China's Dirty Secrets: No Gain, No Pain

People say: "No pain, no gain". I think the other way round is also true: "No gain, no pain". Check this video out and you'll know what I'm talking about.

The Backbone of Spirituality: Bible Reading, Prayer, Eucharist

N.T. Wright shares how he keeps his spiritual life fresh. To him, the backbone of spirituality is Bible reading, prayer, and Eucharist. I guess most Protestants would agree with Wright on Bible reading and prayer. But only a few would not disagree with him on the Eucharist.
Do we realize that most Protestant churches, at least in Asian context, do not celebrate the Eucharist in their weekly worship service? If the Church does believe that the Eucharist is indeed one of the most fundamental things which radically distinguishes the Church, as the people of God, from those outside God's covenant, isn't it hypocritical mind-boggling if she doesn't celebrate it in her worship services for some vague practical reasons?
John Calvin would agree with Wright that the Eucharist is food for the soul.

Now, if anyone should ask me how this takes place, I shall not be ashamed to confess that it is a secret too lofty for either my mind to comprehend or my words to declare. And, to speak more plainly, I rather experience than understand it. Therefore, I here embrace without controversy the truth of God in which I may safely rest. He declares his flesh the food of my soul, his blood its drink [John 6:53 ff.]. I offer my soul to him to be fed with such food. In his Sacred Supper he bids me take, eat, and drink his body and blood under the symbols of bread and wine. I do not doubt that he himself truly presents them, and that I receive them.
Institutes 4.17.32

N T Wright: how do you keep your own spiritual life fresh? from krish kandiah on Vimeo.

On Being Human

A few days ago a friend of mine shared this in his Facebook status: "We are born capable of learning." Jean Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

I couldn't help but comment. This was what I wrote:

I haven't read Rousseau and I don't know from what context the sentence is taken. But my first impression upon reading it is that I guess he has never had any chance to interact with differently-abled persons. Or, to give him the benefit of the doubt, the 'we' in his sentence ONLY refers to a group of people who is born with the capability of reading and understanding his sentence. The 'we' there certainly cannot include people who were born with severe brain damage.

Ever since my visit to the Red Cross Home for the Disabled in 2007, I'm quite sensitive to sweeping statements like Rousseau's. Are WE really born capable of learning? If WE is meant to refer to human beings, is EVERY human being really born capable of learning? What about the man (let's call him "Bobby") whom I fed in the Home for the Disabled? Bobby couldn't move his body. He was only able to lay down there on the bed from the day he was born and perhaps as long as he may live. What he could do was just to move his head and all the organs located in his head. Perhaps we can never be certain if, being born in such condition, he is capable of learning. But, having interacted with him, I really really doubt that he is able to learn in any way. I may be wrong. I can't help but ask, "Is he able to know God? How is it possible for him to understand his existence if his brain is severely damaged?" So, I wonder if the understanding of the image of God as rationality (an understanding which says what differentiates human beings, being the image of God, from other creatures is their ability to think rationally) is still tenable. I guess there is no way to defend it unless we want to exclude Bobby from the human race.

My encounter with Bobby forces me to stop and ponder: "What does it mean to be human? What does our human-ness consist of?"

A photo of manbearpig (human-bear-pig chimera)
Source: http://www.thinkgene.com/scientists-successfully-create-human-bear-pig-chimera/

Do You Find It Difficult to Forgive?

We all want to be forgiven. But it is always difficult to forgive. So, we are all ... ah, I mean, I am a hypocrite. Yes, to forgive those who have harmed us or our beloved ones is never easy. But it is NOT impossible! I find this personal story of Miroslav Volf inspiring.

Daydreaming...

I just learned that James Smith will be speaking in the Calvin Symposium on Worship 2011! *sulk* Some of my friends would know that I am a great fan of Smith's works. His Letters to a Young Calvinist needs to be read by those who regard themselves as "Calvinists". His Who's Afraid of Postmodernism may be one of the best cure for postmodernism-phobia. I have recommended his Desiring the Kingdom to my friends who are doing Christian Education this semester. And I've been reading his The Devil Reads Derrida as a way to multiply my time whenever I'm doing my "business" in the t*il*t. *wink*

I'm enjoying a daydream about being in snowy Grand Rapids, attending the wonderful worship services in the symposium, attending the plenaries and workshops by Jamie Smith and meeting him in person. Now, I better STOP daydreaming and get back to my thesis!!!

A photo of international participants taken when I, sis, Lu, and Dr.T attended the Symposium in 2008. (I had a memorable experience of being detained... Missed our flight... And had to stay in a SUPER expensive hotel...)

How Long, O Lord?

Ever since I started my theological study at Trinity Theological College in 2006, I began to greatly appreciate the richness and diversity of Christian traditions. I had always felt excited whenever I had the chance to be involved in what was usually called ‘ecumenical movement'. So, last night was a delightful evening. I participated in the Prayer for Christian Unity 2011 in Singapore. It was held at the Church of Divine Mercy. This prayer is actually an annual international event, endorsed by the World Council of Churches and the Vatican. So, it is quite disheartening that not many local churches even know about this annual prayer. And I notice that, in Singapore context, it is the same group of priests and pastors who are involved in this prayer. I recall what a Methodist pastor here in Singapore told me two years ago. He said that his presence in the prayer was controversial (due to Roman-Catholic-phobia prevalent among Protestants). A friend of mine who is currently serving in a Presbyterian church in Indonesia also tells me that they are not holding this prayer. Enough with disappointments…

We had four speakers last night: Dr. Roy Joseph (Mar Thoma Syrian Church) presenting "The Apostles' Teaching", Rev. Dr. Edward Pousson (Victory Family Centre – Asia Theological Centre for Evangelisation & Mission) presenting "Fellowship", Rev. Dr. Lorna Khoo (Aldersgate Methodist Church) presenting "Breaking of Bread", and Rev. Dr. Joseph Goh (Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd) presenting "Prayer". What I appreciated the most was the presentation by Rev. Dr. Lorna Khoo. All the four speakers were passionate about what they were sharing. But what made Rev. Dr. Khoo different was her honest sharing about her own struggle with regard to Christian unity. She was assigned to speak on the Eucharist. Before she started her sharing, she remarked that she was given the most difficult topic so she requested for time extension (they are supposed to speak only for 8-10 minutes).

She explained that there are three different practices among churches in relation to the Eucharist: closed table, open table, and free table. Closed table means only those baptized within that particular Christian tradition are eligible to partake in the Eucharist. This is practiced by the Roman Catholics. Open table means only those baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – no matter in which Christian traditions they are baptized – are allowed to eat the bread and drink the wine. This is the practice of most Protestant churches. Free table means anyone, including those outside of Christianity, can partake in the Eucharist. She argued that perhaps it is the image of the Eucharist as a family meal which makes Christians unable to agree on this matter. The result of the image of family meal, according to her, is the exclusion of those who are not part of the family. This is how Roman Catholics have excluded Protestants from their Eucharist. Considering that the prayer was held in a Roman Catholic church building, I truly saluted her for daring to say boldly that the Roman Catholics have been inhospitable to Protestants in this matter. She suggested that the way forward is perhaps to see the Eucharist as the meal of the presence of Christ. All Christians will not disagree that in the Eucharist Christ is present, whether it is real presence, spiritual presence or whatever presence. One thing is sure: Christ is present. Seeing from this perspective, she suggested that perhaps there should be a room for free table practice because Christ, who is present in the Eucharist, welcomes everyone.

I am aware that the issues are much more complicated than what she tried to explain. But, even though she may sound simplistic (mind you, the attendees were mainly lay people and not professional theologians), her boldness and courageous attempt to do her part in reconciling different Christian traditions in relation to this debatable issue is undoubtedly commendable. For it is the Lord of the Church Himself who desires that Christ’s disciples may become one, just as God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one.

When reaching home, my friend Joshua, who also attended the prayer, asked me, “So, when will the churches really become one visible body of Christ?” I spontaneously answered, “When Christ comes again.” This is indeed D-Day which I am looking forward to. And I am not alone. All Christians (Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Mainline Protestant, Pentecostal, Charismatic), I believe, are looking forward to that very day when Christ will come again. In the mean time, we should continuously cry out, “How long, O Lord?”

Egoisme Berkedok Ucapan Syukur

“Tuhan, kami sangat bersyukur, jikalau di tengah-tengah kondisi bangsa kami dan dunia yang dihantam oleh berbagai bencana alam, kami masih memiliki tempat untuk tinggal, berteduh, dan gedung gereja ini untuk beribadah. Kami bersyukur bahwa Engkau menyediakan makanan kami sehari-hari di tengah-tengah banyak orang yang kelaparan di negeri ini. Kami memuji-Mu atas kasih setia-Mu kepada kami dan kami sangat bersyukur, Tuhan.” Doa ini diucapkan oleh seorang pendeta di dalam pertemuan ibadah Minggu di sebuah gereja yang saya hadiri beberapa waktu yang lalu. Tentunya doa ucapan syukur yang serupa pun sering diucapkan oleh banyak orang Kristen, khususnya di dalam masa-masa menjelang tahun baru seperti saat ini.

Doa sang pendeta mengingatkan saya kepada doa seorang Farisi di dalam perumpamaan yang diberikan oleh Tuhan Yesus. Lukas mencatatnya demikian, “Ada dua orang pergi ke Bait Allah untuk berdoa; yang seorang adalah Farisi dan yang lain pemungut cukai. Orang Farisi itu berdiri dan berdoa dalam hatinya begini: Ya Allah, aku mengucap syukur kepada-Mu, karena aku tidak sama seperti semua orang lain, bukan perampok, bukan orang lalim, bukan pezinah dan bukan juga seperti pemungut cukai ini; aku berpuasa dua kali seminggu, aku memberikan sepersepuluh dari segala penghasilanku.” (Luk 18:11-12) Di akhir perumpamaan ini, Lukas mencatat dengan jelas bahwa Tuhan Yesus tidak berkenan atas sikap angkuh sang Farisi: “[B]arangsiapa meninggikan diri, ia akan direndahkan dan barangsiapa merendahkan diri, ia akan ditinggikan.” (Luk 18:14b)

Perumpamaan ini setidaknya mengajarkan satu hal: Tidak semua ucapan syukur yang kita ucapkan itu berkenan kepada Tuhan! Contohnya adalah doa orang Farisi tadi. Ucapan syukur tersebut hanyalah sebuah kosmetik religius untuk menyembunyikan niat busuknya untuk untuk menyombongkan diri dan menganggap dirinya lebih benar dibandingkan dengan orang lain. Bukankah doa sang pendeta tadi tidak jauh berbeda dengan doa sang Farisi yang munafik ini? Tidakkah egois jikalau beliau bersyukur atas kesusahan orang lain? Jikalau saya parafrasekan agar lebih eksplisit, doa pak pendeta tadi kira-kira berbunyi seperti ini, “Tuhan, kami bersyukur kami tidak kelaparan seperti orang-orang di Yakuhimo Papua. Tuhan, kami bersyukur kami masih memiliki ruang untuk ibadah tidak seperti jemaat GKPI di Jalan Danau Sentani, kabupaten Tangerang.” Inilah yang saya sebut sebagai egoisme yang berkedok ucapan syukur.

Pertanyaan mendasar yang perlu kita ajukan adalah: Apakah memang ucapan syukur itu hanya bisa lahir dari hasil perbandingan antara kondisi kita dengan kondisi orang-orang yang kita anggap lebih sial “kurang beruntung” daripada kita? Apakah seseorang baru bisa bersyukur atas kelengkapan anggota tubuhnya setelah ia membandingkan diri dengan dan melihat orang-orang yang cacat? Apakah seseorang baru bisa bersyukur atas kecukupan hidupnya secara finansial setelah membandingkan dirinya dengan para pengemis yang harus mengais rezeki di tumpukan sampah? Saya pikir para pengikut Kristus perlu menjawab “tidak” kepada semua pertanyaan ini. Kita bisa bersyukur kepada Tuhan terutama dengan mengingat siapakah Tuhan itu dan apakah manusia itu di hadapan-Nya.

“Bapa Sorgawi, saya bersyukur atas kesehatan yang masih Engkau anugerahkan meskipun kadangkala saya lalai dalam menjaga kesehatan saya. Saya bersyukur atas kelengkapan anggota tubuh saya yang masih Tuhan jaga sekalipun terkadang saya menyakiti hati-Mu dan sesama saya dengan tubuh saya. Saya bersyukur atas pemeliharaan dan kasih setia Tuhan atas para korban bencana alam dan orang-orang kelaparan melalui manusia-manusia yang peduli dan mau berbagi dengan sesamanya. Ampuni saya jikalau saya belum berbuat apa-apa, Bapa. Tolong saya untuk bisa berbuat sesuatu bagi mereka sebagai ucapan syukur saya atas harta kekayaan, sedikit atau sebesar apa pun itu, yang Tuhan percayakan bagi saya. Saya bersyukur atas kesabaran Tuhan atas diri saya yang seringkali tidak tahu mengucap syukur. Jauhkanlah saya dari egoisme yang berkedok ucapan syukur. Tolong saya untuk tidak melewati hidup saya sedetik pun tanpa ucapan syukur, karena saya sadar sepenuhnya bahwa saya sama sekali tidak punya hak atas hidup saya. Tuhan Pencipta Langit dan Bumi, Engkaulah pemilik hidup saya. Pada-Mu sajalah segala ucapan syukur patut dinaikkan oleh setiap makhluk yang bernafas. Amin.”

Selamat menjelang tahun baru 2010 dengan penuh ucapan syukur!

Bogor, 31 Desember 2009