This is the year of the dragon

This year’s CNY was quick and fast-moving. Following the Christmas celebrations that seem like they were yesterday, this year’s CNY came on fast and furious. The tinsel and colorful trees quickly gave way to festive wire dragons and gordy decorations- decorations that were soothingly trite and tacky-familiar at the same time. With a flash of bright red firecrackers, angpaos, Mandarin oranges, and lion dancers, Chinese New Year was upon us.

This year’s celebrations were a bit different for us though, mostly because Mom was ill, and that gave cause for us to shorten our regular tour of houses and visitation stops. Chuxi was celebrated at home in the newly decorated house - without at doubt, the highlight of the new year - in comfortable airconditioned surroundings, our new living room was the site of feasting and more feasting, which quickly descended into a nostalgic viewing of now-ancient Mediacorp/TCS/SBC serial theme-songs on the fancy Mac-TV set up. Some of the major highlights included resurrecting ‘Zui hou yi ge da xia’, ‘Xuang tian zhi jun’, ‘Zhai zhan feng shen bang’ and ‘He xiao jiu tian’ which really marked my childhood.

The first and second days saw most of the usual stops - paternal grandfather’s home, maternal grandmother’s home, the Lows, the military Nav aunties and uncles coming over for the trinity of yusheng, kongbapau and chicken curry with baguettes- Asian food at its best. We devastated the goodies at the Low house, where 8 different types of pineapple tarts made an appearance, in addition to the much-craved he bi hiam and peanut cookie things. We skipped two stops this year due to our own low energy levels (age at work) - the elderly ex-neighbors and our maternal grand-uncle’s place/second cousins’ place.

What is the upshot of this long and tedious recollection? Here are some more reflective thoughts:

• How has the gospel changed my familial life?

Well for starters, watching my grandfather (and really, everyone) struggle with my bedridden grandmother and how to respond to her, I’m reminded of how fragile human beings are. We try so hard to appear normal, unaffected, distant, and impervious, and some of us do a really good job of it. It was difficult to watch my grandfather struggle with a combination of neediness, guilt and just old-age, and even harder to watch my grandmother tear and respond - even though she can’t physically respond, mostly - to my dad praying. Her face flushed and tears came to her eyes - she was clearly praying. After we all said ‘Amen’, her eyes shut tightly and refused to open. Was she still praying on when we all stopped? What was going through her mind? I guess only grandmother and the Lord know what happened in that moment. But regardless, I’m reminded that it is Almighty God who watches over our family, and enables us to know Him by name, and call on Him despite all of the messiness of life. And in those moments, whether in guilt, or in faith, or weakness or intercession, we come through the blood of Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest. Because we know the Savior, the different members of our family have a hope that God’s wrath is not upon us for our many many sins. Rather, we know that God put all His judgment and fury against our evil into the body and soul of Jesus Christ, so that we might come before Him in right standing with Him, unharmed and unafraid. Do we deserve this? No, we don’t. Do we always live in the light of the truth of this good news? No we don’t. Do we live as heirs of His promise? No, we don’t. But the gospel has come to our home, and opens our lives to hope and healing, peace and prosperity, redemption and reconciliation, grace and graciousness, justice and joy. And like the Israelites in the Passover, we have the blood of a precious lamb upon our doorpost, and God recognizes us as His own.

• How does my family still need the gospel?

These truths apply to all who trust in the promise of God called the gospel, not just for our past sins, or our future security, but for our present needs. We desperately need the gospel. We need to remember who we are in Christ, that our interactions may change, that our words will be softer, that our hearts will be meeker, that our minds will be renewed, that our desires will be transformed, and so much more than these. We need the gospel privately and corporately, spiritually and socially, practically and devotionally. We need to go deeper in understanding how the Cross transforms our self-worth, our self-identity, releases us from past sins and old hang-ups, tears down the wall of hostility between us, assures of a future inheritance worth more than anything the world can offer, and promises us the power of the Holy Spirit to bring about life out of death. At Chinese New Year, we do so well with keeping up appearances and routines- like good Chinese people do. True to form as a honor-culture, we value appearances and form, and we, like all people, love to put our best foot forward, and hide our dirty linen at home. This is what Chinese people do. But we need to showcase the gospel, which means we must decrease and Jesus Christ must increase. We have family members and friends who do not yet know Jesus, and we have more who do not know the power of Jesus to affect their lives presently through the sanctifying work of the Spirit. We still need the gospel, every hour and every moment of every day. In celebration and rejoicing, we need the gospel to humble us and redirect our joy to the Savior’s goodness and generosity. In suffering and hardship, we need the gospel to point us to hope and truth that is more real than circumstantial difficulty. In awkwardness and confusion, we need the gospel to secure our wisdom in Christ, and offer us the great resources of the Spirit of comfort. We need the gospel, and desperately so.

• How can I pray in a way that reflects gospel priorities in my family?

As we heard last Sunday, we should pray in line with Eph 1, as Paul prays for the Ephesian church. I pray that our family will grow in a spirit of enlightenment and understanding, especially in the knowledge of Him- namely, Christ. I pray that we will all thirst to know Jesus truly, not just as the Giver of good gifts, the Sustainer of our hopes, the Prince of Peace, our Rock and High Tower, but also, our Savior, our Messiah, our Righteousness. I pray that we will know Him as our Wisdom, our Sanctification, our Justification and our Glorification. I pray that we will know Him as our Elder Brother, our Passover Lamb, our Great High Priest, God’s Prophet, our Interceding Advocate, our Conquering King, our Master and Teacher, the Only Word of God. I pray that we will know the power of God, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead and enthroned Him as the Great King over all things, the same power that appointed Him the Son of God in might, the same power that conquered sin and death and all evil, that we might be like Him, worthy sons of the Most High. I pray that materially, God will provide; that relationally, God will provide; that emotionally, God will provide; most of all, I pray that our spiritual thirsts will all be met in Jesus Christ.

This is the year of the dragon - a very auspicious symbol in the Chinese imagination. But for all of the longevity, prosperity, and festive celebration that the Dragon Year promises, there is one who rises above the dragon in the Bible as the conquering King, and of the increase of His government there will be no end. In the rule of Christ, prosperity will truly abound and peace will reign supreme, there will be no lack, and all will receive blessing and favor through Christ Jesus. Suffering, tears and mourning will cease, and joy will be the prime experience in that promised Paradise. More than the year of the dragon, this is the day that the Lord has made - I will rejoice and be glad in it!

"It came without ribbons, it came without tags,
It came without packages, boxes or bags!”
And he puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore
Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before
“Maybe Christmas—” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store.
Maybe Christmas— perhaps, means a little bit more?"

Numbers for kids

After Exodus God’s people took hold
Of the law and Tabernacle made of gold
And in Leviticus they learnt God really cared
About how they lived (even what they wear).
But remember where they were this whole time? 
In the desert! Not that fine
For grandpa, grandma, tired folks,
Even the cows and all the goats
Were grumbling against Moses and God
They said, “We’re stuck here and we’re bored!”
Now friends, it is a dangerous thing
To forget how good our God has been.
Did they think God didn’t care?
Did they think God wasn’t there?
So while Moses was getting busy
Counting soldiers and getting ready
For the long journey to their brand new home
The people, well, they began to moan.
And again and again they huffed and puffed
And whined and kicked the ground and stuff
Until even Moses’ bro and sis
Said, “Moses! Enough of this!
Why did we leave Egypt at all!
There at least we had the mall!” 
But God made Moses strong and brave
And reminded them that they were SLAVES.
Do you grumble and complain sometimes?
Don’t treat God like He committed a crime!
God’s children should be thankful always
And be happy in big and small ways. 

But really, Moses could not waste more time,
Ten men he chose, a special kind
They were (Sh!) spies to sneak into
Canaan, the land, God told them to.
So off they went, but when they returned
And told the people what they had learned,
They made everyone very sad!
(And what they said made some people mad.)
“Giants live there! They’re huge!” they said
“If we tried to fight them, we’d end up dead!”
But Caleb and Joshua were the two
Who trusted God, and said, “No, you
Must remember: God is strong!
He has brought us all along
And He will make us stronger than giants!” 
And they, with Moses, were defiant.
But the Israelites said, “It’s been so long!
You’ve wasted our time- this can’t be home!
God’s awful, He’s led a wild-goose-chase!”
And other things they shouldn’t have said.
God gets sad when we don’t see
That He is big enough for you and me!
He wants us to be His brave young soldiers
And not wait until we’re older
To trust God in everything we do
Whether we’re at home or school. 
But when God saw that they were scared
And only Caleb and Joshua dared
To trust, He said, “Their wish I’ll grant.
I’ll give them only what they want.”
And sadly, He waited till those afraid died
And Caleb and Joshua and God cried
In their hearts because God’s Promised Land
Would have to wait for more faithful men.

Forty years passed, and Moses grew old.
But Caleb and Joshua were still as bold
As when they first set out to spy
On God’s land- they were still not terrified!
And not one of the old group remained
God keeps His word, He is the same
He is not a man who tells us lies - 
His promises, on which we can rely.
But now, though his young men could go
Moses, himself, was now too old!
So he gathered the new people and spoke for God
He reminded them of their precious Law.
“All these years here in the desert wide,
God never failed to provide.
Your fathers, they hardened their hearts
And would not obey, or play their part.
And now only two men remain
Joshua of Nun and Caleb of Jephunneh.”
And he reminded them of all God’s rules
The way a teacher speaks in school.
He told them to carefully obey
All of God’s word in every way.
Do you remember all you’re told?
Or do you pretend that you’re too old
To remember? We must carefully hear
God’s word with attentive ears
Even if it’s not the first time
It’s good to repeat it- get it right!
And finally now, at last Israel began
To move into the Promised Land.  
At last, God’s people had His law,
They knew how to live and shine for God
But no leader to help them find their way
How would they start this brand new day?
How would they go to the God’s Promised Land
Without God’s special chosen man?
Would God’s Promise fail? Would it fall apart?
Never! God is never that far
And always has a good plan for us:
Even forty years in the wilderness. 

Exodus for kids

Sometimes the Bible uses words
That have special meaning when they’re heard
‘Genesis’ means ‘the great beginning’
And showed how God’s people kept on sinning.
‘Exodus’ means ‘God’s rescue plan:
how His people were brought out holding His hand’.

Have you ever been in a scary place?
Where you don’t belong- like outer space!
That’s what God’s people were like in Egypt
Old Joseph would never have believed it-
The Israelites were now all slaves!
They worked all night, and all their days.
The Egyptians were not nice to them,
They made them work till they hurt their hands.
But God, He heard their tearful cries,
Each prayer they prayed made his heart sigh.
So God raised up shy, shy Moses
The man would turn as red as roses
Whenever he had to stand and speak
What an unlikely choice- he was so meek!
When God called Him from a burning bush
He didn’t want to go, so God had to push!
God showed him that no matter where he went
God would show that Moses was sent
To say only what God would say,
If only Moses would obey.

So Moses went to Egypt’s King
Saying, “God knows His people’s suffering
And He says, let them all go or else…”
But Pharaoh said “No!”, so well, well, well-
God showed His power in Ten Great Plagues
To get His children out, to get them saved!
He first turned water into blood,
Then sent frogs, lice, flies like a gross flood!
Then diseases on all the cattle
Then itchy red boils that were really awful!
Number seven was an angry hailstorm,
Eight, giant grasshoppers that did their harm.
But after God took away light also,
Pharaoh still refused to let them go.
So finally God said to Moses softly,
“The last plague in this sad story
Will be the life of every firstborn son
Unless a lamb’s blood pays for each one.
Tell my people to put blood on each doorpost high
And then my angel will pass them by.”
And finally, when it happened as God said
Mr. And Mrs. Pharaoh wished they obeyed.
He said, “I wish I had obeyed your God
And listened when you spoke His word.
Now take your people far from here
Before your God strikes us with more fear.”
So every man, woman, boy and girl
Packed up from Egypt, and loudly cheered
And left their lives as slaves behind
With happier hopes upon their minds.

But they had only gone around the bend
When Pharaoh got mad and swore revenge
He sent his armies after Moses’ people
With chariots and horsemen who looked quite evil.
Then Moses got on his knees and prayed
“God, save us from this scary day!
In front of us we have the ocean
And behind us, thousands of horsemen!”
And then God did an awesome thing
So awesome, all his children would sing
About how God parted the Red Sea
And allowed all children to flee
Through the sea on the dry ground
With high walls of water all around.
He cut off the soldiers, He saved the day!
God through Moses, had made a way.
It’s true for us, that when it seems
That everyone is unkind and mean
And no one seems to understand,
No one seems to be your friend.
Like Moses, you just have to pray,
You see, the same God can make a way.
And so by the sea, Moses sang and danced
The Israelites laughed and smiled and pranced
Because their God had saved the Israelites
And with a song in their hearts they sang all night.

Following their leader they marched ahead
Leaving Egypt behind them and instead,
Every woman, boy, girl and man
Looked forward to their Promised Land. 
But soon they got hungry and exclaimed
“We’ve got no meat, no veg, no grain!
We’re hungry, Moses, feed us now!
Or we’ll come back to Egypt where at least there’s cow!
Or water, we’re so thirsty please,
This desert has us on our knees!”
So Moses got down quick and prayed,
He knew God would hear what he said.
“God, you have power, and you’re strong
Help me lead these folks along!
Provide for us our every need,
These hungry and thirsty people feed!”
So God dropped manna (which is heavenly bread)
And quail (meat) until they were fed
And He made water spring up just like that,
Fresh water, like it came from a tap.
You see, God loves to answer prayer
He loves to show that He’s always there.

But God saw a problem growing,
His people’s hearts were spoilt, and knowing
That like Adam, they had sin inside
He wanted to show them how it hides
And made his children not trust Him
And spoils their love, this thing called sin.
So He told Moses, “This mountain climb
And I will teach you this Law of mine.
It will show you all how life works best
And when you obey it, you will rest
The way life was supposed to be
Until evil came through Adam and Eve.
And when the people read the Law
They will see their sin and flaws.”
And so on tablets made of stone,
God wrote His Law- they’re now well-known.
We call these ‘Ten Commandments’ law
Our duties to God are the first four.
The last six describe how God’s people should be
How they treat others shows their identity.

And Moses was pleased but suddenly he heard,
A strange sound that sounded like…a herd
Of cattle? Or people making sounds
And with his two stone tablets, he ran quickly down
And to his horror he saw his friends
Dancing like some crazy men!
And even his brother Aaron joined in somehow
As they worshipped a golden cow!
You see, the people had grown tired 
Of hearing God, and they desired
To see Him, touch Him, know He was real
How else would they know He was the real deal?
So they made a cow out of melted gold
And said, “This is the God who long ago
Saved us from our slaving days
Let’s worship him and bring him praise!” 
So Moses had to scold these fools
Smashed their cow (and God’s rules too)
He said, “God prepared for you a gift!
And instead you’ve been awful- you made THIS!”
The crowd grew quiet, the air grew thin
The people knew that they had sinned.
But God did not give up on His kids
He knew that sinners acted like this
And when they said that they were sorry
God took them back, and showed them His glory
And gave them the Law, like He had planned
See how patient God is with man?

And that’s not all, God gave them signs
To show how He was good and kind
He made a way for Him to come
And be their friend, and walk around
Their houses- places where they lived in
Even though God could not stand their sin.
So he made a place for them to meet
A special spot with ‘a mercy seat’
And once a year, God had the priest
Come sacrifice blood and burn the meat.
He called this box a ‘Tabernacle’
Where instead of golden cows and cattle
His children could see Him with their eyes
Instead of just believing He lived in the sky.
But why did God need things to die?
Why did God make them sacrifice?
You see, for a God this great to come
He had to show them that Someone 
Would need to die for all our sins
To wash us clean, so we could live again
Many years to come a more perfect life
Would be our great, last sacrifice.

And so when Exodus comes to a close
The story ends on a high note:
How a rescuing God with His rebellious children
Met at the Tabernacle and was not hidden. 
Do you want to see Him too?
Do you want to know if it’s true?
Then you also need to be washed of sin
Because all of us have not obeyed Him.
We all need a perfect sacrifice-
Don’t you need the blood of Jesus Christ? 

Poem I wrote in 2003 (at least)

I dug this up today, and was quite moved by it:

I said, “Let me walk in the field,”
He said, “No, walk in the town.”
I said, “There are no flowers here!”
He said, “No flowers, but a crown.”

I said, “But the skies are black,
There is nothing but noise and din!”
And He wept as He sent me back
“There is more,” He said, “There is sin.”

I said, “But the air is thick!
And fog is veiling the sun!”
He answered, “Yet souls are sick,
And souls in the dark undone.”

I said, “I shall miss the light,
And friends will miss me, they say.”
He answered, “Choose tonight
If I am to miss you, or they.”

I pleaded for time to be given
He said, “Is it hard to decide?
It will not seem hard in heaven
To have followed the steps of your Guide.”

I cast one look at the fields
Then set my face to the town
He said, “My child, do you yield
Will you leave the flowers for the crown?”

Then His strength came to mine
And into my heart came He
And I walked in a light divine
The path I had feared to see.

Leviticus for kids

The Bible’s third book is tough to read
Lots of people really dread
Leviticus because it doesn’t have a story 
(And some parts are pretty gory).
Some bits of it might seem real strange
Because of how the times have changed!
But do you know that God really cares
About the who, what, why and where
Of how we live our daily lives?
And not just for husbands or for wives,
But little children, yes even you!
God cares that kids be holy too!
Being ‘holy’ means God has planned
For all His children to be different than
All the people around them! So
That all the Israelites could show
That they were different, they were holy,
And in their lives, tell God’s rescue story. 

In Leviticus God told Moses to
Write about what animals (just a few)
Were unclean and not good for them to eat
He told them about ‘unclean meat’.
Other laws were about the clothes to wear
It’s amazing how much God cares!
He also described these people called priests
They did special work especially at Feasts
Which weren’t just big eating dinners,
No, these had a special, deeper, inner
Meaning that God meant to teach.
Seven were these special feasts. 
The priests took people who were gross
And ‘unclean’,  which means dirtier than most
Could be made good and clean again
Through washing and praying which were main
Ways, or ceremonies to purify.  
He also wrote about sacrifice:
There were all kinds of ways
God wanted His people to obey
And bring their very best offerings
To thank God, or to atone for sin.
These were ways the people said
“Thank you God for what You did!”
And when people did not bring their best
They showed their ungratefulness.
Do you and I sometimes show
That we have forgotten that we know
How kind our God has been to us?
We can when walking, or on the bus
Say a quick prayer with a pure heart
“Thank You God, You are so smart!
I want to bring a thank-you gift
So here I’m praying, just like this!” 

Sometimes the people were also bad
The things they did - they made God sad.
Even when they hurt one another
They were really hurting their Heavenly Father
Because all sin is against God
They needed to bow their heads in awe
And bring sacrifices to make up for sin
Although they could never trade in
Imperfect things for wicked acts
So God had to show them that
The price for sin was (gasp) another life
That’s why they needed sacrifice!
Leviticus shows us awful truth
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
So God taught His children to kill a lamb
Or a perfect goat, or a perfect ram
And have the Special Man- the Priest
Do the yucky things to the innocent beast
So that all the dirt and sin and wrong
Would go with the dead animal and be gone.  

God taught His people ways
To live together and amaze
Their neighbors with their orderly lives
Holy husbands, children, holy wives
So that when the people saw their clothes
Or food, or work, or rest- they’d know
That these people lived a different way.
Maybe in their hearts they’d say
“Their God has taught them everything
Their God has helped them deal with sin!
I might want to know Him too!”
Could we do that, both me and you?
Could we live so that others see
That God is good and full of mercy? 
If we lived out these holy lives
Maybe others would see Jesus Christ?

Would you be God’s representative
In how you speak and how you live
And how you dress and how you pray
And how you work and how you play?
The way you speak to friends at school
The way you have fun in the pool?
You may not need to be very smart
And tell other people how to play their part
You don’t need to scold, or “tsk tsk” them
You can just be their different, Christian friend.
God says, “I want you to be 
Like me, different and holy!”
Tell your dad and mom today
You want to live God’s holy way!
Maybe not like Leviticus
(Some parts really don’t apply to us)
If you live to show God is great
It doesn’t matter if you’re eight
Or nine, or ten (or below seven)
Your life can bring other kids to heaven. 

Genesis for kids

All was dark and nothing, but God was there.
At the start, He spoke - and there was light everywhere!
And God whispered, “I’ve got a dream to make
All kinds of beautiful things!” so God started to create
The sun and moon, the skies and seas
Tall trees, bright flowers, even creepycrawlies-
There was nothing that God did not form
From the great dinosaur to the smallest worm.
And with a great smile, God said, “It’s good!”
So it was, pure and unpolluted.
Then God said, “Now stand back, see
I will make someone amazing- who looks like me!”
And God lovingly fashioned, from the dirt
Adam- the first man to walk the earth.
God was pleased, He smiled at him,
Adam smiled back and gave a grin.
God said, “I love you! But it is not good
That you should be alone.” And so God would
Make for his boy a special girl
To help him care for God’s big new world.
So Adam, Eve and God were glad 
But something soon would make all good bad.

God’s enemy had come to spoil
All of God’s good work and toil
So Satan came in as a snake 
Into God’s garden, to lie and break
The peace of all that God made good-
Like maggots growing inside soggy wood.
“Did God really say?” he asked Eve sneakily,
Knowing that she would doubt so wickedly
That God had spoken loud and clear
He wanted her to doubt her ears!
Eve was not sure, so Satan said
“God lied, perhaps you should be god instead!
God must not love you, though He says He cares,
Why don’t you munch on that fruit over there?”
And so, Eve did- she disobeyed,
And when Adam did too, they both betrayed
Their loving, kind Creator God
And suddenly, paradise seemed quite odd
For sin had come, it would not depart-
Sin had made them rebels in their hearts.
So they ran and hid when they heard God call,
They hid in the leaves, (which is a flimsy wall)
But God you see, already knew
What they had done, He saw into
Their hearts. And God was very sad
Because what was Very Good was now Very Bad.
And He could not let them live this way,
Running and hiding from Him all day
So He said, “You must now go.
This paradise cannot be your home.”
And with great tears in His bright eyes
God promised, “You were not meant to die,
So do not fear! I will rescue you!
I will send One who will make things new!
And all tears will be wiped away,
Just wait - wait for that new day!
I promise you, I promise you
Everything sad will come untrue.” 

Now cut off from life in Paradise,
Adam and his now-sad wife,
Had many children, some boys- some girls
So many that they filled the world!
But Adam’s heart was always sad,
Because he knew all his children were bad.
He knew his sin had spoilt their hearts-
His sin was how evil had its start.
He prayed that God’s One, born of Eve
Would soon come and bring God’s peace!
But God saw that all Adam’s children
Were wicked, and they would not listen.
Through Noah, God set some apart
And kept them safely in God’s Ark
So that when God’s angry rains came down
Noah’s family was safe and sound.

Later on, God made a friend,
His friend’s name was Abraham.
Abraham was a son of Eve,
So he trusted God and believed.
He knew God’s Promise, so though he was old
He believed what He was told
That old Sarah (his wife) would have a son,
A son who would keep waiting for the Promised One.
So Isaac, the special baby boy,
Born late, brought Abraham great joy.
Isaac had two sons, Esau- strong and big
Jacob- who told lies, but liked to read.
Do you know which one God would use
For His Promise? Who would God choose? 
You see God chose the naughty man
To show that God’s great gracious love can
Use wicked children if they repent
Say sorry, and on Him depend.
So God changed Jacob’s name, called him ‘Israel’. 
And gave him two wives- Leah and Rachel.
That really is a lot of women
For one man- but he had (twelve) children!
But remember sin had spoilt man’s hearts?
So soon, Jacob’s family was torn apart
Because his boys were jealous sons
They hated Joseph, the smallest one.

(Perhaps you’ve heard of his famous coat?)
The colorful one that Jacob bought.
His brothers threw him in a hole and sold
Him as a slave, and he grew old.
In Egypt he suffered for his brothers’ sin
But God had not forgotten him! 
You see, God might use painful trials
To make us wait on Him a while
In Joseph’s case, he cried his tears
For many nights and lonely years.
Do you sometimes cry at night?
Because people in your family fight?
The Bible says God knows it all,
And God listens carefully when you call.
For Jo, at last when the time had come
God brought forgiveness to his home.
(You know for you and me today,
God helps us forgive too, if we pray!)
Jo saved the world as Prime Minister
Of Egypt, from a great food disaster. 
So as the book of Genesis ends,
You see one story- great and grand-
Of how sin makes a mess of things
But God’s grace can still overcome sin.
Still, God’s Great Promise had not yet come
His children were waiting for that One.