能表現出內心的平靜。究竟耶穌如何能在如此暴行中保持冷靜？

甚有啟發意義的是，整件事的發生也在耶穌於客西馬尼園祈禱之後，那段時間，包括彼得在內三個耶穌最親密的門徒也無法保持儆醒。耶穌在客西馬尼園的禱告爭戰以及他在世上整生中的禱告生活，正是祂力量之來源，這就是祂在世生活中面對最艱鉅的挑戰時刻，仍能保持平穩安靜的原因。在耶穌的一生中，祂確實地知道自己來世之目的，並且祂堅定地準備著去面對十架。祂為通往各各他的每一步作好準備。在受難聖週中，他在面對所有的審訊和磨難中都保持冷靜。耶穌可以保持平穩冷靜，是因祂知道自己正在遵行並實現神的完美旨意。因此，如果我們知道自己正在遵行神的道路，那麼我們也可以在逆境中保持冷靜。藉禱告與神緊密連繫，就是保持冷靜與安寧的關鍵。

• 如何在逆境中保持冷靜的聖經教導

在廣為人所喜愛的詩篇23篇中，大衛描述：“耶和華是我的牧者，我必不致缺乏。祂使我躺在青草地上。領我在可安歇的水邊。”（1-2節）詩詞呈現出靜止、平靜，安穩、安寧的畫面。因著有主耶穌作為我們的好牧者，我們就可以保持平穩安寧。這詩篇在已往世代中流傳久遠，確實曾為許多基督徒在需要時，帶來心靈的平安。

從勇氣的角度來看，處身於這樣的時代，我們被指令要“堅強並極為勇敢”，就像約書亞在面對帶領神的子民進入應許之地的艱鉅任務時，神吩咐他所行。實際上，昔日當約書亞和迦勒及其餘10名探子從偵查迦南地的旅程回來時，曾勇敢地說出此言，卻不幸地被以色列人拒絕了。在接近40年之後，他們被賦予“不可能”的任務，要將新一代的以色列人帶進應許之地，為他們分地及安置他們在那地安居樂業。摩西離世後，約書亞想起神對他的勉勵 -“要剛強壯膽！”。神更提醒約書亞，若他認真地緊守遵行律法書上的吩咐，必然會蒙神賜福（書1：1-9）。

然而，我所看到，在面對危險和威脅時，鎮定的人表現出的不僅僅是勇氣和強大的應變能力。內在的力量，平靜安穩和寧靜的心靈與衝動浮躁和強硬相反。平靜不僅是面對挑戰時的外在行為，還反映內在出更深層次的質素- 一個人的成熟度，他/她的靈性內在質素。這來自聆聽神平靜之言：“要休息(保持靜止)，要知道我是神。” （詩46:10）

• 如何在新常態中保持平靜?

在我多年以來發展的Soul C.A.R.E.S. 牧養與輔導模式中，教牧關懷和輔導的核心策略模式之一，就是藉提供心靈重塑和導引(spiritual formation and direction)，輔助遭遇逆境及心靈創傷者，培養寧靜的心靈(serene spirit)和完全順服神及尊崇神主權的心態。當人走投無路時，正如奧古斯丁所言，我們在神裡面才可以找到安息，因為受造的人類是在內心存在著“只有神才能夠填補的空缺”，否則我們會坐立不安，直到我們在他裡面得到安息。因此，歸根究底，以聖經的角度去看得著平靜能力的途徑，唯有在神裡面才可找到安息與平安。就是藉著神的話語，與神的密切交往，透過靈裡的操練來在日常生活中實行出來的。

在新常態中，新的焦慮又會不經意地滲入我們的生活中，我們因急於恢復正常而再焦慮，或對我們正在經歷的謹慎進行重新開放的緩慢感到不耐煩。保持冷靜意味著與本省同步，謹慎地進行，以確保我們不會引發冠狀病毒傳播的第二波潮。真的，讓我們保持友善和冷靜吧!

主僕

李耀全牧師
主任牧師

Jun 20-21, 2020
Rev. Simon Lee, Senior Pastor RCAC

Be Kind: Easier said than done

I recall a movie that I really like some years ago, “Pay it Forward” (2000), an American drama film based loosely on the novel of the same name by Catherine Ryan Hyde. It is set in Las Vegas, and it is the story of 14-year-old Trevor McKinney’s launch of a goodwill movement known as “pay it forward”. Trevor’s 7th grade social studies teacher gives the class an assignment to devise and put into action a plan that will change the world for the better. Trevor’s plan is a networking of good deeds, and the recipient of a favor does a favor for three others rather than paying the favor back. When I first saw the movie, I was deeply moved, because it is a good example of kindness. Kindness is paying forward to others without the need of the recipient paying back. Sounds like a really great concept, however, can we do it?

Last week we looked at the overall call by Dr. Bonnie Henry to “Be kind, be calm and be safe.” We recognize from our brief review that at least part of the vigilance she advocates comes from the work by the French philosopher Albert Camus’s book “The Plague.” The extraordinary fear people faced in the plague is just like the pandemic we are facing today. We need to stay vigilant, taking seriously the call to “be kind, be calm and be safe.” First let’s look at “Be kind.”

Ever since the Coronavirus began to spread from Wuhan, China at the end of 2019 and became a worldwide pandemic, there is a blaming game on where the virus originated and how governments had either not been truthful about the outbreak or have managed the pandemic so poorly that the Coronavirus has spread and now has affected millions and millions of people around the world, including each and every one of us. There is also the racial discrimination against Asian people, and many verbal and physical attacks on the elderly and on women from the Asian community reported in the last two or three months. But lest we just point to others, we all are guilty to different degrees of being impatient, rude and unkind with each other, adding unnecessary pressure to the discomfort, loss (of loved ones, job and security) and fear of being infected that all people are experiencing during this period of lockdown and physical distancing. Indeed, in our vigilance to curb the spread of this Coronavirus, we need first of all to be kind one to another. But obviously it is easily said than done. We often try to show kindness by drawing from our human strength and will, only to find that we all frequently fall short.

• What is kindness anyway?

Since the dawn of modern psychology (Freud and others) at the beginning of the 20th century, the focus on mental health has been mainly on “abnormal psychology“(psychopathology) and “treatments” have been based on the medical model of treating mental illness. But since the rise of positive psychology (Seligman) in the last 20 some years, there has been a shift of interest and research into the character strengths and virtues in human beings, and the emphasis is on nurturing and tapping into the inner strengths in humans in dealing with mental health issues. In the theme of Humanity in positive psychology, we have the virtues of love, kindness and social intelligence. Kindness as a virtue includes generosity, nurturance, care, compassion, altruism and “niceness”. Pam (2013) in the Psychology Dictionary online defines kindness this way:It is a benevolent and helpful action intentionally directed towards another person, it is motivated by the desire to help another and not to gain explicit reward or to avoid explicit punishment. This definition is helpful for us to understand what kindness is before we put it to practice.

Many researchers have studied the relationship of kindness and mental health. For example, Rowland and Curry (2018) have found that after seven days of performing kind acts, happiness increases, and there is a positive relationship between the number of kind acts and the level of happiness someone experiences. So Dr. Henry is right in promoting “kindness,” for it is directly related to our mental health.

• What does the Bible teach us about kindness?

One description of Biblical kindness I found online is: “Kindness is selfless, compassionate, and merciful; its greatest power revealed in practice to our enemies and amongst the least of these. Love your neighbor; show kindness to everyone”. I recognize immediately that I do not measure up.

In the Old Testament we have an abundance of teaching on kindness. The prophet Micah teaches Godly spirituality includes the key element of kindness, “He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8) Kindness is a godly way of life. We also read that kindness sometimes come in the form of a kind rebuke: “Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head. My head will not refuse it….” (Ps. 141:5) Kindness is often “tough love,” chastisement in kindness.

• Jesus – A perfect emblem of Biblical kindness

For a perfect emblem of Biblical kindness, we need look no further than Jesus. Indeed the life of Jesus in His days on earth is living kindness par excellence. We see it in his gentleness to His mom Mary when he was a 12 year boy at the temple; countless times when he showed compassion to the crowd, healing the sick, feeding the hungry, caring for and reaching out to the poor and needy; and even on the cross he prayed for those that nailed him there: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do”. (Luk. 23:34) Jesus also taught: “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” (Luk. 6:31) We are motivated not by the return of kindness, but we are to be kind to others, just as much we wish others will be kind to us. In all that we do, we do well to ask “What Would Jesus Do?” (WWJD) Kindness is following the example of Christ in His loving kindness.

The story that comes to mind that illustrates Christian kindness is the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luk. 10:25-37) told by Jesus himself. In the parable, the traveller is stripped of clothing, beaten, and left half dead alongside the road. A priest and then a Levite come by but both avoided the man, but then a Samaritan (who was despised by the Jews) come along and helped the poor traveller. In response to the question by the lawyer, “Who is my neighbour? The conclusion is obviously the man who shows mercy to the injured man—that is, the Samaritan. Being kind is being that good neighbour, the Good Samaritan, who is willing to help a stranger when others won’t.

It is Jesus who said to the disciples: “Come to me, all who labor and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Mt. 11:28-30) Kindness comes from being a disciple of Christ and following His example.

• Paul: “be kind to one another”

Similarly, in Paul’s teaching we are told: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22) So kindness is an attribute of the fruit Christian gets as a result of a life in the Spirit. Paul also teaches, “Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (I Cor. 13:4-7) Patience and kindness top the list on love.

In another place, Paul teaches because we are forgiven by Christ, “Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Eph. 4:31-32) He emphasizes this again, reminding us we are “God’s chosen ones” and kindness should be in our very nature, reflecting God’s nature, in these words: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” (Col 3:12) We should never take God’s kindness for granted either, Paul states, “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” (Rom. 2:4). So Christian kindness is a response to God’s kindness towards us, we can do no less.

• Be Kind: starting at our Church

In facing the pandemic, as well as facing the systemic injustice in the world, the least we can do is “Be kind”, even though we feel helpless and people may be unkind to us. As children of God, we need to have God’s kindness in us. Kindness does not only lead to good mental health, but to true Christian spirituality. At RCAC in the new normal, let us learn to be kind one to another, first within the Church, and then to others outside the Church. As a Church with nearly 1000 people, we are from Asia: China, Hong Kong, and South East Asia or are born in Canada, we have all sorts of cultural, educational and socioeconomic backgrounds. But we can show others we are Christians and one in Christ because we love one another and can be kind to each other. We can have critical minds but not critical spirit. Then having learned to be kind in our own community, we can try to reach out to others and show the same kindness towards, the kindness that comes only from Christ. Be kind, in Christ.

Your servant in Christ,

Rev. Simon Lee, Senior Pastor

Jun 20-21, 2020
李耀全牧師

友善：知易行難

親愛列宣家的弟兄姊妹：

回想多年前我喜歡的一部電影《讓愛傳出去》( Pay it Forward) (2000年)，是一部美國戲劇電影，大致是基於Catherine Ryan Hyde的同名小說改編。故事發在拉斯維加斯，講述一個14歲的小伙子Trevor McKinney發起一項名為“Pay it forward”行動。Trevor的七年級老師給全班一個功課是要設計和實踐一個計劃使世界變得更美好。Trevor的計劃是建立一個善行網絡，受惠者得到恩惠後便要對另外三個人提供恩惠，而不是償還給施與者。當我第一次看這電影時，我深深地被感動，因為這是一個很好的例子，仁慈是向別人施與而不要求回報的。聽起來像是一個非常偉大美好的概念，但是我們可以做到嗎？

上週，我們看了邦妮·亨利(Bonnie Henry)醫生的整體呼籲：要保持“友善，冷靜和安全”。從簡短的回顧中我們可以看出，她的警惕至少有一部分來自法國哲學家加繆(Albert Camus)的作品《鼠疫》。是指人們在面對像我們今天所面臨的大流行之類的瘟疫時所面臨的巨大恐懼。因此，我們需要保持警惕，其中包括認真回應「友善，冷靜和安全」的呼籲。首先讓我們來看「友善」。

自從冠狀病毒於2019年底開始從中國武漢傳播並成為世界性大流行以來，就一直在爭持這種病毒的起源何在，以及政府如何對疫情不如實或對疫情的管理如此差勁而彼此指控，而在過程中全球數以萬計的人感染冠狀病毒，影響我們每一個人的生活。還有對亞洲人士的種族歧視，在過去兩三個月，有亞洲社群的老年人和婦女受到語言或身體攻擊。但是，我們不要只是指向別人，我們每個人都觸犯不同程度彼此厭煩、無禮和不友善。這實在對無奈、不安、失去(親人、工作和安全感)以及害怕被感染添加了不必要的壓力，這都是人們在處於禁聚令和社交距離期間所經歷過的。確實，在我們為遏制這種冠狀病毒的傳播而保持警惕的同時，我們首先需要彼此友善。但是顯然，這說起來容易做起來卻艱難。我們經常試圖用我們人的力量和意志來表達友善，卻發現我們所有人經常都無法做到。

•甚麼是善良(友善)？

自20世紀初現代心理學(弗洛伊德等人)開端以來，對精神健康的關注主要集中在「異常心理學 」(心理病理學)上，「治療」一直基於治療精神疾病的醫學模型。但是自從近20年來正向心理學(Seligman)的興起以來，人們對人格的強項和美德的興趣和研究已經大增，重點是培育和挖掘人的內在特質，處理心理健康問題。以正向心理學中的人性為主題，我們擁有愛、善良和社交智慧的美德。善良是一種美德，包括慷慨，培育，關愛，同情心，無私和「和藹可親 」。 Pam(2013)在網上心理學詞典中將善良定義為：這是對別人一種仁慈而有幫助的行動，它的動機是希望幫助別人而不是想賺取回報或避免責備。這個定義有助於我們在實踐之前了解甚麼是善良。

許多學者在研究善良與心理健康的關係。例如， Rowland和Curry(2018)發現，在施行了七天的善良行為後，幸福感增加了，善良行為的舉動與體驗到幸福水平之間存在正面關係。因此，亨利醫生正確地提倡「善良」，因為它直接關係到我們的心理健康。

•聖經教導我們關於善良？

我在網上發現的一個對聖經善良的描述是：「善良是無私，富有同情心和仁慈的。它的最大力量顯明在實踐在我們的敵人和其中最少的人之身上，即愛你的鄰舍，對每一個人表示友善」。我立即意識到自己沒有做到。

在舊約中，有許多關於善良的教導。先知彌迦教導上帝敬虔的屬性，包括善良的關鍵要素，「世人哪！耶和華已經指示你甚麼是善，他向你所要的又是甚麼；無非是要你行公義，好憐憫，謙虛謹慎與你的神同行。」(彌迦書6:8)。善良是一種敬虔的生活方式。我們還讀到，有時善良會以一種譴責的形式出現：「願義人擊打我，這是出於慈愛；願他責備我，這是膏我頭的膏油，我的頭不會拒絕…。」(詩篇141:5)。善良常常是「堅忍的愛」(tough love)，嚴肅的仁愛。

•耶穌-聖經善良的典範

關於聖經善良的典範，非耶穌莫屬。確實，耶穌在世上的日子是活出善良的表表者。我們看到他十二歲時在聖殿裡如此溫柔的對待母親瑪利亞；他無數次向群眾表現出同情心，醫治病人，餵養飢餓的人，照顧及幫助窮人和有需要的人；他甚至在十字架上為那些要釘死他的人祈禱：「父啊，赦免他們！因為他們不知道自己所作的是甚麼。」(路加福音23:34)。耶穌還教導說：「你們願意人怎樣待你們，你們就應當怎樣待人。」(路加福音6:31)。我們被激勵不是因為善行的回報，我們要對別人友善，就像我們希望別人對我們友善一樣。在我們所有的行事為人中，我們都會問：「耶穌會做甚麼？」(WWJD)。善良正是效法基督慈愛的榜樣。

我想到一個聖經故事說明基督徒的善良，是耶穌本人所說的好撒瑪利亞人(路加福音10:25-37)。故事說有一個人，在旅途中被強盜剝去他的衣服及毆打，把他打得半死並撇下他一個人就走了。一個祭師和一個利未人經過，都避開了那個人，就從旁邊走了。及後有一個撒瑪利亞人(被猶太人所鄙視的)走過來，幫助這個可憐的旅客。回答律法師的問題：「誰是我的鄰舍呢？」，結論顯然是對傷者表示善良的人，即撒瑪利亞人。善良就是作那個好鄰居，好撒瑪利亞人，他願意在其他人不會做的時候去幫助一個陌生人。

耶穌對門徒說：「你們所有勞苦擔重擔的人哪，到我這裡來吧！我必使你們得安息。我心裡柔和謙卑，你們應當負我的軛，向我學習，你們就必得著心靈的安息；我的軛是容易負的，我的擔子是輕省的。」(馬太福音11:28-30)。善良來自於成為基督的門徒並效法祂的榜樣。

•保羅：「要互相友愛」

同樣，在保羅的教導中，他告訴我們：「但聖靈的果子是仁愛、喜樂、平安、忍耐、恩慈、良善、信實、溫柔、節制；這樣的事，是沒有律法禁止的。」(加拉太書5:22-23)。恩慈是基督徒因聖靈內住在生命裡而所結的果子的屬性。保羅還教導說：「愛是恆久忍耐，又有恩慈。愛是不嫉妒，不自誇，不張狂；不作失禮的事，不求自己的益處，不輕易動怒，不計較人的過犯；不喜歡不義，只喜歡真理。愛是凡事包容，凡事相信，凡事盼望，凡事忍耐。」(林前13:4-7)。愛是以忍耐和恩慈為首。

在另一處，保羅教導因為我們被基督寬恕了，「一切苛刻、惱怒、暴戾、嚷鬧、毀謗，連同一切惡毒，都應當從你們中間除掉。要互相友愛，存溫柔的心，彼此饒恕，就像神在基督裡饒恕了你們一樣。」(以弗所書4：31-32)。他再次強調這一點，提醒我們是「被神揀選的」，善良應該體現在我們的本性中，反映出神的本質，這句話是：「所以，你們既然是神所揀選的，是聖潔、蒙愛的人，就要存憐憫的心腸、恩慈、謙卑、溫柔和忍耐。」(歌羅西書3:12)。保羅說，我們也不應該將上帝的恩慈視為理所當然，「還是你藐視神豐富的恩慈、寬容和忍耐，不曉得他的恩慈是要領你悔改的嗎？」(羅馬書2:4)。因此，基督徒的善良是回應上帝對我們的恩慈，我們不能做不到。

•友善：從我們的教會開始

面對大流行以及世界的不公義待遇時，即使我們感到無助，而且別人可能對我們不友善，我們所能做的就是「友善」。作為神的兒女，我們需要有神的恩慈在我們裡面。善良不僅可以帶來良好的心理健康，而且可以帶來真正成熟的靈性。在新常態下的列宣，讓我們學習要互相友愛，首先是教會主內弟兄姊妹，然後延伸到教會以外其他人。作為接近一千人的教會，來自亞洲不同地方：中國、香港和東南亞，或在本土加拿大土生土長，我們擁有不同的文化、教育和社會經濟背景，但是我們可以向別人展示我們是基督徒，主內一家，因為我們彼此相愛並且互相友愛。我們可以有批判的思想，但不能有批判的精神。然後，學會了在自己的群體中友善相待，我們可以嘗試對外接觸其他人並表現出同樣的友善，那來自基督的友善。

主僕
李耀全牧師
主任牧師

Jun 13-14, 2020
Rev. Simon Lee, Senior Pastor RCAC

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

• Dr. Henry: Be kind, be calm, be safe

Dr. Bonnie Henry, our Provincial Health Officer in B.C., has become a household name. Her reputation has gone beyond our province, nationally and internationally, because of her amazing success to help us flatten the curve of the outbreak of the Coronavirus here in B.C. She has become a popular figure for her calm, compassionate demeanour during the crisis. One of the catchphrases Dr. Henry uses is “Be kind, be calm and be safe.” When I hear it repeatedly, I start to ask myself what this has to do with controlling the spread of COVID-19. Then I hear her saying that the novel The Plague by Albert Camus (1948) has been a big influence in her thinking (Mike McArthur/CBC).  I immediately took note and revisited some of Camus’ writings (which I had read ages ago in my early university days but have completely forgotten). I hope to discern how Camus plays such a vital role in Dr. Henry’s wisdom in her advice to us all, but then the greater purpose is to go beyond that and anchor this word of wisdom on the firm foundation of Scriptures.

•  Who was Camus?

For those who wonder who Camus is, here is a very brief introduction. Albert Camus (1913–1960), born in French Algeria, was a journalist, author, and philosopher advocating absurdism. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44 in 1957, but died in a car accident in 1960. His notable works include The Stranger, The Myth of Sisyphus, The Rebel, and The Plague. The Plague (La Peste) (1948) was a novel about the fictional epidemic-ridden town of Oran, which suffers a horrific outbreak of bubonic plague.  Camus examines a government’s ability to impose authoritarian measures in the midst of a pandemic. As the town’s government turns into tyranny, the question is raised on how people should resist in such a situation. Camus’ novel The Plague was intended as a metaphor for the recently-ended Nazi occupation of France during World War II. So the parallel to our current situation in the pandemic (and other socio-political unrest) is the issue of how we respond to rule by a government (one described as authoritarian in The Plague). 

• An extraordinary fear

Dr. Henry said in an interview with CBC Radio (April 24, 2020), “The Plague by Albert Camus captures the psyche of people. One of the things that I’ve learned around chasing infectious diseases is that they evoke a fear in people that is very different from other types of disasters. A lot of it comes from not understanding and not knowing and not being able to see these things that are causing disease.

Camus wrote about the resistance to the Nazis in the Second World War. But that the psyche was the same as what we see with infectious disease outbreaks, where there’s something that is unseen that moves through the population that strikes people down.”

So we see here Dr. Henry is mainly drawing attention to the extraordinary fear in people as portrayed by Camus in The Plague.  We do well to remember and acknowledge this psyche of fear that we are all experiencing.  We can certainly see how there is an extraordinary fear common in both the Plague by Camus and in the current pandemic. We need to combat this fear. 

• Dr. Henry and Camus on “vigilance”

To combat this fear, Camus said, “All the rest—health, integrity, purity (if you like)—is a product of a vigilance that must never falter. The good man, the man who infects hardly anyone, is the man who has the fewest lapses of attention. And it needs tremendous will power, a never ending tension of the mind, to avoid such lapses.’” (*253)

We can all see here the inspiration behind the vigilance of all the measures taken to fight COVID-19 displayed by Dr. Henry. “A product of a vigilance that must never falter” is the spirit that drives her in all the fight against the pandemic.  This vigilance involves being kind, calm and staying safe.

• Camus – Vigilance without hope?

We now understand the importance of “vigilance” in combating the fear of the Coronavirus, but this raises the questions of how we stay vigilant and what gives us hope? I have selected a few quotes using what commentator Emily Ruth Mace has noted.  Can this “vigilance” itself bring us real hope?

On this and the search for meaning, Camus has this to say, “But for those others who aspired beyond and above the human individual toward something they could not even imagine, there had been no answer. [….] It was only right that those whose desires are limited to man and his humble yet formidable love should enter, if only now and then, into their reward.” (*300-301)

After stating that there is “no answer” on the question of meaning, Camus was willing only to admit that “It was only right that those whose desires are limited to man and his humble yet formidable love should enter, if only now and then, into their reward.” Pessimistic Camus sees “meaning in human love” as something that some may be able to achieve “only now and then.”

On how we are meant to heal the world, Camus added,              “Nonetheless, he knew that the tale he had to tell could not be one of a final victory. It could be only the record of what had had to be done, and what assuredly would have to be done again in the never ending fight against terror and its relentless onslaughts, despite their personal afflictions, by all who, while unable to be saints but refusing to bow down to pestilences, strive their utmost to be healers.” (*308)

To Camus, there is “no final victory”, only “never ending fight.”  We see hidden here a subtle fatalism and pessimism in Camus, because he does not believe in ultimate hope.  Here is the point of departure between Camus and me, as I do not share Camus’ pessimistic existentialism.  From my perspective as a pastor, my intention is to send a message of hope that is found in Christ.  Thus, I hasten to say that I am definitely not advocating Camus’ existentialistic philosophy of life and death, which rejects the ultimate hope offered by our Christian faith.

• Our Christian hope in Christ

With this very brief review we can now see how Dr. Henry may have gotten some of her attitude of “vigilance” from Camus’ The Plague. But we have also discovered that Camus, while being very “descriptive” in his work The Plague, was certainly not “prescriptive,” other than urging a strange fatalism in facing the plague. In the upcoming weeks I would like rather to share how our loving and kind Saviour Jesus Christ, who calms the storms in our lives, is more than able to keep us safe, as the Church He builds is “The Safest Place on Earth” (Larry Crabb). Yes, be kind, be calm and be safe, IN CHRIST. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!  According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (I Pet. 1:3)

Your servant in Christ,

Rev. Simon Lee,

Senior Pastor

 

* Quoted from (Camus’ The Plague: Coronavirus Quotes, April 6, 2020).  All quotes are from Albert Camus, The Plague, trans. Stuart Gilbert (New York: Vintage Books, [1991], 1948).

 

Jun 13-14, 2020
李耀全牧師

親愛的列宣家弟兄姊妹：

• 邦妮·亨利醫生：保持 友善、冷靜、安全Dr. Henry: Be kind, be calm, be safe

邦妮·亨利醫生(Bonnie Henry)為卑詩省家喻戶曉的衛生官員，她的聲譽也因著成功地拉平卑斯省冠狀病毒爆發的曲線，已超越了本省及全國以致聞名於國際間。她在危機期間，以冷靜，富有同情心的表現而成為受歡迎的人物。邦妮·亨利醫生慣用的口號是呼籲人要保持“友善、冷靜、安全”。當我反覆聽到這口號時，我開始問自己，這到底與控制病毒的傳播有什麼關係。其後我聽到她提及阿爾伯特·加繆(Albert Camus) 創作的小說《鼠疫》(The Plague)(1948) 對她的思想產生了重大影響。(米高·麥克阿瑟Mike McArthur)/加拿大廣播公司），我隨即關注並重新去審視加繆 (Camus)的一些著作（我於很早前在大學時代曾閱讀過這些著作，但早已完全忘記）。在此，我嘗試循這方向作思考。我只是意圖指出加繆之見如何在亨利醫生的智慧中扮演著重要的角色，但真正的目的其實是超越於此，乃是為將智慧之詞的含義錨定在聖經牢固的根基之上。

• 加繆是誰? Who was Camus anyway?

在繼續討論以先，對於加繆是誰，謹在此作一極簡短的介紹。阿爾伯特·加繆 (Albert Camus，1913-1960年) 生於法國阿爾及利亞，是一名記者，作家和哲學家（倡導荒誕主義）。他於1957年，44歲便獲得諾貝爾文學獎，但在1960年的一場車禍中去世。他的傑出著作包括：《局外人》，《西西弗斯的神話》，《反抗者》和《鼠疫》。《鼠疫》(La Peste)（1948）是一本虛構小說，講述奧蘭鎮 (Oran) 遭受可怕的鼠疫暴發。加繆審視了政府在疫症蔓延中採取極權措施。隨著司法的暴力，人們應如何抵抗的問題。加繆的小說《鼠疫》意在隱喻第二次世界大戰期間納粹對法國的佔領。因此，與我們當前的疫症大蔓延情況（以及社會政治動盪）相類似的是，我們當如何回應政府的政制（在《鼠疫》中被形容為專制）。

• 非一般性的恐懼An extraordinary fear

亨利醫生於2020年4月24日在接受CBC廣播訪問時說：“艾伯特·加繆的《鼠疫》抓住了人們的心靈。我在追尋傳染病方面所學到的其中一方面就是，病毒引起了人們的恐懼，這種恐懼與其他類型的災難完全不同。大多數原因來自對病毒的不了解，不認識和肉眼無法看到而導致患病的物體所致。“加繆寫作了有關第二次世界大戰中抵抗納粹分子的文章。這種心理與我們在傳染病爆發中所見的相同，那無法看得見的病毒在全人口中蔓延，使人遭受打擊。”
我們從而看到亨利醫生主要是想引起人去關注，卡繆在《鼠疫》一書中所描繪的非一般性恐懼。我們承認並會緊記我們亦正在經歷這種恐懼的心理。我們實在可見到，在加繆的《鼠疫》和當前的疫症大流行中，普遍存在著一種非一般性的恐懼，我們必須加以克服。

• 亨利醫生及加繆提倡“保持警惕性” Dr. Henry and Camus on “vigilance”

為了消除這種恐懼，加繆說：“看似沒受感染的人，或幾乎沒有感染癥狀的，是最易被忽略的人。如果您肯於去面對–保持警惕性始終不能放鬆”，這對於其他方面，如在保持健康、正直，保持純潔方面，也須如此。實在需要極大的意志力和不斷的思維張力，以避免失誤。”（* 253）

我們均可看到亨利醫生針對疫情所採取的警惕性措施背後的動力。“保持警惕性始終不能放鬆”這就是驅使她參與抗冠狀病毒鬥爭的精神，包括保持「友善、冷靜、安全」的態度。

• 加繆–保持警惕但沒有盼望？Camus – Vigilance without hope?
·
現在，我們已瞭解到保持“警惕”對克服冠狀病毒恐懼的重要性，但這引出了另一問題，為什麼要保持警惕以及我們如何才可擁有盼望？我選擇引用評論員Emily Ruth Mace的一些論點 –問題是這種“警惕”本身是否能給我們帶來真正的盼望？

在對這方面以及對意義的追尋上，加繆說：“但是對於那些渴求超越於個人，甚至超越人類所能想像範疇的人，是沒有答案的。 ……可能只有那些心存謙卑且懷著強烈的愛之人，應該得到回報（即使只是偶爾如此）。”（*300-301）
於追尋意義表示“沒有答案”之後，加繆才願意承認“只有那些存著謙卑且懷著強大的愛之人，應該得到報賞。” 但悲觀的加繆認為“人類愛的意義”是某些人可能“只有在偶爾才能實現”的東西。
在有關我們對醫治世界的意義方面，加繆補充說：“儘管如此，他仍然知道，他必須講述的故事不可能是終極的勝利之一。只可能是必須做的事情的記錄，而在永無止境反恐的戰鬥和無情的猛烈進攻中，儘管有人遭受了個人的痛苦雖然不能成為聖人，卻 拒絕屈服於瘟疫，竭盡全力成為治療者。”（* 308）

對加繆來說，“沒有最後的勝利”，只有“永無止境的戰鬥”。我們在這裡看到加繆隱藏著一種微妙的宿命論和悲觀主義，因為他不相信終極的盼望。這是我與加繆相違的看法，因我不認同加繆的悲觀存在主義。我必須澄清，從牧者的角度來看，我的意圖仍僅限於傳達我們在基督裡因信而得的盼望。因此，我還須加緊強調，我絕非在提倡加繆的生與死存在主義哲學（這理念否定了我們在基督信仰裡所得的終極盼望）。

• 我們的盼望在於基督Our Christian hope in Christ

透過簡短的評述，我們現在可以看到亨利醫生如何從加繆的《鼠疫》一書中獲得她的保持“警惕”採納。 但是我們同時發現，加繆在他的作品《鼠疫》中對瘟疫的描述非常“淋漓盡致”，但不是“對症下藥”，亦在面對瘟疫時倡導著一種奇怪的宿命論。在接下來的幾週內，我想分享一下，愛我們的主，美善的救主耶穌基督，不但能平息我們生活中的風暴，祂的大能更足以保守我們安全地面對一切，因為正如·布萊克（Larry Crabb）所說：祂所建造的教會是“世上最安全的地方”。是的，在基督裡，要保持友善，冷靜和安全。 「我們主耶穌基督的父　神是應當稱頌的。他照著自己的大憐憫，藉著耶穌基督從死人中復活，重生了我們，使我們有永活的盼望」(彼前1:3)

主僕

李耀全牧師

* 註：引述書籍來源 (Camus’ The Plague: Coronavirus Quotes, April 6, 2020). All quotes are from Albert Camus, The Plague, trans. Stuart Gilbert (New York: Vintage Books, [1991], 1948).

Jun 06-07, 2020
Rev. Simon Lee, Senior Pastor RCAC

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

Our 43^rd Church Anniversary Celebration this year (2020) is going to be very different because of the COVID-19 pandemic. On such occasions we usually “celebrate” and the theme is usually “thanksgiving.” But how can we “celebrate” when we have seen so much suffering and death over the last few months not only locally but around the world? While we hope and pray that everything will be back to normal or come to a new normal, let us not miss out on the lessons we can learn from this pandemic.  On our anniversary this year, I would like us to reflect upon this using the story of the dedication of the temple which Solomon built for the Lord (II Chronicles 5-7). There are a few lessons for us to remember and apply to our present situation:

1. God of heaven and earth cannot be contained by an earthly temple. (6:18)

            King Solomon asked the rhetorical question, “But will God indeed dwell with man on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you, how much less this house that I have built!  “(6:18)  In his prayer of dedication, Solomon prays humbly before God,

“O Lord, God of Israel, there is no God like you, in heaven or on earth, keeping covenant and showing steadfast love to your servants who walk before you with all their heart, 15who have kept with your servant David my father what you declared to him. You spoke with your mouth, and with your hand have fulfilled it this day. “(6:14-15)

We can see that Solomon in his early days was truly a God-fearing King and he recognized God’s faithfulness and power. His genuine humility before God and his deep awareness of His greatness is evident in v. 18.  Here we learn that God is both transcendent (everywhere and above all) and at the same time immanent (presenting Himself locally while not limited to it).

Yes, God has blessed RCAC and His presence in our Church is evident in all the blessings He has bestowed upon us over the past 43 years. But we should remember that God is not present only in the Church building. We maybe are so used to identifying our Christian life with what goes on within the four walls of our Church that we do not know how to connect with God and each other when we cannot return to the Church building. So the pandemic actually has opened up the opportunity for us to realize afresh that the church building is not the Church, and God is everywhere, and the Church is you and I. Indeed the Kingdom of God is within us.

2. God however has chosen to “localize” Himself to the temple and care for his people. (6:20)          

For our sake, God has placed Himself in “this house” and “this place,” (6:20) even though heaven is his dwelling place! This is done so that we can go to “this house / this place” to pray to Him. “This house” exists as a house of prayer, where we know prayers are answered. This is what the Scriptures tell us:

            “19Yet have regard to the prayer of your servant and to his plea, O Lord my God, listening to the cry and to the prayer that your servant prays before you, 20that your eyes may be open day and night toward this house, the place where you have promised to set your name, that you may listen to the prayer that your servant offers toward this place. 21And listen to the pleas of your servant and of your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. And listen from heaven your dwelling place, and when you hear, forgive.”(6:19-21)

Solomon specified 7 scenarios (examples) where God will care for His chosen people, and especially relevant to us at this time, when they experienced disease or other disaster (6:28-31) as follows:

 28 “If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence or blight or mildew or locust or caterpillar, if their enemies besiege them in the land at their gates, whatever plague, whatever sickness there is, 29whatever prayer, whatever plea is made by any man or by all your people Israel, each knowing his own affliction and his own sorrow and stretching out his hands toward this house, 30then hear from heaven your dwelling place and forgive and render to each whose heart you know, according to all his ways, for you, you only, know the hearts of the children of mankind, 31that they may fear you and walk in your ways all the days that they live in the land that you gave to our fathers.”(6:28-31)

Yes, God will listen to our prayers made in out-stretched hands in his House when we are in dire situations of sickness and other disasters, because He (Christ) is “God with us” (Immanuel). God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He will definitely answer our prayers today too.

3. God promised to hear their (our) prayers and “heal their (our) land” (7:14).

We read, “12Then the Lord appeared to Solomon in the night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a house of sacrifice. 13When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command the locust to devour the land, or send pestilence among my people, 14if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land. ” (7:12-16).

The chronicler outlines for us four steps of repentance that will lead God to forgive and restore us. We find that each of these is taken up at appropriate places in the later narrative of Chronicles, marking the amazing interventions of God. The four steps of repentance towards forgiveness and healing and restoration are:

1. humble themselves, (attitude of repentance). Have we humbled ourselves?
2. pray, (posture of repentance). Do we live a prayerful life?
3. seek my face, (surrender in repentance). Have we surrendered our will to God and seek His?
4. turn from their wicked ways. (action of repentance). What actions of surrender have we taken?

“Heal their land” includes deliverance from drought and pestilence as well as the return of exiles to their rightful home (6:38). This comes when they repent before God. Healing comes through our repentance before God. If healing is what we want, have we taken these steps, in our attitude, posture, surrender and action? The pandemic is God’s call to us to go back to Him.

This promise is for the chosen people, the people of Israel. But God has promised to bless generally all those who obey Him (e.g. Ps. 1; Matt 6:33; Gal. 6:7-8).  May we learn from the current pandemic and celebrate our Church’s anniversary this year by coming humbly to our Lord Jesus Christ, the head of the Church, in repentance for having kept Him at a distance. May we then truly celebrate because the Lord has promised “healing,” to us all at RCAC, both personally and as a Church.  Christ is risen, He is risen indeed! He can heal us, both now and forever!  Amen.

Your servant in Christ,

Rev. Dr. Simon Lee

Senior Pastor

Jun 06-07, 2020
李耀全牧師

親愛列宣家的弟兄姊妹，

今年(2020年)我們教會的43週年記念將與往年不一樣，因為COVID-19疫情大流行所帶來的限聚令仍在實行中。在一貫的堂慶，我們通常以感恩為題作慶祝。但眼見在加拿大和世界各地有數以百萬計的人患上這疫症而在各國各地死於這病毒的人也數之不盡，我們可慶祝甚麼呢？我們都盼望早日能回復常態，但在進入新常態之際，讓我們不錯過這疫情帶來的功課。我願與大家反思昔日所羅門王奉獻聖殿的故事(歷代志下5-7)，從中作現今的應用和學習。我們可以從這故事學習四個重要的功課，如下：

1. 神既是天地的主不能被聖殿所限制 (代下6:18)

 所羅門王自問自答：「神真的要和人住在地上嗎？看哪，天和天上的天也容不下你，何況我建造的這殿呢？」(18) 在他獻堂的禱告，他謙卑地跪在神面前，說：

「14 耶和華以色列的神啊，天上地下沒有神可以和你相比的，你向那些一心行在你面前的僕人，常是守約施慈愛的；15你對你的僕人我父親大衛所應許的，你都遵守了，你親口應許，也親手成全，就像今日一樣。」(6:14-15)

 可見所羅門在早期是一個敬畏神的王而他完全相信神的信實與能力。他在神面前真誠的謙卑而同時他又十分警覺神的偉大(v.18) 在此我們認識到神是超越萬有(transcendent) 又同時是臨在現有 (immanent) 卻不受其限制。神是無所不在亦處處都在。

是的，神明顯在過去43年傾福給我們烈宣家，與我們同在。但我們切勿以為神只是臨在教堂本身。我們已習慣把我們基督徒的生命視為教堂四幅牆內之活動，而一旦不能回教堂便不曉得與神和教會弟兄姊妹連結。故此這次疫情的大流行其實幫助我們更明白教會並不是教堂，而神是無所不在，您和我便是教會。其實天國就是在我們中間。

2. 神卻選擇棲身於聖殿中看顧祂百姓 (代下6:20)

神選擇棲身在「這殿」和「這地方」乃為着我們可以到此處求告他。這殿乃禱告之殿，是在此我們的禱告祈求蒙祂垂憐應允。從以下經文我們可以看見神選擇棲身於聖殿中乃為着要看顧祂百姓 (6:20) ：

「19耶和華我的神啊，求你垂注你僕人的禱告和祈求，聆聽你僕人在你面前所發的呼喊和禱告。20求你張開眼睛，晝夜看顧這殿，就是看顧你所說要立你名的地方；求你垂聽你僕人向著這地方所發的禱告。21求你垂聽你的僕人和你的子民以色列的祈求，就是他們向著這地方所發的禱告；求你從天上，從你的居所垂聽，垂聽和赦免。」 (6:19-21)

所羅門具體提出七種的以色列人會面對的處境與挑戰，包括像我們現時切身的問題，即經歷瘟疫及其他天災人禍(6:28-31) 等，若神的子民禱告祈求，這一切都是神會垂聽拯救的：

「國中若是有饑荒、瘟疫、旱風、霉爛、蝗蟲、螞蚱，或是有仇敵圍困城鎮，或是有甚麼災禍，甚麼疾病，29你的子民以色列，無論是個別或是全體，自知自己的災禍和痛苦，向著這殿張開雙手禱告或祈求，30求你從天上你的居所垂聽和赦免他們，你是知道人心的，你必照著各人所行的報應各人；因為只有你知道世人的心。31使他們在你賜給我們列祖的地上，一生一世敬畏你，遵行你的道路。」 (6:28-31)

是的，若我們在神的殿中張開雙手為我們的病痛和其他的天災人禍禱告或祈求，神必定垂聽我們的懇求，因為他(基督)就是「以馬内利」，即神與我們同在。神是昨日、今日和永遠不變。他必在今天一樣垂聴我們的祷告。

3. 神應許聽祂百姓的禱告而賜下醫治 (代下7:14)

接着經文如此記載：「12夜間，耶和華向所羅門顯現，對他說：“我已經聽了你的禱告，也為我自己選擇了這地方作獻祭的殿。13如果我使天閉塞不下雨，或吩咐蝗蟲吞吃這地的土產，或差遣瘟疫到我的子民中間來；14這稱為我名下的子民，若是謙卑、禱告、尋求我的面，轉離他們的惡行，我必從天上垂聽，赦免他們的罪，醫治他們的地。15現在我的眼睛必張開，我的耳朵必垂聽在這地所發的禱告。16現在我揀選了這殿，把它分別為聖，使我的名永遠在這殿中；我的眼和我的心也常常留在那裡。」(7:12-16)

經文提出給我們四個悔改的步驟讓我們可以得赦罪及醫治。我們知道在歷代志下隨後的經文便記載神如何奇妙地按他的話施行赦罪、拯救和醫治。這四個步驟如下：

1. 謙卑、(悔改的態度) 我們是否在神面前持悔罪謙卑的態度？
2. 禱告、(悔改的心態) 我們是否持著禱告的心態過活？
3. 尋求我的面，(悔改的降服) 我們是否將我們的意願降服於主而尋求他的旨意？
4. 轉離他們的惡行。(悔改的行動) 我們是否付諸實施用行動降服在神面前？

悔改的禱告導至神「醫治他們的地」，而這是包括從旱災與瘟疫得着拯救，與及以色列人從被虜之地回歸到他們自已的國土與家園(6:38) 。同樣我們透過悔罪亦得到神所賜的醫治。若我們想得到神的醫治，我們有沒有付諸行動，在態度、姿態、降服與行動上實行這種悔罪的禱告與生活呢？這次疫情大流行可視為神呼喚我們回轉到神面前。

以上是神給祂的選民以色列人的應許。但今日神也同樣應允祝福聽從祂的人 (詩1; 太6:33; 加6:7-8) 。讓我們在現時的疫情大流行中學習功課，並透過謙卑悔罪的心回到教會的元首基督。讓我們列宣家如此慶祝我們的堂慶，而因此得到主耶穌基督復活的大能所賜的「醫治」與永生的盼望，包括個人創傷的醫治和教會整體的醫治。阿們！阿們！

主僕，

李耀全牧師

主任牧師

May 30-31, 2020
Rev. Simon Lee, Senior Pastor RCAC

 Junk food?!

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

I am not addicted to “junk food,” but at times, when I get started on some, I can see how it can be very addictive – you just can’t stop once you get started!  “Junk food” is exactly what it is, “junk!”  I guess we could ask the same question of why people are hooked on or prefer “fast food” instead of “fine food“ all the time (economics aside), because somehow such food is so enticing, tasty but mostly unhealthy (oily, high on sugar and salt).  Lest you think I am against all such so-called “junk food” because I am not, I do enjoy some sometimes between my meals.  What I cannot understand is why for some, “junk food” comes to replace “fine food” all the time because the latter is so much better in value, both nutritionally and quality.

Spiritual junk food?!

You can therefore understand why I am so surprised when I recently in my study came across the term “spiritual junk food!”  You must be kidding, is there “spiritual food” that can be regarded as “junk?”  Yes, the term appears in Eugene Peterson’s free translation in The Message (MSG) of 2 Timothy 4:3 – “You’re going to find that there will be times when people will have no stomach for solid teaching, but will fill up on spiritual junk food – catchy opinions that tickle their fancy.”

Interestingly, Peterson uses the same expression in an Old Testament verse: “Why do you spend your money on junk food, your hard-earned cash on cotton candy? Listen to me, listen well: Eat only the best, fill yourself with only the finest.” (Isaiah 55:2, MSG)  Yes, why waste money on “junk food”?  That started me thinking and here is what I like to share from my reflection.

No stomach for solid teaching

The context is an exhortation of Paul the great apostle and mentor to young Timothy, his spiritual son, to encourage him to stay faithful to the preaching of the Word (the gospel), whether it is convenient or inconvenient (in season or out of season).  We believe in the “priesthood of all believers” and therefore it applies to all of us, that is, we need to be a faithful witness, no matter what.  Paul is warning that there will come a time when he will find Christ’s followers prefer “junk food” rather than “solid food” (sound teaching), but at such a time, he should all the more persevere and be faithful to “preach the Word.”  “No stomach for solid teaching” literally means “will not endure sound teaching.” (ESV)   “Solid food” is being given up and replaced by “spiritual junk food.”   Peterson expands on what he means by “spiritual junk food” with this qualifier – “catchy opinions that tickle their fancy,” which literally means “having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.” (ESV)  In other words, there will be Christians who only want to hear what they want to hear, and therefore prefer teachers who do that rather than orthodox preachers like Timothy who will only follow the instruction to “preach the Word.”

Catchy opinions that tickle their fancy

These words sound so true even today, and explain why there is always a market for heresy and half-truths down through the ages till now, and why it is so hard to preach the Word of truth.  The question for all of us, even during this time of the COVID pandemic, is do we have an appetite for the solid food of God, or do we prefer “spiritual junk food” that will “tickle our fancy (own passions),” that are just good to our ears.  Peterson’s use of the term “catchy opinions” (vs. sound teaching) catches my attention.  This sort of “teaching” is “catchy” or palatable and attractive, and we are easily hooked, but nevertheless they are just “opinions” of people who say what we want to hear. In the past several years we hear the term “fake news” being battered around, and I am sadden to see how people are so gullible and so willing to accept them as “truths.”   Have you ever wonder why suddenly we now have such a flood of “knowledge”?

Applied to the Christian context, there is indeed a lot of “fancy teaching” that is unorthodox, that we need to guard against.  This type of teaching will only make them (and us) “turn their (our) backs on truth and chase mirages.” (v. 4. MSG)   That means, we “will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.” (ESV)   This may include false teaching about the end times.  Next time before we forward something to our brothers and sisters, make sure that they are not stuff that are against the truth of God.  They may be just “spiritual junk food.”

Keep the Message alive

Paul not only has a warning for young Timothy, he also has an exhortation for him and us all: “But you – keep your eye on what you’re doing; accept the hard times along with the good; keep the Message alive; do a thorough job as God’s servant.” (v. 5. MSG)  In another translation we have, “As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry.” (ESV)  The question for us all, are we focused (sober-minded) on our service to God as God’s servants by keeping the Message alive?   There is so much good sound teaching that is available nowadays, including those from our own pastors and teachers.  Are we taking full advantage of this good teaching for our learning?  Let us go for “solid food” that helps us serves God better, keeping the Message alive in and through us.

Also can we “accept the hard times (endure suffering) along with the good?”  Indeed, we are all going through “hard times” because of the pandemic.  Our perseverance at this time will be a strong witness for Christ.  As Christians, are we as fearful and restless as our neighbours who are not Christians?  Should our trust in Christ and in the promise of His word make a difference?  If we are strengthened by the solid teaching of the Word, then our testimony will draw people to Christ, because people need the Lord.

Eat This Book

In his book, Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading, Eugene Peterson reminds us: “Christians don’t simply learn or study or use Scripture; we assimilate it, take it into our lives in such a way that it gets metabolized into acts of love, cups of cold water, missions into all the world, healing and evangelism and justice in Jesus’ name, hands raised in adoration of the Father, feet washed in company with the Son.”  Let us be the Book during this pandemic.

Your pastor in Christ,

Rev. Simon Lee

Senior Pastor, RCAC