THE VICAR WRITES

Jesus Christ is mighty to save!

That is the message of the Gospel reading for the first day of Chinese New Year this year which comes from Mark 5:21-end. The healing of the woman suffering from a life-long sickness and the raising from the dead of Jairus’s daughter highlights Jesus’s mighty saving power. One on sickness, the other on death. We tend to dwell on the more amazing one but both the miracles He performed point to one very important thing – that Jesus Christ is mighty to save, even in death. Nothing is beyond His power; all is under His sovereign reign.

A wonderful truth for us even if we are not facing death or destruction. In the mundaneness of life, in our daily patterns, we must accept how mighty Jesus is. Every day seems to bring its own set of challenges that we must think about how to overcome successfully. Truth of the matter, we tend to worry a lot about how things need to be like at the end of the day. To most of us, we tend to worry too much and make these challenges and the overcoming of them our main concern in life. Basically, the worry envelopes and eventually drowns us.

Yet for Christians, our Lord Jesus Christ has taught us not to worry as we read in Matthew 6:25 onwards. Oswald Chambers wrote in one of his devotionals, that we should heed our Lord’s instructions and stop worrying about our life, even a little. He goes on to write about worrying, “Jesus says you must not. Beware of allowing yourself to think that He says this while not understanding your circumstances. Jesus Christ knows our circumstances better than we do, and He says we must not think about these things to the point where they become the primary concern of our life.” Worrying about our life, even about the food that nourishes us, should not be our priority! Scandalous!

But this is not irresponsible of Christ Jesus. On the contrary, Jesus’ main concern is for us to make our relationship with God personal and meaningful. It should be one that is intimate and ever reliant of Him. It should be like a husband with his wife or a child with its parents. For when our relationship with God is on the right track, when it is so intimate and so reliant on Him, all our worries would be cast aside. This is because we trust God so much that we believe and know that He will provide accordingly and abundantly. Matthew writes on in verse 33 that Jesus wants us to “… seek first His kingdom and His righteousness,” because at the end of the day, “… all these things will be given to you as well.” Those who put their trust in God will inevitably receive sustenance and will never go wanting again. It reminds us of that oft recited line from Psalm 23 that teaches us that when God is our Shepherd, we will never lack anything. Let us then, all cast aside our worries at the feet of our Lord and let us take His hand so that He can guide us through this earthly life till the end.

So, as we conclude our celebration of the Gregorian New Year and begin the celebration of the Chinese New Year, let us not worry about the days ahead as if we have no hope and that there is no God. Let us instead, seek Him, build up our relationship with Him, and rely entirely on Him for providence and sustenance so that we are able to be free to praise and worship Him in spirit and in truth.
A blessed Chinese New Year to all who celebrate!

Greetings from Tabuan Jaya Anglican Church, Kuching.

I write this on the tenth day of February 2021. We are still in the thick of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Cases in Sarawak specifically and Malaysia generally are still too numerous for any of us to breath a sigh of relief. Everyone still needs to follow the enforced Standard Operating Procedures (S.O.P.) given out by the relevant agencies in order to bring the curve down and low. Everyone still needs to wear face masks properly whenever necessary and keep our physical distance. So much fear and worry fill our daily lives because the virus is invisible and unpredictable. Our hope now rests on vaccines which is not 100% effective in protecting everyone from getting infected and dying from COVID-19. However, it is definitely a step forward to bring down the number of cases and deaths. Still, no one can be perfectly sure of a positive outcome in the nearest future with some experts predicting that the Pandemic will last more than 7 years. So much for the hope of a brighter future in this new decade.

But for us who believe in Jesus Christ, there is always hope. There is hope for everyone despite the terrible blanket of death and depression brought by COVID-19. In Jesus Christ, there is hope of salvation that can save everyone, even in death. He promised that He would be with His faithful disciples through the valley of death, at its gates and even in it. For in Christ’s death on the cross, He defeated death once and for all. In His death, His faithful people will inherit eternal life in Him, forever secure and safe in His embrace. His faithful children should not fear death because it is merely a transition into eternity with Him. Hence, this COVID-19 Pandemic should not be feared but taken as an opportunity to solidify our faith and obedience to our loving God. During this Pandemic, let us not live in the darkness but instead reflect the true light that comes from Christ Jesus. As His faithful servants, we must serve Him by serving His creation. Shower the world with God’s grace and mercy so that despite the sufferings endured, His creation will experience His love in abundance.

In a few days, some of you will be celebrating the Chinese New Year in a manner never experienced before. Despite this, let us be reminded that God is in control and continues to provide and sustain us. You may not be able to gather with family members and friends like you used to, but I hope that you will continue to be thankful to Him for whatever you have now. I pray that in the Lunar New Year, He will continue to be with you and to guide you to do His will for His glory and honour. I also pray that He blesses you abundantly so that you can share His grace and mercy with others as you love and serve like His Son, Jesus.

The peace of the Lord Jesus be with you and yours this Lunar New Year. Gong Xi Fatt Chai!

Christmas must always be about the birth of the promised saviour, Jesus. With His birth into this fallen world as a human baby, God fulfilled His promise to the Israelites made thousands of years before. The promise was for the grace of God, who offers salvation to all, first to the Jews and then to the nations, to come and redeem all who believe in Him. For all on whom His favour rests, He gives them peace that the world cannot give. That is wonderful for two reasons.

Firstly, we receive hope through Christ Jesus. Despite this COVID-19 Pandemic, we find hope in that Christ Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection and ultimately His ascension to the right hand on high. Every single one of us has faced the sorrow of losing a loved one to COVID-19 complications. Every single one of us knows of someone who has or still is suffering from COVID-19. Every single one of us knows of someone who is suffering from the devastation caused by COVID-19 on their life and work or school. No one is spared and all suffer in one way on another. But we know that COVID-19 cannot steal our guaranteed salvation which we receive through Jesus. Even in death, we know we will transition into a wonderful eternity with Him so long as we are His while alive. Death has no more sting in the light of Christ Jesus’ resurrection. Hence, we have hope in Christ Jesus.

Secondly, because we have hope in Him, we experience peace. During this Pandemic, every morning we wake up, we worry if we have been infected by COVID-19 the day before. We worry if someone in our household was infected and has passed it on to others. We worry if someone we met in the office or school, or shop is infected. Unfortunately, due to the cunningness of the virus, we cannot be certain until after symptoms manifest or tests are done. The unpredictability of the disease creates stress, for some too unbearable to stand. The worry weighs down on them to the point they live in constant fear. We all know at least one of our friends or family member who is like this. But with the peace received from our holy loving Heavenly Father through His Son Jesus Christ, we can strive forward knowing that He is with us all the way. Even if we are infected and go through all five categories of sickness, we can be assured that God is there to guide and lead us. We experience His peace when He makes His presence felt, something which we all must pray for. His peace must take away all our worries so that we are able to live lives according to His command.

Jesus was born into this world to enable us to live lives in hope and peace, striving towards holy living. Yes, Christians will sin because we are not perfect. Not yet. However, through the grace of God, we are able to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives. This must be our prayer, that we will realise our calling to be salt and light of the world through living lives in righteousness through the grace of God and the peace attained from Him through His Son Jesus Christ.

And so, as we approach another Christmas, let us be assured of His wonderful gift to us in the form of His one and only Son, Jesus Christ. In Jesus is the grace of God made manifest to this fallen world. In Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace, we receive peace that the world cannot give.
May the peace of God which passes all understanding and His all-encompassing grace be with you and your loved ones this Christmas and into the new year.

Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus our Lord and God!

My name is Kelvin and I am the new Vicar of Tabuan Jaya Anglican Church.

I was transferred to the parish on 2nd January 2018 and was made the Vicar three months later 1st April 2018. Since then I have had a wonderful time meeting and getting to know the individual members of our church. It has also been a good time working together with the parish staff, pastoral staff, and PCC members.

With the advent of the new year 2019, I am very excited to continue the journey with our church, especially as we commemorate the 10th Anniversary of our Parish. Several activities and programmes have been lined up throughout the year to celebrate the occassion. They are great opportunities for our members to fulfil their calling as Christians in Reaching Forward as emphasied by Paul the Apostle in Philippians 3:12-14.

I hope you will join us in serving our Lord Jesus Christ through these activities and programmes. If you are unable to, then I hope you will pray for us because your prayers are very important to us. At the end of the day we would like to give glory to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

As it is also the advent of the Chinese New Year, on behalf of my family, I would like to wish all who are celebrating a Happy and Blessed Chinese New Year. May God bless you with His presence and allow you to experience His wonderful love and mercy in the new year.

Puji Tuhan!