Service this Sunday - 30th December - will begin at 11am.
I came across the following, written by Bishop Phillip Lok of the Lutheran Church of Singapore. Bishop Lok has been a friend to the LCA and our churches are partners in the gospel in various locations throughout SE Asia. I'm sure you'll agree that his comments bring the reality of Immanuel - God with us - into real life perspective very well.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. (John 1:14a)
In the aftermath of the Newtown tragedy in the US, where a gunman
entered an elementary school and massacred 27 people, including 20
children below the age of 10, Governor Dan Malloy said in a press
conference, "Evil visited this community today."
In
times of inexplicable sufferings like the Newtown incident, or the
destruction of typhoon Bopha which left over 1000 people dead in the
Philippines, or even when one of our friends succumbed to cancer, most
of us would struggle to offer an appropriate response to those in pain.
But in this season of Christmas, we are reminded that statements like, “Evil visited this community today”,
should never be the concluding remark to any suffering or tragedy. As
followers of the Christ Child, we must be comforted by the fact that, “God visited this world 2000 years ago.” The Incarnation – Word became flesh – assures us that the Almighty God fully understands our pain for He once ‘moved into our neighbourhood.’ (The Message) As a matter of fact, he even suffered for us and with us.
As another year comes to a close, we give thanks to our God for His grace that carried us. If
we truly believe that our God is the Emmanuel, then we must also move
with confidence into the new year. Let us be the messengers of God who
carry the message of hope and life to the weary world. We need to tell the good news of a God who visited us many years ago.
Bishop Philip Lok
