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Pastor's Corner by Larry Tong

March 2007

Chinese are blessed! We have two New Year to celebrate. Two months after we celebrated New Year on January 1st, we once again celebrated Lunar New Year earlier last month. This is the Year of the Boar. I don’t know enough of the history behind the twelve chosen Live Stocks to represent the cyclical Lunar Calendar. The significance of the Year of the Boar is beyond my understanding, but behind the rich Chinese culture is a yearning—blessings bestow from Heaven.

Blessings! Who doesn’t want to be blessed? I believe every culture intrinsically is looking for blessings from above. But then, who can provide the blessings that we need? I had a chance to visit Mexico City during this Lunar New Year for a Short Term Missions trip. For sight-seeing, we visited two pyramids, which stand a few hundred yards apart from each other. The courageous and physically fit members of the team climbed a few hundred steps to the top of the taller pyramid. It wasn’t too bad, even for an old man like me who was able to reach the top. The view was great! The top isn’t pointed as the Egyptian Pyramids we often seen, but it is flat. The natives built these two pyramids long ago to worship the Sun-god and the Moon-god.

As I stood on the top looking afar, I thought of what the Apostle Paul told the people in Rome. He said, “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.” It is so true that when we open our eyes to see the creation, we have no choice but to admit that there is a Creator, and that the Creator has eternal power and divine nature far beyond our understanding and ability to match His power. If I wanted to be blessed, I would like to receive it from the Creator. Unfortunately, every civilization worshipped the created (Sun, Moon, Stars, Rivers and so on) rather than the Creator. Long time ago, Chinese worshipped the “Heaven Above.” It was only after the emperors made themselves “Sons of Heaven” that we see people started to worship men and other created things. What a pity! We abandoned worshipping God for lesser idols. How nice it would be for Chinese to return worshipping the Creator rather than the created!

The Bible tells us that the Creator desires people to be connected with Him so that He can pour His blessings to those who believe. We see God through nature. We know God through the Bible. Jesus Christ is the bridge that connects the chiasm between God and men. Without Jesus as the bridge, no one can cross the chiasm to reach the Almighty God no matter how hard he tries.

Before I sign off, I wish all of you a belated Happy and Healthy Lunar New Year. God does want to bless you from above. He wishes you to accept His free gift of Salvation so that you may enjoy an eternal dwelling in Heaven with Him.

Pastor Larry

中國人是蒙福的，我們有兩個新年可以慶祝。在一月一日慶祝新曆新年的兩個月後，我們又在上月初慶祝農曆新年。今年是〝豬〞年，我對於被選作為農曆十二生肖動物的歷史不大了解，〝豬〞年的特性我亦不知道，但在濃厚中國文化的背後，是期望著從上天傾覆而來的〝福〞。

福氣！誰人不願意福氣呢？我相信每一種文化的本質都是期望著從上而來的〝賜福〞，既然這樣，誰能賜給我們需要的福樂呢？我在農曆新年期間有機會到墨西哥城作短期宣教，在觀光的時候，我們參觀了兩座金字塔，它們是遙遙相隔數百碼而對立著。隊中有勇氣及體力的，爬上數百石級到達較高的一個金字塔的頂部。這並不是太難，就算好像我的一把年紀，也能到達塔頂。這塔頂並不像我們常見的尖頂埃及金字塔般，它是平的，風景異常美麗。當地的土人在很久以前建立這兩座金字塔來拜祭〝太陽神〞和〝月神〞。

當我站在塔頂遠望的時候，我想起保羅如何告訴當時住在羅馬的人。他說：「自從造天地以來，神的永能和神性是明明可知的，雖是眼不能見，但藉著所造之物就可以曉得，叫人無可推諉。」不錯，當我們張開眼睛看見那些被造之物的時候，我們就不得不承認是有一位創造主，而這位創造主擁有的永能和神性是遠超乎我們的知識和能力所能及的。如果我想福從天降，我會希望是從這位創造主而來。很不幸的是每一個有文化的社會都是在拜被造之物﹝日、月、星、河等﹞而不拜那創造主。很久以前，中國人敬拜〝上天〞。只是，在那些皇帝稱自己為〝天子〞以後，我們看見人開始敬拜人和其他被造之物。真是可惜，我們為了敬拜偶像而離棄了神，如果中國人能夠回轉來敬拜創造主而非被造之物是何等的美啊！

聖經告訴我們，這位創造主是願意人與祂建立關係，以至祂可以將祂的祝福傾覆與相信祂的人。我們透過大自然可以看見神；我們透過聖經可以認識神。而耶穌就是人與神之間的橋樑，沒有耶穌作為橋樑，無論如何努力，也沒有人可以跨越洪溝來到這位全能的神面前。

在我擱筆前，我祝你們有一個快樂和健康的農曆新年。神實在是願意從上傾福與你，祂期望你接受祂的救恩這份免費的禮物，以至你可以在天上與祂同享永恆的福樂。

唐若愚牧師

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