Sep 04-05, 2021
From the Pastor’s Desk: Rev. Simon Lee

Dear brothers and sisters of RCAC,

Over the last few months, one question many of us have been asking is when are we going to return to our Church to worship. We had thought that by October we should be able to do so with the province going into Step 4 of the Reopening. However, because of the resurgent cases of COVID infections, we will continue to monitor the situation as we carefully go ahead as planned. We will ensure that we will return when we can stay safe. But ultimately we will also keenly watch for the “timing” and plan of God. Please stay tuned to regular weekly updates.

In our past articles, we have already noted that before the ascension of Jesus, the disciples of Jesus were more concerned with the time (Gk. chronos) of the restoration of the earthly kingdom than the coming of the heavenly kingdom. Jesus told them that God’s kingdom is to be ushered in by the sending of the Holy Spirit and realized by the empowered disciples in their evangelism and mission to the very “last” (Gk. eschatos) place [unreached people] of the earth. As disciples of Jesus, we too have the same Great Commission today, a concern that should not be lost as we have to deal with our daily concerns.

We should also note that Jesus also said to the disciples, “It is not for you to know times (Gk. chronos) or seasons (Gk. kairos) that the Father has fixed by his own authority.”(Acts 1:7) Here “times” (Gk. chronos) refers to duration of time (when) and “seasons” (Gk. kairos) refers to both length of times and kind (nature) of times (e.g., hard times) or opportunity (cf. I Thes. 5:1). Simply put, we do not know the exact timing of God nor when the opportunity will come, because it is all fixed by the authority of God himself. This first of all applies to “the coming of the kingdom,” but also applies to anything appointed by God.

Eugene Peterson in the Message puts it this way: “You don’t get to know the time. Timing is the Father’s business. What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world.” (Acts 1:7,8)

The important thing is we do not know the time, but God the Father knows, and that is all that matters. For us, we should take seriously the words of Paul to Timothy: “1 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: 2 preach the word; be ready in season (Gk. eukairos) and out of season (Gk. akairos)…” (II Tim 4:1,2) In other words, whether it is a “good” time or not a good time (untimely), we should be ready to proclaim (herald) the word, the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. That is God’s ultimate purpose for us all.

Carpe diem: seize the day! We must take advantage of the opportunities that arise as if it is the last day these opportunities present themselves, to serve God’s purpose. Paul teaches us:”15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time (Gk. kairos), because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Eph. 5:15-17)

May we follow the timing and plan of God, live wisely, and be ready to seize the opportunities we have to share the hope that comes with the good news of Jesus Christ.

Your servant in Christ,
Rev. Simon Lee