I believe that as we were remembering the death and the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ during this past Easter Sunday, many of us were also enjoying the nice weather with the beautiful cherry blossoms around us.  God’s beautiful creation is amazing; it’s such a blessing that we can take pleasure in it!   

            As time goes by, the threat of the pandemic seems to become less severe, with more and more people willing to go out.  Over the last couple of years, we were mostly  confined in our homes because of the pandemic, but for now, it’s time for us to breakthrough and be willing to step out again with courage.   Over the last year, the number of funerals I attended or officiated had reached a record high, almost one every 1-2 months. But surprisingly, there was only one or two deaths directly related to the COVID virus; the rest due to cancer or other illnesses.      

            Dear brothers and sisters, our lives are in the hands of God, what good is it if we are still living in fear? Will our God ever change before, during, or after the pandemic? Why is there such a big difference between our faith and trust in God before, and during the pandemic? The almighty power of God, His grace and protection has never changed, but we are the ones who change.  Think back to those days when everything was smooth and calm.  We used to remind ourselves to stand firm, and not lose our faith in God no matter how much the situation may change.  Unfortunately, during the pandemic, many of us have stumbled and lost their faith in God in midst of the adversity.  During the peak of the pandemic, a pastor shared, “…do not waste the opportunity of this pandemic…”. What he meant was, as a Christian, we can make use of this opportunity to be a witness for Christ. This is such a “once in a lifetime” opportunity that we can preach the gospel to non-believers.  This is a perfect time to tell those who are in fear, that we can still have peace in our hearts because we have faith in God. Unfortunately, even as believers, our anxiety and fear in ourselves can exceed those of non-believers.  How can we be a good witness if this is so? Why has the one true God that we believe in our hearts, become so tiny and small? The more we choose to avoid and run away, the harder it will be for us to experience God’s almighty power and protection. Over the past couple of years, have we made good use of any opportunity to be a witness for God?  Let us “not waste the precious opportunities”.     

           In the past two weeks, I had a chance to visit some elderly people who were ill and in the hospital. After praying with the elderly, a nurse outside the room, came over and told me, “We (as the medical staff) need you to pray for us too!”.  That is exactly what a Christian is supposed to do during the pandemic: to have an impact on others; to bring the peace and comfort from God to those around us. This is such a precious opportunity. Our Lord has risen, let us live knowing this is true! 
           復活節主日剛剛過去，相信弟兄姊妹在這長週末裡面，在一同記念主的受死與復活之餘，都與家人享受美好的天氣，欣賞櫻花盛開的美麗環境。神的創造，實在極之美麗。我們能樂在其中，實在是神的恩典。

           隨著時間的飛逝，疫情的威脅略為減少，出外活動的群眾有所增加。過去兩年多被困的日子，我們要盡快的突破，勇敢地重新出發。在過去一年多，我參加或主領的安息禮拜，是歷史性的多，差不多一至兩個月便要參予一次。但奇怪的是，與新冠病毒有直接關連的死亡，只是當中的一至兩位。其他都是因癌症或其他疾病而離世的。親愛的弟兄姊妹，生命全在乎於主，恐懼又有何益處﹖疫情之前的神，疫情裡面的神，與及疫情之後的神，會有甚麼分別呢﹖我們在疫情之前或之後對神的信心及倚靠，為何會與在疫情裡面對神的信心及倚靠，會有這麼大的分別呢﹖神的大能、神的恩典、神的保守一直都沒有改變過，改變的，就只是我們自己。試想想，在過去風平浪靜的日子，我們時常都彼此勉勵地說，不要讓環境的改變，影響我們對主的信心。但可惜，一個的疫情，一個環境的改變，就可以令至多少信徒“千年道行一朝喪。” 在疫情嚴峻的時候，有一位牧者的分享中說:“…不要浪費了這個疫情…。”他的意思是要指出，因為基督徒可以因著這個疫情，為主作美好的見證。這是千載難得向未認識主的朋友傳福音的好機會。原本，當別人有恐懼，信徒仍滿有平安，就是作見證的好機會。但可惜，當信徒在疫情中，比未認識神的人，有更多不安恐懼時，信徒怎能作見證﹖今天我們所相信接受多年的這位真神，為何在我們心中，是這麼的渺少的呢﹖我們越是躲藏，我們就越難親身經歷神的大能和保守。在過去兩年多裡面，我們是否真的浪費了為主作見證的好機會呢﹖讓我們“不要再浪費...。”

            在過去這兩個星期，有機會去醫院探望一些患病的長者，為他們祈禱後，有一位在房外的護士，主動地對我說，我們(醫護人員) 也需要你為我們祈禱。這正是基督徒在疫情的影響下，能將從神而來的平安及安慰，帶給週圍有需要的人。這實在是我們當前的機會。主已經復活了，讓我們也當復活﹗ 

Comments for this post are now off.