The Hour Had Come

This morning I preached my second sermon at church. My first sermon was over four months ago, and was a rather painful experience. Today went much better.....

Today's text came from John 13:1-20, where Jesus washes the disciples' feet. In this text, Jesus turns his attention away from the busyness of the streets, and towards his most loyal followers, his disciples. These his followers, where now "his own", whom he loved (13:1).

My main two points were that when Jesus washed the disciples' feet, he displayed his sacrificial love, and his saving power. The act of footwashing is simultaneously a display of the deep self-giving love of Jesus, and a prophetic symbol of the cleansing power he possesses. Indeed, this act foreshadows the cross, where Jesus would give himself up for the sake of the world he created. There, on the cross, Jesus would wash the feet of the world with his own blood.

The sermon went much better than the last one, thanks be to God! A few of my friends came to hear me which I'm very grateful for. Thank you Clau, Carla, Paul, Eric, Karla, and Rachelle. Unfortunately, I didn't bring a camera so I couldn't take a picture of the group.

Importantly, my parents also came to hear me. Thank you both for your loving support.

I'm also grateful because thanks to my preaching class last semester and my internship at church, preaching is becoming less intimating and more enjoyable. Thanks and praise be to God.

After the service my friends and I went to Paul's Place on Granville and 4th, for breakfast.

Wilfrid's Visit

Karin's brother Wilfrid's here for a few days. He was travelling in China on business, and dropped by on the way back to Paraguay. We met up with him and Ted, Karin & family in the afternoon at my place, and then headed over to Stanley Park for a drive. We parked the van and went for a quick walk in the park, but it was damp and rainy outside so we didn't stay too long.

For dinner we bought the kids a pizza and rented a few videos, while Ted, Karin, Wilfred and I went out to the Yaletown Brewery Pub for dinner. Here's a pic we took at Stanley Park:

Clau's Grad Day

Today was Clau's graduation day. The ceremony was quite nice, surprisingly. The address by B. Hindmarsh was especially noteworthy: Christians are like trees: firmly rooted in the ground, but with branches stretching into the sky.

Here are some pics from graduation day.

Regent Faculty:
















Up next: Clau!
















Wuhoooooooooooooo! Congrats Clau!
















Carla, Clau, & Cub:
















Allison, Karla, Maria, Clau, & Carla:
















Clau & Ross (Professor of Missions):
















Clau:
















May God bless you, Clau, as you finish your studies and discern what's next!

Soccer! Yay!

Today was suuuuuuuuuch a great day. I played soccer for the first time in, uhm, 2.5 years? It was sooooooo much fun!

I began the day by having Claudia and Karla over for breakfast. I made pancakes.

Then, around noon, we went to a park near Chinatown, and met with others, mainly Latin Americans, and played soccer for a good 2 hours.

They play every saturday. It's co-ed. Casual. I think I'll go again next week. :D

Grad Party

Today we had a grad party at Spanish Banks, in honour of Clau, Maria, and Petro, who are graduating shortly. It was actually as much a good-bye party as a grad party, because Maria, and Petro are not only graduating they are returning to their home country, the US and Ukraine, respectively.

Clau & Maria:

But I admit, there was a selfish reason for me to organize this party, namely, that I'm graduating too, within the next couple of months. And my friend In Young, he's also graduating around the same time as I am.

Rob, In Young, & Sarah:
















Petro, Connie, Clau & Maria:

Anyways, we were hoping for a nice and sunny day, and we got one, but as the pictures show, it was windy and chilly. We played some games (soccer, frisbee ultimate), ate bbq, and had a good time. Afterwards a few of us went to my place to warm up with a hot cup of cocoa.

Carla (aka KaKarla) preparing the bbq:
















Cub:
















Spanish Banks:
















Sundown:

Here We Go Again...

In less than two weeks-time (4.29) I preach again. Last time I preached was a rather painful experience, and I'm going to do everything I can to prevent that from happening again.

My passage this time is a good one: John 13:1-20, Jesus washing the disciples' feet. I'm going to "live" in that text for the next two weeks....

May God be glorified as I seek to communicate His word to His people.

Lunch with Joy

Today I went out for lunch with Joy, at the Samosa Garden on Kingsway. Yummy Kenyan-Indian food. Gotta go there more often...

Joy's living in Surrey for the next 6 months or so, raising funds for her return to the Philippines.

We talked about the possibility of me going back there also, on a 3-4 year term. More on that mid-summer....

Happy Birthday Clau!

Today I went to the Harbour Centre for dinner with Claudia, to celebrate her birthday with her. A lovely evening with a lovely woman. Here are a few pictures:

Easter Sunday

Christ ist erstanden
von der Marter alle;
des solln wir alle froh sein,
Christ will unser Trost sein.
Kyrieleis.

Wär er nicht erstanden,
so wär die Welt vergangen;
seit daß er erstanden ist,
so lob‘n wir den Herren Jesum Christ.
Kyrieleis.

HALLLUJA, HALLELUJA, HALLELUJA.
Des solln wir alle froh sein,
Christ will unser Trost sein.
Kyrieleis.

___

Christ has risen
From all his torments;
For this we shall rejoice,
Christ shall be our comfort.
Kyrieleis.

If he had not risen,
The world would have been lost;
Since he has risen,
We will praise the Lord Jesus Christ.
Kyrieleis.

ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA, ALLELUIA.
For this we shall rejoice,
Christ shall be our comfort.
Kyrieleis.

Johann Sebastian Bach, 1685-1750
Choralvorspiel BWV 627
Chorale prelude BWV 627

Holy Saturday

Rest Sweetly .. Sweetly Rest

We bow our heads in tears and sorrow.
Hearts cry to Thee, O Saviour blest.
Rest Thou sweetly, sweetly rest.
Death that holds Thee in its keeping,
When its bonds are loosed by Thee,
Shall become a welcome portal,
Leading man to life immortal
Where he shall Thy glory,
he shall Thy glory see.
Saviour blest, slumber on Thy Father’s breast.

We bow our heads in tears and sorrow.
Hearts cry to Thee, O Saviour blest.
Rest Thou sweetly, sweetly rest.

---

Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder

Und rufen dir im Grabe zu:

Ruhe sanfte, sanfte ruh!

Ruht, ihr ausgesognen Glieder!

Euer Grab und Leichenstein

Soll dem ängstlichen Gewissen

Ein bequemes Ruhekissen

Und der Seelen Ruhstatt sein.

Höchst vergnügt schlummern da die Augen ein.

Wir setzen uns mit Tränen nieder

Und rufen dir im Grabe zu:

Ruhe sanfte, sanfte ruh!

Johnann Sebastian Bach, 1685 - 1750
St. Matthews Passion, 1727

Good Friday

Nolo mortem peccatoris:
Haec sunt verba Salvatoris.

Father, I am thine only son,
Sent down from heaven mankind to save!
Father, all things fulfilled and done
According to thy will I have;
Father, now all my will is this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

Father, behold my pains most smart,
Taken for man on every side,
E'en from my birth to death most tart;
No kind of pain I have denied,
But suffered all for love of this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

Behold my birth, in what degree
Into this wretched world I came,
Taking man's vile nature on me,
With all the mis'ries of the same
Save only sin; and all for this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

Behold my tender infancy:
Scant eight days old, but that I was
Cut in my flesh most painfully;
To shed my blood for man's trespass
I not disdained, for love of this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

Here dwelt I thirty years and three,
In hunger, thirst, in cold and heat,
In great contempt of the world at me,
For my good deeds and travels great,
Taken for man, and all for this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

When thirty years and three were run,
Time drawing near of my most woe;
Oh! Father, now behold thy son,
My pains increasing mo and mo!
For which, O Father, harken to this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

Behold my sighs, my sorrowful heart,
Behold my tears, my bloody sweat!
Behold my pains in every part
Had on the mount of Olivet,
Before my death, declaring this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

Behold the Jews most fierce and wood
Thy son they sought with glaives and bills!
Behold thy son most meek of mood,
Given to their hands to do their wills,
To whom I bowed my will for this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

Then to a post fast was I tied,
Scourgèd and beaten on every side,
Till no skin left, but as one flayed,
There stood thy son in blood all dyed,
Most meekly suffering all for this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

Behold, also, then how they brought
Thy innocent lamb before their judges,
As one that had all mischief wrought,
Condemned to death upon their grudges
Grown 'gainst me for preaching this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

Behold my head then, how they crowned
With thorns, yea, piercing near the brain!
My face, my neck, in blood all drowned,
My flesh all trembling in every vein,
For passing mayne, and all for this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

To bear my cross then forth they drave me,
Till the great weight threw me there under,
But then hard strokes enow they gave me,
Beating me forth with shame and wonder!
All which I meekly suffered for this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

My garments then to me fast cleaving,
Most violently from me they drew
The flesh, e'en from the bone then riving;
My bloody wounds they did renew
With no small pain! Oh Father! Yet this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

But then behold those cruel folk,
One at each arm, one at each foot,
Through flesh and bone great nails they stroke,
The streams of blood were set afloat,
To wash their sin that wrought all this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

Then up aloft my corse they cast,
The fall whereof down in the rest
My joints and sinews all to-brast!
Which, pain of pains, was not the least
That I there meekly suffered for this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

Upon that cross behold I there
Hung three long hours e'er life were gone,
Having not stay my body to bear,
But those hard nails through flesh and bone;
Yet I e'en there declarèd this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

When all my blood was throughly spent,
My flesh dried up for lack of licker,
Then with a spear my heart they rent,
To try my death for man most sicker;
The which I meekly suffered for this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

Who may express those pains to me dealt?
Who may bethink them to disclose,
In mine humanity sensibly felt;
Yet is there one pain more than those?
Oh Father! why should I say this?
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

This my most pain, this my most care,
Is for to see man's unkindness;
For all my death he will not spare
Me to offend, my laws transgress,
And all in hope and trust of this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

The world, the flesh, yea, and the devil,
Man will not spare to serve all three,
Taking occasion of all this evil
Of mine own words; saying to me,
Whate'er we do, yet Christ saith this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

But unto man I say again,
Death of a sinner will not I,
If he amend and sin refrain;
But when in sin still he will lie,
Then unto him I speak not this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

Oh man, for thy love have I died!
I ask no more of thee therefore,
But love for love in thy deeds tried;
Forsake thy sin and keep my lore,
And then to thee I say e'en this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

Now here an end of this our song;
Now to that Lord that died for man
Give thanks, and pray for grace among,
To keep his laws, that we may then
Enjoy his merciful words in this:
Nolo mortem peccatoris.

John Redford, (d. 1547)
The Latin phrase Nolo mortem peccatoris is taken from the Rule of Saint Benedict, in his quotation of Ezekiel 33:11. It means "I do not want the death of a sinner."

Maundy Thursday

O Lord, who hast mercy upon all,
take away from me my sins,
and mercifully kindle in me
the fire of thy Holy Spirit.
Take away from me the heart of stone,
and give me a heart of flesh,
a heart to love and adore Thee,
a heart to delight in Thee,
to follow and enjoy Thee, for Christ's sake,
Amen
_____

Penitential Prayer, St. Ambrose of Milan (AD 339-397)

Getting There....

The past few days have been quite productive. I finished some key assignments:

History of Doctrine
* finished review on the last 4 chapter on Olson's textbook; great book .. I can't believe I got through it .. all 613 pages!
* finished review on Justo Gonzalez' book, A Theology of Liberation

Pastoral Care
* finished observation report

Now all I have left is a personal philosophy paper on Pastoral Care. Once that's done, I can start focusing on:

* Systematic Theology paper and final exam (due mid-May)
* PTC teaching lecture (mid-April)
* prepare sermon (end of April)

Movie And Dinner

Wow .. I had a great day today.

In the morning I had my regular church internship meeting at school. Then, late afternoon, I went to the bus station to pick up Ralph. He's here for the next day. We went home and drank mate until about 6:30, at which time we got into my car and drove to the movie theatre.

At the theatre, we met up with my dear friends Clau and Carla, and Connie and Alberto. We saw Amazing Grace, a great movie about the abolition of slave trade in England. It was very interesting to see how William Wilberforce was portrayed in the film. I know a little of him from my History of Christianity course at school, and from what I can tell, his portrayal in the film was quite accurate. So often nowadays, movies that have an inkling of spiritual content are deconstructed to a point beyond recognition (wouldn't want to challenge relativism now, would we), but overall I felt they did his faith justice.

Anyways, after the movie Clau pulled out a $50 gift certificate for the Spaghetti Factory. Nice..!! So we went there and wined and dined. Clau's Mexican friend, Karla, also joined us there. Man she's a blast. Great fun..... Ralph had a good time too.

I'm blessed.

Sick .. But Getting Better

Unfortunately I was unable to go to visit mom and dad yesterday. I think I got some kind of food poisoning, because I've been in bed most of today with a wicked (that is .. EVIL and PAINFUL) stomach ache throughout the day.

It would've been so good to go to Abbotsford to visit with family. Not only was it dad's birthday yesterday, it was also my parents' ??? wedding anniversary. Shame on me .. I don't even know how many years they've been married.....

I hope to visit them two weeks from now, on Easter Sunday.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is dad's 66th birthday, I trust you'll have a happy day, dad! Thank you for the many ways in which you minister to us.

God bless you abundantly!

Family Business Meeting: Take 2

Today we had our second business meeting, and as expected, the outcome wasn't all that good. Given my concerns about the purpose, continuity concerns, etc...., it just didn't make sense to go ahead with it.

Having said that, it's not all negative. Ted will put together a proposal with more concrete numbers (expected revenues, costs), and we'll re-evaluate again after looking at it.

Ted didn't seem pleased about the outcome. But I think it's better to ask hard questions now.

A New Preacher

We've got a new pastor in our Evening Service. He's actually a classmate of mine from school. He preached tonight (yes, I went). I'm glad I went. I didn't really want to go, but I forced myself to go. And I'm glad I did, because God blessed the effort. I'm (mildly) encouraged.

A Passion And A Paradox

Tonight I went to a fundraising dinner at a church (not my own) that I volunteer at once a month. The fundraiser was for a feed-the-homeless service this church operates every Thursday night.

I enjoyed the evening (Paul came also). Had a good meal, a few good speeches/testimonies, a silent auction, and an offering. The best part of the evening was a conversation that I had with Andrew, the man in charge of the program.

I'm realizing that I have a passion for the poor. There's a paradox in this passion though. The more I come in contact with issues of poverty (said differently, the more I encounter the helplessness of the poor), the more I'm convinced that there's very little I can do about it, yet at the same time the more convinced I become that I should do something about it.

I think it was Mother Teresa who said something along the lines of "Prayer drives us to the world, and the world drives us back to prayer." Simple yet profound. I like it.

Family Business Meeting: Take 1

So a few days ago my brother Ted sent me an email suggesting that we - that is, he, our brother in law, and me - open a family business. His idea is to open a house-building company: buy property, build a house, and sell it, buy another property, build a house, sell it, etc...

Tonight was our first "business meeting."

I went there in good spirits, thinking that in principle, he had a good idea. But our meeting didn't go so well, at least according to my thoughts. Now I feel quite sour about it.

The core issues are the following questions:
* why open a business? Ted has a job; Heinz has a job (he just got one earlier this week); and I, well, what the heck do I know about building and selling homes! Then again, I've been thinking about setting up some kind of an "urban Chrsitian community" in the city. Maybe our company could build and donate the house. Ha!

* continuity? Ted and family are only planning to stay in Canada for another 1.5 years at which time they will return to South America. In light of Ted's absence, who would run the business?

* given the above two issues, is it ethical to use dad's "goodwill" (money) as a guarantee? Aren't we taking a rather big risk with his money? Is this pride setting in?

* and finally (we didn't even tackle this issue at the meeting .. but it will be an issue before too long .. I know it!), what about familial conflicts regarding money? Based on past experiences, I know the greed that sets in with regards to money. It's not a pretty sight...