Wednesday 18 December 2013

Christmas 2013

The Angelic Messenger

The whole world mourns the passing of the greatest man in this century – Nelson Mandela (1918 - 2013). He is like an angelic messenger from heaven to break and lead the stubbornness of humankind to freedom. How many more Mandelas are there? The road to freedom has not been completed yet. Are we not chosen and called into this journey since we believe that we have been saved by Christ? Let us do not just stop at admiring this great step Mandela has taken instead to make ourselves available to become a small messenger for freedom and reconciliation. 

With this appeal and thought, I wish you and your family God’s richest and meaningful gift of all time – His Son Jesus Christ. He is the most authentic and precious angelic messenger God has ever sent to us. His road to freedom is also a terrible, painful, sacrificial and arduous one. The Scripture has asked us to imitate Him.

This past one year we, in the family, continue to try to imitate Him. We fumble and fall along the way often. His love is so immense that we can just lie in the fallen state and thrown in the towel but have to get up and journey on. We keep telling each other the brighter side is still ahead.

The life of a bishop is actually a wonderful one if minuses all the church’s squabbles and conflicts. Mandela inspires me daily to bring healing and reconciliation to the churches in the diocese and in the nation. This road is like a road of a thousand miles but I have not even walked one mile. Apart from this is the challenge to post the right person to the right church. The great number of retiring clergy and the poor addition of new clergy have pushed me to a tight corner to create new ingenious way of workers i.e. to raise the laity. The diocese has stepped into a Decade of Discipleship. 2014 will see the first School of Disciple-Makers in the diocese. Health wise and sanity – I think I am still okay and within range.

Siew Lan is ever busy with her MICPE supervisor-in-training scope as well as her theological studies. The ever non-stop assignment is bugging her daily. She has been accompanying me to most of the churches but gradually she will come along less due to her own commitment. In the midst of busyness, she enjoys her involvement and challenges.

Joshua is reading his Masters in Information System. Hopefully he will complete mid next year. He is now studying in NTU Singapore. Tien Li is his girl friend. She is also in Singapore. Sarah and Ching Seng are working in Singapore, too. All of them have to earn to pay back their university loans. Charlotte has returned from Texas in June and now working in Alpha Malaysia in the Campus Ministry in KL.

All of us are performing well in the Lord. With the impending changes to the weather, political, religious and economic scene of this nation, we need to pray for wisdom and long-suffering. On one hand, we are to be wise as serpent and on the other, as innocent as dove. We pray the Lord will lead us to be His angelic messenger even if we are the small ones.

May the good Lord bring you and family

a meaningful Christmas and a visionary New Year!

Shalom,
Bishop Moon Hing, Bisfe Siew Lan
& Joshua, Tien Li, Sarah, Ching Seng and Charlotte                                                                                    Christmas 2013

Moon Hing & Siew Lan at San Paolo Macao
Family Photo at Sarah and Ching Seng’s wedding
        

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