Pastor's Corner

December, 2001

Year 2001 is imminently coming to an end. This has been a volatile year, to say the least, for many of us. We saw the sworn-in of the new President in January. We experienced the effect of the economical squeeze. Many companies had to trim down the work forces and scale down the operation, causing many to be unemployed. The plummet of the stock market resulted in lost of revenue for many individuals and families.

Then the unthinkable happened on 9/11. I don’t think anyone need to be reminded of the horrible scenes when four commercial planes were hijacked and used as weapons to attack innocent lives. Before we could clean up the mess, there were continuous threats of biological attack of Anthrax and Smallpox. We saw the attack on America at a blink of an eye. Soon after, we see America on the attack. Many hope that the war with the Taliban in Afghanistan would end soon and that the responsible terrorists receive their rightful punishment. Even more people hope that there will be a turn-around in the economic front soon, so that they can resume their normal living. No matter how all these events will play out, I believe year 2001 will probably go down in history as one of the most challenging years in recent times.

All these caused me to think about the world we live in. Why is this world the way it is now? Can we somehow improve the world’s condition so that we may live with peace among one another? This is really a “million-dollars” question. Throughout history, people sought answer to bring peace, but generation after generation, we see that they failed, and failed miserably. Revolutions, civil wars, and world wars, which were supposed to bring peace and prosperity usually ended up with more bloodshed. History seems to show that the scope of war has been enlarging as time goes on. How can we stop this “evil”? The Bible suggests that any bloodshed, big or small, came from jealousy and strife, which are internal struggle of being discontent. The first murder case recorded in the Bible was Cain who killed Abel for no other reason than jealousy. It would be hard-pressed to expect the “world” to be in contentment. The Bible strongly prophesizes that the world is not going to get better on its own. In fact, it will only get worse. No wonder Jesus reminded us that we are not of the world. To hold on with both of our hands the things of the world will only draw us into a downward spiral of despair. Hold on to God’s promise instead!

Before I sign off, I wish you a Merry Christmas. Yes, Christmas is coming soon! But let us not forget that Jesus came to bring us hope and contentment. When you turn your eyes upon Jesus, the things of the world will grow strangely dim.

Pastor Larry