Thursday, October 29, 2009

The Voice of a Pastor

Since late September, we have been taking digital recordings of the church sermons and they are now available on the church website. After listening to a couple I now confirm what I've known for some time: I sound whiny. The truth is that I hear a different voice from what others hear from me, and I think this is common to most whose ears are more blocked. Think about how different you sound in a small bathroom and in an open field and you can imagine the difference in tone. All these times, I thought I was speaking with a baritone, but the reality is that people hear a squeaky tenor voice. So while I was trying to give a somber authoritative message, it lacks the punch that I thought I had. Here is a sample of my voice from my latest sermon.

I have asked a few people's opinion on the matter, and most say that they are rather used to the voice and don't think it is a big deal. However, I do think that the voice does impact the quality of the message for the listener. A statement of "Go Forth into the world" will be very different coming from the mouth of Elmo and Sean Connery. I found a webpage on this matter: How to develop a Perfect Speaking Voice. I'll try it out for a month and see how it goes.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Back from vacation V

This is the last of my thoughts on the trip to Taipei. I had wished to do a more detailed reflection, but I guess this will have to do.

Thursday Night: There were still 2 night markets we like to complete before we go but only 1 night left. They are the RaoHe night market and the ShiDa night market. No problem, sez my wife. We will finish one from 6-8 and the other from 8-10. I think she must have forgotten the tired kids. So we took the train from Jiannan to HouShanPi because that is the nearest MRT. At the HouShanPi station, we discover that the nearest road is apparently blocked by a train station. We decided to play it safe with a long detour. Upon reaching RaoHe, we immediately bought this famous 胡椒饼. This is actually one of the famous stalls that I saw on one of those Taiwanese food programs! It was indeed delicious, but also very filling. It is basically a packed bun with beef and lots of veggie, but a peppery crust, YUM! Once again, we ate hotpot for dinner. That was unfortunately again too much food (we had the same experience at Danshui). I think the Taiwanese just have a different level of food intake as a Singaporean. However, my wife did try the pig/duck blood this time, and she loves it. There were also many funny stuff inside the hotpot, but I don't know the names. The shopping area here is much smaller compared to TongHua-LingJiang or ShihLin but it is a buzzing scene nonetheless.

From here, we took a taxi. I told the driver that I want to go to ShiDa night market, and he asked me if I want to go to the ShiDa road one or the Roosevelt road one. According to him, the Roosevelt one is also one street like ShiDa but it has more modern shops. We didn't know about this one because it is not on the map but I have read the cursory mention of this GongGuan night market. Based on the recommendation of the taxi driver, we went this night market instead. I have to say that this night market gave me a good impression. It has an alley type night market area, but it also has a shophouses type shopping area, and if you are bringing a family and needing resting areas and aircons, this is a good place to go. The MRT station is also at the location. The shopping here is also more trendy since it caters to the student crowd from the nearby university.

Friday Day: It is time to go. We are running out of touristy spots, and we decide to go this Children Recreation Park in YuanShan. Big mistake, it either has closed down or it hasn't been completed yet. From there, we went to Zhongshan, since it is supposed to have a touristy place called SPOT Taiwan. It turns out to be an arty-farty place featuring Taiwanese art films. Yawn, sez my less than enthusiastic family. Finally, we ended up with shopping at the shopping centers. Bummer. On the way back to the hotel, I bought the last thing on my must eat list: 肉圆. I have always imagined it to be a giant meat ball, but it turns out to be a medium sized meat ball boiled within a jelly-like outer layer, with generous sauce. It was interesting and juicy.

This wraps up my entire account of my trip. I will surely go again.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Back from Vacation IV

Wednesday Night: The agenda for the night is straight-forward: Shihlin Night Market. To be honest, I don't have high hopes because I have heard that this place is now too tourist orientated, much like the Newton Food center of Singapore. True enough, the evening did not start well. We went to the Shihlin Food Center and the touting was horrendous. Eventually we settled in a place but my wife refused to try anything exotic for fear of food poisoning. Point to note: spoons and forks is very rare in Taiwan. No forks can be found, even in the proper restaurants, and when we ask for extra spoons and bowls for the kids, we were refused! Apparently, this stall is supposed to be famous, and the hawkers here still have the arrogant attitude that is thankfully becoming rare in Singapore. I had a miserable experience here, and the food was a disappointment. I ate sesame soup kidneys, it is ok, but no better than a good stall in Singapore. Thankfully, I got to try 卤肉饭 here, so that is one item off my food target list. The rice was tasty but I think passable. I saw a bunch of students ordered 综合煎 which is not in the menu and the lady boss which was stuck up previously with us was extremely cordial to them. Service favoritism sucks huh?

The Shihlin shopping however was very impressive. This place is at least double of the TongHua-LingJiang night market. We walked along some narrow night market style alleys, and also some shophouses style roads. My highlight of the night was that I queued up for a wrap food stall where there toss the wrap high and bake it in a proper tandoor. The result is a delicious fluffy flatbread which I cannot remember the Chinese name. Overall, I would say that this place is much better than my expectations and I think it is worth going for the shopping.

Thursday Day: This journey is quite an interesting one. We felt that we have covered all the places we wanted to go, except the night markets, which are of course only available at night. What happen was that we had depended on the initial maps that we got from the Taipei airport. When my sister-in-law mentioned an unfamiliar place, it was only then that we discover that is another MRT line, called the Neihu line, that is not described fully in the maps we currently have. Somewhat like the LRT system of the MRT system. So Wednesday night, we took some MRT maps from the MRT station, and this day would be a sight-seeing tour based on those new maps. In the morning, we started with this location that looked really scenic on the map called 大湖公园. It is quite a distance away, but it is worth seeing a big lake right? Wrong, it was a tiny lake somewhat the size of 小桂林 in Singapore. There was a pretty bridge and a nice platform and a quiet atmosphere, but it is a far cry from MacRitchie for example.

We then hit the next location, the Miramar Shopping center at Jiannan Road station. We had an absolutely fabulous meal at a Western restaurant - Gilley's Garden, and the kids had fun at the Ferris wheel and the Merry-go-round. The shopping is also nice and peaceful which is much more enjoyable to me than the packed places at the usual 新光三越. Overall, it was a thumbs-up experience for me.

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Wedding Sermon IV

The Beauty of a Christian Marriage

Song of Songs 2: 10 My lover spoke and said to me, "Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, and come with me.
11 See! The winter is past; the rains are over and gone. 12 Flowers appear on the earth; the season of singing has come, the cooing of doves is heard in our land. 13 The fig tree forms its early fruit; the blossoming vines spread their fragrance. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me."

There often comes a time in a wedding ceremony where the wise pastor, both a counselor and a friend, gives a sobering message to remind the newlyweds of commitment and mutual responsibility in a marriage. Well, now is not that time. While giving a solemn charge of fidelity and faithfulness is indeed important, I do not want to give an impression that that is all there is to the life ahead. Christianity sometimes gives a grave image of marriage, fortified by an emphasis on duty and staying away from temptation. It is as if we are saying, “You may not like one another, but you have no choice but to stay married, because that is the command of God.” You can hear the words, “command of God... God… God” echoing away in the emptiness of the relationship. Trust and obey, for there’s no other way. Such an impression is especially true if all you know about a Christian marriage comes from the boy-girl relationship talks in church from your days of youth. Youth counselors in a desperate battle against the raging hormones of teenagers are quick with warnings and apprehensive about romance. Even when Christians talk about love in a marriage, they immediately couple it with sacrifice. Let’s just say that the vision of Jesus dying for the church may be a beautiful picture for the apostle Paul, but that’s not what all husbands are scrambling to go through. In church, we celebrate the couples that can stay together over decades of thick and thin. The longevity of a marriage vow is certainly a virtue for others to follow. But I think that is not all. Today I wish to talk about another aspect of a Christian marriage. Not the quantity of the marriage, but the quality of this life to be shared.

The passage today is taken from a bible book called the Song of Songs. The title like ‘the king of kings’ or ‘the best of the best’ implies that this song is to be considered the cream of the crop, the song that is over and above all other songs. Given such an esteemed status in Christianity, it is remarkable that the Song of Songs is not directly a worship song, but primarily a romantic song between a pair of lovers. This should be a sign to us Christians that the words of desire and admiration of a couple in love expressed in the proper context of a marriage can be respected and given a place of honor. In a Christian marriage, the final objective is not just to avoid a divorce. God gave us a partner for life so that we may enjoy this life as a new body, the body of two becoming as one. Physically, we see two persons as a scientific fact. But we know that from now on they are forever connected because of the inseparable longings for one another. As the Song of Songs, the chief expression that overshadows all other expressions of the heart, it is a proclamation to all who are listening that in a Christian marriage, your passion for one another surpasses your passion for all other competitors. This is the true beauty of a Christian marriage: a couple that is fully expressing their love for one another. This is a far cry from any Puritan misconceptions that desires must be tamed and sex is a dirty word. The Song of Songs rejects that.

Among all the love poetry in the Song of Songs, I intentionally chose this passage because I want to draw the connection to another bible passage chosen at the wedding of M and H.

Habakkuk 3:17-18 “17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

Both are human proclamations that are loaded with agricultural imageries. In the Habakkuk passage, it is a personal conviction that no matter how bad the scenario, when all the fields are barren, I will trust in the Lord. That kind of personal conviction is critical in carrying us through all the tough times. But I have chosen today’s passage to show us that Christian marriage has another complementary side to that personal conviction. In marriage, just as there are winter times, there are also times of spring. Today’s passage tells us of the importance to celebrate love and romance in the times of spring. When the flowers are blooming and the birds are singing, when the figs are ripe and the vines bear fruit, it is not just personal conviction, but mutual invitation. Arise, come, my darling; my beautiful one, come with me.

Sa and Sh, this is the beauty of a Christian marriage that I hope you always keep with you. Here we see love expressed freely and passionately, and that is what you must do; not just today, not just on the anniversaries, but every time you see one another. You have to constantly invite one another to share your life. In a marriage you will go through many things: children, promotions, mid-life crisis, empty nest and even death. Marriage is a constant process of asking your partner to arise and come with you to the next stage, and then the next. The Song of Songs largely uses agricultural metaphors because of the context at those times, and we might not identify with its beauty. But Sa, you are the creative type. I’m sure you know how to always be creatively romantic to Sh. Singaporeans are painfully pragmatic, but I think we can all learn to be more poetic in expressing love. And Sh, we see how the beloved reciprocates her love to her lover in the Song of Songs. If Sa is stingy with his loving words, you can treat him economy class. But if he pays the full fare of cherishing you to the fullest, do not forget to bump him to serve him first class. I wish for you a loving marriage always fully communicated to one another.

Friday, October 23, 2009

Back from vacation III

Tuesday Night: This was the night that we are determined to eat some "exotic" street food after the bland Ramen at XimenDing (Sunday) and the usual Japanese food at the foodcourt at Sogo (Mon). We were deeply apprehensive because of the bad experience in finding LiaoNing Night Market, but this TongHua-LingJiang Night Market is a lot more reputable. We walked from Taipei 101 all the way to LingJing street and we are happily greeted with a buzzing Night Market scene. Success in our night adventures at last! We intentionally chose a restaurant that serves duck blood and smelly Toufu, YUM! But in the end I am the only one that ate them, the rest ate second rated steak and spaghetti. Still it is a good try. In my opinion, the duck's blood is absolutely delicious, but not very different from the pig's blood that used to be available in Singapore. The Toufu though is a disappointment. It is texturally different, but it is not exactly worth the bad smell. After enjoying the night market shopping, we send the kids back. My wife and I then went for the Pub performance again for yet another wonderful performance by 張晉樵. He was the second performer though, so we had to endure a deafening recital of the top 10 Taiwanese oldies by a female first performer.

Wednesday Day: After running out of the Must See, today is a day to catch up with all the touristy spots that we don't mind since we have the time. We visited the CKS Memorial hall. It was a beautiful plaza with imposing building. Unfortunately, I was wearing sandles and so I could only enjoy the interior from afar. But overall it was a worthwhile trip. We then walked to the Peace Park and that was also an educational trip to see the monuments to remember the 228 Incident.

There are 2 major concerns after the Must-sees were completed. Not enough shopping (both the one is WuFenPu and LingJiang-TongHua were cut short because of tired kids) and not enough authentic Taiwanese food. We decide to resolve both of this by trying out the Underground malls at the Taipei Main Station. Without enough research, we later realise that we only covered one out of the possible four. Anyway, we managed to try their dumplings which I think is quite good. And I bought 葱抓饼 and 猪血糕。 I highly recommend the former and thumbs down the latter. The former is like Roti Prata but with spring onions and is really flavorful. The latter is essentially rice dumpling but it is really just a starchy cake. Somewhat like tapioca cake if you are into that Nonya food. The shopping however is lousy despite the shade and aircon. The products are not unlike a Night Market's, but the variety pales in comparison. I would give Underground malls a miss unless the cool shopping is really a big plus for you.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Back from Vacation II

Monday Night: Since the pub performance will be near ZhongXiao DunHua road, we decided to go shopping at Sogo there and check out a little known night market: the LiaoNing street night market. It was drizzling so reluctantly, we ate at the food court. The Sogo was 12 stories there, but to me that is the only point of interest. They sell Haba games there but it is cheaper at the Better Toy Store here in Singapore at Ngee Ann City. After food and slight shopping, we proceed to head for the night market, but it turned out to be a really long walk. In the end, we gave up upon reaching the road and finding nothing obvious. The family rested in a Starbucks-like coffee place. I went slightly further alone to find about 20 food stalls, but it was quite dowdy in my opinion.

On hindsight, I should have researched the place before going. Looking at the online reviews of the place, it turns out that this LiaoNing mini-night market is famous for its food. I should have gone to this place for dinner instead.

After the rest, we went to the pub to see 張晉樵. It was a wonderful evening and his singing was as good as the clips we would find online. My daughter loved the experience as well. I especially enjoy 纸片人。 The crowd was largely subdued that day, but actually I liked it that way. The pub was a lot smaller than I imagined. The musicians were absolutely superb.

Tuesday Day: There were 2 must-go locations for us. One is DanShui which we cleared in Day 1. The other is WuFenPu which is a HUGE cheap shopping area mainly for clothes. We had breakfast in the East Dragon hotel which is totally recommended by me. The hotel is cheap, well located and clean with friendly service. Then we had lunch at a shop that specialize in 虱目魚。 This fish has a layer of fat that gives a unique experience when consumed with the flesh. This shop is along the way from the MRT to WuFenPu so it is definitely unmissable. We then shopped at WuFenPu which is absolutely HUGE. I think there are about 5-10 long alleys both in columns and in rows, all lined with shops on both sides. The kids once again tire out in 2 hours and we barely skimmed half the place. We debated whether to continue or to go back to rest. The ideal situation is to shop till the night and go to the RaoHe Night market nearby, but that is now quite untenable. In the end, we slogged on for another hour carrying the kids, and took a taxi to the shopping district at SongShan road. There are at least 5 huge shopping centers there, and we discovered that ICE-CREAM!!! is the secret formula that keeps our dear girl energized. Anyway, we then went to tour Taopei 101. We skipped the observatory because we think the charge is too expensive.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Back from Vacation I

I was in Taipei from Sunday evening to Friday late afternoon, so it is 5 days 5 nights. Being a Chinese in a Chinese environment, and also bringing along 2 kids, I chose a free and easy style. This was the itinerary.

Sunday Night: Our hotel is at XimenDing, so naturally it is shopping at XimenDing. I think my personal expectations were too high. I thought it would be highly unusual shopping and food, but it feels rather like shopping in Chinatown. It is still an enjoyable experience, but I guess there is no wow factor.

Monday Day: Seeing that the weather was fine, we wanted to strike out the first must see location that depended on the weather: Tamshui. This location is for the Taiwanese what East Coast Park is for Singaporeans. If you want to enjoy a scenic place to walk, go here. Our aim is to cover Tamshui to the YuRen MaTou(Fisherman's Wharf). We walked from our hotel at XimenDing to Taipei Main Station, enjoying the traffic and stalls along the way. Walking in Taipei city feels like walking around in old Singapore with shophouses everywhere. Thumbs up for this. We then took the MRT to Tamshui. From there we walked down Tamshui LaoJie (old street) and had hotpot for lunch. Food is very affordable there. The shopping here is much better IMO. However all the walking tire out my kids and my family decide not to continue the road march to the Fisherman's Wharf. Since we have already seen the scenic view, I guess it was not necessary to go the extra mile. We also missed Fort Santo Domingo. Going back to our hotel, we discovered (after calling) that my wife's idol 張晉樵 is performing at a pub on Monday night and Tuesday night. So we decided to change the night plans from a more popular night market to a unknown night market near the pub's location.

Thursday, October 08, 2009

Why the Anglicans can never be Extremists

As explained by Eddie Izzard (Relevance starts from 4.45 into the video)



Transcript:
So the Pagan religion I don't know a huge amount about, but it was this earthy thing. Christianity had split into many different areas - Catholicism still has the fire and brimstone,( beating drum ) "Row, you bastards!” You know... Original sin! What a hellish idea that is! People have to go,

"Father, bless me for I have sinned, I did an original sin… I poked a badger with a spoon."

"I've never heard of that one before! Five Hail Mary's and two Hello, Dolly's."

"Oh, all right..."

"Bless me, Father, for I have slept with my next door neighbor's wife."

"Heard it! I want an original sin."

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!"

The Anglican faith doesn't have that. You'll never go,

"Vicar, I have done many bad things."

"Well, so have I."

"What shall I do?"

"Well, drink five Bloody Marys and you won't remember."

Because the Anglican faith had a lack of principles for a long time. You can't get really headstrong about it. You can't say, you know, like the Islamic jihads that we hear bout. We get scared about those Islamic jihads. I think we do assume that everyone who is into the Islamic religion is having a jihad every other bloody day. There's a lot of very relaxed Islamic people, and we got to understand - remember, this is very important - and we do assume that jihads are just like, you know,everyday three jihads are issued by every individual. It just seems they're everywhere . "The fruit shop shortchanged me! A fucking jihad on them!" Bump into someone, say,

"Hey! A fucking jihad on you!"

"How many jihads have you got going now, Dad?"

"Well, 24. God, it's difficult to keep up with them!"

I just don't think that's happening. But you can't do that in Church of England, you can't say, "You must have tea and cake with the Vicar, or you die!" You can't have extreme points of view, you know. The Spanish Inquisition wouldn't have worked with Church of England.

"Talk! Will you talk!"

"But it hurts!"

"Well, loosen it up a bit, will you? Fine..."

‘Cause that's what it would be. "Tea and cake or death? Tea and cake or death? Tea and cake or death!" Students with beards, ( mimes demonstrating with picket signs ) "Tea and cake or death! Tea and cake or death! Little Red Cookbook! Little Red Cookbook!" ‘Cause, "Cake or death?" That's a pretty easy question. Anyone could answer that.

"Cake or death?"

"Eh, cake please."

"Very well! Give him cake!"

"Oh, thanks very much. It's very nice."

"You! Cake or death?"

“Uh, cake for me, too, please."

"Very well! Give him cake, too! We're gonna run out of cake at this rate. You! Cake or death?"

"Uh, death, please. No, cake! Cake! Cake, sorry. Sorry..."

"You said death first, uh-uh, death first!"

"Well, I meant cake!"

"Oh, all right. You're lucky I'm Church of England!" Cake or death?"

"Uh, cake please."

"Well, we're out of cake! We only had three bits and we didn't expect such a rush. So what do you want?"

"Well, so my choice is 'or death’? I’ll have the chicken then, please.

“Taste of human, sir. Would you like a white wine? There you go, thank you very much.”

“ Thank you for flying Church of England, cake or death?"

“I asked for the vegetarian."

"Ah, yes, the vegetarian, yes! There we go, Mr. Hitler. There we go... Like a bit of wine? Thank you very much...you Nazi shithead!"

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

The Worst thing that could happen from a Gay Marriage is

... ... 2 Jewish mothers. LOL. This is an old clip from The Daily Show.
(Relevance from 2.10min into the clip)

The Daily Show With Jon StewartMon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Headlines - The Gay After
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show
Full Episodes
Political HumorRon Paul Interview


Well, maybe 2 Chinese mothers or 2 Singaporean mothers could be worse.
"Do your homework now, or you will be sweeping roads"
"listen to your mother"

"Stay at home during the 7th month"
"listen to your mother"

Tuesday, October 06, 2009

The Best Sermon Series Yet

The sermon series on Judges is finally over. And it is all available online. In my opinion, it is the best team effort from Jubilee so far. When it was picked, I already envisaged the tough passages like Judges 19 being hard to deliver, especially to a youthful audience. But I felt that even tough obscure biblical texts deserved to be heard. At least once in a lifetime. In the end, I think we did a good job respecting the text and applying it well into the listeners' life.

The series began with a promise:
"This year, I made a new year resolution. I want to be more honest and authentic than ever before. I want to be more honest with others, but more importantly, I want to be more honest with myself. To be fair, I have never considered myself to be fake or a phony. One look at my simple appearance and you know that I’m too comfortable with my self-esteem to bother putting up a false pretense. Still, I think there are different levels of commitment to being honest, and perfect honesty is not easy because it means being vulnerable. However, authenticity is also a necessary ingredient for any relationship to go further, and that is a no pain no gain deal. I think I am ready to go deeper in the pursuit of better relationships in my life. To be honest with others, with myself and with God, and hence explore the relationships further."

And by sticking to the truth from the gut, and reflecting without reserve til the end, I feel pride about the entire endeavor. Some of my final words after 9 months of struggle with Judges:

"An American writer once told this story, “There are these two young fish swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says, "Morning, boys, how's the water?" And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes, ‘What the hell is water?’”1

The point of this story is that the most obvious and important realities are often the ones that are the hardest to see and talk about. Our perspectives are so natural to us that we often fail to notice them. Like water to a fish, you seldom think about it even though you may be immersed in it. We assume our perspectives are true, and we take that for granted. As we go through this sermon series on Judges, we have intentionally looked into some of these realities and reflected on them. These realities include basic human instincts like fear and greed, and also the nature of our relationship with God. For these moments of introspection, I am immensely thankful. Sometimes, we just blindly go about our lives, day in day out. Even coming to church is a routine affair. Taken in this sense, we are really no different from the people living in those times of Judges. We are just doing what we think is right. Like them, it is hard for us to realize the water we are swimming in. But this awareness of the water is the most fundamental reflection that we must do on a regular basis, and it is my topic for today. "

Sunday, October 04, 2009

Wedding Sermon III

The Blessing of Boaz (Ruth 4:11-12)

11 Then the elders and all those at the gate said, "We are witnesses. May the LORD make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the house of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.
12 Through the offspring the LORD gives you by this young woman, may your family be like that of Perez, whom Tamar bore to Judah."

This is my 3rd wedding exhortation. My aim in the wedding exhortation is to explain the importance of every segment of the wedding ceremony. My first message was about the sanctity of vows which follows the exhortation. And my second message was about the importance of the affirmations that occurs before the exhortation. Today, I wish to touch on the Benediction that comes at the end of the ceremony. You can tell I’m running out of topics. The next two weddings exhortations will be about the bridal procession and the call to worship. So future wedding couples, you have been warned.

For today’s topic on blessings, I think it is a good idea to use a couple of verses from Ruth in line with the recent sermon series on Judges. The scripture chosen is the blessing from the community upon the marriage of Boaz and Ruth. Boaz and Ruth is one of the most romantic stories found in the Bible. The story may be almost 3 thousand years old but the storyline of a mature experienced man being nice to a young and innocent Gentile lady is something S and F can surely identify with. S is like Boaz, responsible and a man of standing; and F like Ruth is caring and hardworking. If you include the plot about the woman who washed and perfumed herself and put on her best clothes and went looking for her beloved man eating and drinking and in good spirits, it’s practically the same story! The only difference with the biblical classic I can think of is that on their first lunch date, Boaz asked Ruth to have some bread and to dip it in the wine vinegar. S would not have been so subtle, he would have asked F to just keep drinking the wine.

The two verses today are familiar to me because I actually wrote a sermon on it during my days in Trinity Theological College 8 years ago. I named it the Blessing of Boaz. This was written shortly after another writer wrote on the Prayer of Jabez. Since then the Prayer of Jabez went on to become an international bestseller, topping the New York Times bestseller list and selling 9 million copies. The Prayer of Jabez comes in audio and video formats. The publisher also authorized a wide array of official "Prayer of Jabez" merchandise including key chains, mugs, backpacks, Christmas ornaments, scented candles, mouse pads, and a framed artist's conception of Jabez himself. There is even a line of jewelry of Prayer of Jabez. The Blessing of Boaz meanwhile stayed unknown. The writer of the Blessing of Boaz sold one copy to himself and now lives a fruitful life pasturing a church on an island and occasionally gives wedding exhortations. You may think I’m envious and bitter, but after all these years of sleepless and frustrated nights thinking about it, I don’t think I am at all. I have identified the core reason for the disparate plight.

(kidding) I think the main difference is that the Prayer of Jabez emphasizes that you have to pray the exact same prayer word for word for 30 straight days for the prayer to take effect, and in my original Blessing of Boaz, I have nothing of that sort. S and F will be glad that I will now present the new and improved version of the Blessing guaranteed to work. So this is what you do with the Blessing of Boaz. Print out this blessing in Times New Romans font size 30 on a piece of red paper, and place it under your marital bed during the 30 weeks. With adequate offerings to the Church depending on your level of sincerity, this new and improved Blessing of Boaz is now results guaranteed. I will also give you my bank account number for easy money transfer just in case you need personal bonus reassurances. (/kidding)

Perhaps now the biggest question in your hearts is, what is the Blessing of Boaz? The blessing contains three wishes. The first concerns the bride, the second concerns the groom and the third concerns the “house”. “House” is a figure of speech meaning lineage or descendants, hence the focus is on the children. For the bride, the wish is that she will become like Rachel and Leah. Rachel and Leah (with help from their maidservants) are the mothers of the twelve tribes of Israel. Therefore, the implied wish is that the bride will be the mother from which a house of generations is to come. So F, you have a big spectrum of choices here. Like Rachel, you can have 2 children. Or you can scale all the way up to 7, like Leah with 6 sons and a daughter. But if you are really ambitious and follow all my instructions as listed earlier, then you can aim even higher. Who knows? Maybe generations later, this house will be known as the 12 tribes of S.

-新译本-愿你在以法他显大,在伯利恒扬名。-和合本-又愿你在以法他得亨通,在伯利恒得名声。
The second wish which is for the groom is a little tricky to understand. In NIV, the translation is “May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem”. In NRSV, the translation is “May you produce children in Ephrathah and bestow a name in Bethlehem”. The key to the seemingly difference in translation is the Hebrew word (חַיִל) [hayil] which could mean “strength” in physical or financial power. The word also occurs in the special sense of “potency or the ability to produce offspring”. But both concepts here are not mutually exclusive. In those days, in an agricultural society, the number of offspring is a show of strength in production capability. Similarly, the ideas of being famous and bestowing a name are related. In the ancient days, as it is with the Jews as well as the Chinese, the way to make and preserve a name is through posterity. Your name is kept in history because your descendents remember you. Moreover, I really like the word “standing” (显大) acting as a euphemism. So S, in receiving the Blessing of Boaz, may you have [hayil] standing and erect for yourself a name in this place.

The last wish is similar to the first wish. Just like the wish for the bride to become Rachel and Leah, the children of the wedding couple will become like Perez, the forefather of Boaz himself. In the world of the story, the townspeople’s blessing is presented as a traditional wish, something they might have said to any bride and groom. But when this story of Ruth is presented to the reader’s world, the blessing takes on a greater meaning. In “(Ru 4:18-22) 18 This, then, is the family line of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron,
19 Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab,
20 Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon,
21 Salmon the father of Boaz, Boaz the father of Obed,
22 Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David.”
So Perez isn’t just the forefather of Boaz. The reader also understands Perez as the forefather of King David. The wish is that Boaz’s house will become like Perez’s house which eventually leads to David. David, the one through whom God built his kingdom and worship and eventually his salvation through Jesus Christ.

Here is the point where I think the blessing is more than just a blessing for children. Embedded in this blessing are the stories of Rachel, Leah and Jacob who became Israel, the story of Perez, Tamah and Judah whose seed became David, and the story of Bethlehem most famous for Christmas. These stories, including the story of Boaz and Ruth lie within God’s unfolding plan, which throughout history is intertwined with humanity. S and F, in sharing the Blessing of Boaz with you, it is my wish that you understand yourselves not as an isolated couple, but a house in submission to be used as part of God’s plan. To the God of millenniums, our lifetime of decades may seem insignificant. Yet, the best blessing that God can give us is that we become a part of his will. We are blessed when we become a blessing. Like the names mentioned in the Blessing of Boaz, let your marriage and your family be a blessing for generations to come.

Other Wedding Sermons

Saturday, October 03, 2009

Wedding sermon II 婚姻与属灵恩赐

婚姻与属灵恩赐

1 Corinthians 13 林前13章
今天这段经文是贤&君选的。老实说,我不是很愿意讲解这段经文。虽然,这段经文在婚礼里面常常出现,可是因为内容郑重深远,很多牧者都避重就轻,含含糊糊带过就是了。贤&君是饱读诗书的人,应该明白这段经文的严重性。所以,我就三番五次,一而再,再而三的问他们,真的要用这段经文吗?他们斩钉截铁的回答,该说的还是要说的,你就安心的讲吧。好啊,有种。贤&君,你们竟敢选用这段经文,那我也不是孬种,你们敢选,我就敢讲。

这段经文的主题是爱。可是,如果我们参照上下文,保罗并不是在说随便一种爱。上下文的内容谈的是信徒群体在属灵恩赐上的运用,特别是14章,特别强调的是说话,预言,教导的恩赐。所以,很明显的保罗这里是针对一个群体在属灵恩赐上的运用,特别是话语上的运用,他强调了一个美妙的道理,而这就是爱。简单的来说,保罗是在说明我们做为一个信仰群体一定要用爱来表达使用我们的属灵恩赐。

你也许现在开始纳闷,保罗如果是在教导这样的爱,那么这跟婚礼有什么关系?你如果这样想,那你就是大错特错了。你其实已经中了西方个人主义的毒。婚姻不是两个人,夫妻之间的事。不是的。一段婚姻其实是整个信仰群体的事。一段美好的婚姻必须在一个充满爱的环境,才能健康的成长,开花结果。相反的,在一个恶劣,闲言闲语,权力斗争,彼此猜疑的环境,一段婚姻也会被负面影响,受到拖累,甚至破裂。所以,对于每段婚姻教会是有责任的。保罗在这段经文要强调的就是我们在运用属灵恩赐的时候,一定要用爱,使我们成为一个爱的群体,爱的环境。

这也就是为什么刚才我们有家长的承诺,会众的承诺。你以为叫你们举手表示愿意是胡闹吗?绝对不是,我们举了手,就表示对这段婚姻做出了承诺。你们好好重新认识你们说做出的承诺。双方家长,你们是否衷心祝福这对新人,并愿意全心全意,竭尽所能帮助他们保持婚约,白头偕老。亲爱的会众,作为这对新人的弟兄姐妹,你们都愿意同心见证这婚约,并付全心和爱心协助他们持守婚约。看到没有?你们都已经答应了这件事。也就是说我们整个信仰群体在这段婚姻都有份儿。而今天的这段经文就是贤&君要提醒我们,我们要以爱来运用我们的属灵恩赐从今往后来协助他们持守婚约。贤&君,你看,我没有辜负你们选这段经文的心意,我一五一十敢敢都跟他们说了。

老实说,作为一个比较传统的华人群体,我们受西方的个人主义的影响不是太深。所以,就算不是我的提醒,我觉得我们对于群体里面的婚姻,我们绝对不会漠不关心。不知道是不是一个吃盐比吃米还多的习惯,我觉得华人在话语上的属灵恩赐特别厉害。我们对什么难题,什么景况,我们都有独到的见解。有时对于一段婚姻,我们都能够七嘴八舌的帮帮忙。对于属灵恩赐的运用,我觉得保罗的教导却是关键。因为,一个好的恩赐必须配合一个美妙的运用道理,才能真正发挥作用。而这个最妙的道就是爱。有时我们可能觉得我们做很多,付出很多。保罗说如果动机和方式不是带着爱,那是完全没有益处的。有些人可能还有一种没有功劳也有苦劳的观念,那我在这里就把保罗的意思彻底的说死了。你在运用恩赐的时候,不管多厉害,不管多夸张,若没有爱,完完全全没有益处。所以这样看来,了解什么是爱,是至关重要。

• 爱是耐心等候时机。爱是表达恩慈。事情不是有做就好,话不是讲了就算了。做的时候,讲东西的时候,要合适又合时,人家又能够感受到恩慈,这就是爱。这个责任我就交给双方家长。该讲的话-“最近还好吗?有时间在一起吗?或者是我好想抱孙哦”。- 要等到恰当的时候,贤&君听到要感受到爱意,这是重点。
• 爱不是心头在燃烧一把嫉妒的火。爱不是像膨胀中的气球-自夸和张狂。这个责任就交给贤&君所有的长辈。他们两个有许多夫妻之道,与亲家相处之道要学习。我们要设立好榜样,不要看不顺眼就指责。应该分享爱的教育。
• 爱是不作失礼的事,不求自己的益处。爱的行动就是观察,了解别人的感受。有很多事不是对错的问题,而是关乎礼节,礼貌和品味。爱绝对不会因为私欲而惹人反感。爱以克制自己的行动尊重别人。这个责任就交给在这里的年轻人。特别是贤&君小组。婚姻有时过了一段时间会比较冷淡,你们要以行动提醒他们爱情的纯真与甜蜜,可是要做到大方得体。
• 爱是不轻易动怒,不像记账一样,斤斤计较计较人的过犯。爱不在别人做错的时候沾沾自喜,只喜欢真理。贤&君的婚姻生活,跟他们的属灵生命是息息相关的。这个责任就交给他们的小组组长P&盛。你们要看顾他们追求真道,用信仰保护他们的婚姻。可是,却要避免象会计师一样斤斤计较。
• 爱是绝不停止支持,绝不停止相信,绝不停止盼望,也绝对不放弃。在一个婚姻关系里面,一定要一股力量像支持屋顶的支柱一样支持,保护,不放弃。就算是贤&君本身感觉很痛苦,想放弃的时候,必须要有人相信,永不放弃。我觉得教会里面确实有一个人有这个悲天悯人的情怀,愿意为贤&君无条件的付出,又有着坚定不移的性格,那就是你们的区牧。这个责任非你莫属。

这就是爱的道理。让我们每个人都能够明白,让我们在这对新人的漫长婚姻道路上,以爱的方式用我们的属灵恩赐来支持他们。

Friday, October 02, 2009

What you need to know about Michael Bird

The Koinonia Blog has a wonderful series on books and theologians that has influenced some of the best living Christian minds.

Mike Bird did a parody on it that is absolutely hilarious.