July 15/16
From the Pastor’s Desk :Pastor Alex Poon
Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,
In the distant road, I see a figure of a person wearing bright neon yellow on the side of the road, I instinctively ease off my acceleration. I see a Ford F-150 parked at the side of the busy road, my right foot withdraws from the right-side pedal to hover over the left. My eyes shift to my speedometer, to triple check my speed. Because both these cues, when seen on the road, represent to me the subtle presence of a police speed trap.
I am familiar with the traffic regulations of the road… but it’s as soon as my eyes catch the image of a physical representative of the law, my knowledge becomes deeply practical. Suddenly, the knowledge I already possessed in the form of unconscious habit becomes ever so tangible.
The authority represented by a black and white police car brings to light familiar truths. Or to put it more generally, sometimes we need to see a visual cue, in order to recall what we habitually know.
In this same heart, God has created you and I – made in His image – to be visual cues amongst this earth as physical reminders of His will. The Apostle Peter said as much:
“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession. That you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness and into his marvelous light.”
- 1 Peter 2:9
In God’s all-knowing ways, in His kindness, God elects priestly representatives – people with special roles who acted on His behalf. He formed a chosen people charged to be His hands and feet in the world. Representatives seen throughout all the earth. You are His visible ambassadors to this world, mirroring an invisible God.
You who follow Him, you are chosen as a royal priesthood, to proclaim how excellent He is. Where do you find such opportunity to do this?
One reason why we gather weekly is to perform priestly duties to one another. We don’t neglect to gather because we are called to exhort one another. We make effort to meet regularly not because of simple friendship or family ties – but we are given intentional opportunities to proclaim the greatness of God to our fellow image bearers. In unison, we sing familiar songs with verses and choruses that repeat God’s promises through melody. Listening attentively, share stories of how God’s presence can be felt in our lives even amidst our suffering. Vulnerably, we tell testimonies of how we have tasted the grace of our Holy God who forgives us in our sin. Together, we verbalize statements of truth that put into words the loving act of our sacrificial Lord Jesus Christ. We commit to being honest before each other as ones who acknowledge our deep need for a Savior. The knowledge that rests on our mind, and the experiences of daily life all sync in tune as the Spirit stirs us to connect the dots between life and faith. We do all this when we gather. Then we go into the communities and relationships outside the church doors to which we are called.
God made you in His image; bothered to put you on this earth so you would learn His excellencies, then proclaim them. God breathed life into you, so you would encounter His majesty, so that you would share His mesmerizing love with your curious neighbour.
The point is this: God made you in His image, and He gathered you up to make a local church body, to give you the opportunity to regularly look your brother and sister in the eye to make tangible truths already known. You are the visual cue that brings forth heightened awareness of unconscious habits. You are the image bearer who serves to call attention to the love of God made possible through Jesus.
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Alex Poon