The following exchange took place between Symphorian and me when we went for breakfast before going to Church. Symphorian is eight years old now and finds going to Church on Sundays boring.
S: Believing in God is unscientific.
M: What makes you think that it is unscientific?
S: Scientists do not do this.
M: Son, you are wrong. Some famous scientists, like Newton and Einstein, believe in God.
S: Only some believe in God. Which means some do not believe. If some scientists do not believe, then believing in God is unscientific.
M: (My God, being your father is really challenging!) ...
At that moment, I did not have any satisfactory answer. I am happy that Symphorian is able to articulate his thoughts in his logic. Perhaps what Symphorian needs is not answers but something else. Perhaps he will listen to the same message from the lips of other people but not his father. Father and son should spend more quality time together doing something else.
S: Believing in God is unscientific.
M: What makes you think that it is unscientific?
S: Scientists do not do this.
M: Son, you are wrong. Some famous scientists, like Newton and Einstein, believe in God.
S: Only some believe in God. Which means some do not believe. If some scientists do not believe, then believing in God is unscientific.
M: (My God, being your father is really challenging!) ...
At that moment, I did not have any satisfactory answer. I am happy that Symphorian is able to articulate his thoughts in his logic. Perhaps what Symphorian needs is not answers but something else. Perhaps he will listen to the same message from the lips of other people but not his father. Father and son should spend more quality time together doing something else.
Miracles are unscientific. But they are elements of all religions and meaningful only to believers. For us Christians, miracles are signs of God's presence. For modern men brought up in this technological age, they are counter-logical and become obstacles to believing in God. Therefore, some Biblical scholars prefer to explain them away. For me, I take them for granted without giving them much thought.
In the Acts, miracles used to be done through the hands of the apostles only.
Now many signs and wonders were done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico (Acts 5:12).
Things began to change. Though not an apostle, Stephen also worked miracles.
And Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people (Acts 6:8).
This was a blessing as well as a curse. Stephen had a price to pay. Instead of being grateful to Stephen, his people began to attack him.
Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, arose and disputed with Stephen (Acts 6:9).
I think these were Greek-speaking Jews and Stephen must have been one of them. Alas! How hard it is to spread the gospel among one's countrymen. Though they share the same cultural background, it is hard to convince them. They need other peoples to persuade them in a different tongue. They need missionaries. Familiarity does breed contempt! My Lord, send us more missionaries and commission us to spread Your good news elsewhere.
In the Acts, miracles used to be done through the hands of the apostles only.
Now many signs and wonders were done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico (Acts 5:12).
Things began to change. Though not an apostle, Stephen also worked miracles.
And Stephen, full of grace and power, did great wonders and signs among the people (Acts 6:8).
This was a blessing as well as a curse. Stephen had a price to pay. Instead of being grateful to Stephen, his people began to attack him.
Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, arose and disputed with Stephen (Acts 6:9).
I think these were Greek-speaking Jews and Stephen must have been one of them. Alas! How hard it is to spread the gospel among one's countrymen. Though they share the same cultural background, it is hard to convince them. They need other peoples to persuade them in a different tongue. They need missionaries. Familiarity does breed contempt! My Lord, send us more missionaries and commission us to spread Your good news elsewhere.
I don't know. Perhaps my mood is low. I feel that I have reached the end of my wits. Maybe it is time I took a break and stopped writing.
My Lord, do stay by me. Amen.
My Lord, do stay by me. Amen.
p.s. Today is the 40th anniversary of Confirmation. I sent the following email to my brothers in Christ as well as our Godfather.
Dear Brothers,
It is 0:50 in Hong Kong. Forty years ago, we received the sacrament of Confirmation from the hand of the late Bishop Francis Hsu, the first Chinese Bishop of Hong Kong. May the Holy Spirit continue to empower us in everything we do in the days to come.
Brothers, I have not heard from our beloved Godfather for quite some time. Please look him up and tell me his whereabout.
Yours in the Risen Lord
Alex Kwok
Then, I hear their replies.
Dear Brothers,
It is 0:50 in Hong Kong. Forty years ago, we received the sacrament of Confirmation from the hand of the late Bishop Francis Hsu, the first Chinese Bishop of Hong Kong. May the Holy Spirit continue to empower us in everything we do in the days to come.
Brothers, I have not heard from our beloved Godfather for quite some time. Please look him up and tell me his whereabout.
Yours in the Risen Lord
Alex Kwok
Then, I hear their replies.
Hello All,
Alex got to be kidding me! From all the email address within this mail, I guess I've got a price on my head! Here I am still alive! Can you imagine forty years have slipped by us so fast ? Continue to be the witness of God's love through your celebration of life.
I have always been praying to God to give me 70 for which I still have a few years to go. However, every day tomorrow is an extra bonus and let us appreciate it fully.
Joseph
Alex got to be kidding me! From all the email address within this mail, I guess I've got a price on my head! Here I am still alive! Can you imagine forty years have slipped by us so fast ? Continue to be the witness of God's love through your celebration of life.
I have always been praying to God to give me 70 for which I still have a few years to go. However, every day tomorrow is an extra bonus and let us appreciate it fully.
Joseph
Praise the Lord indeed!
May God continue to guide us to be WSSF, to carry out God’s purpose on earth, to continue spreading love and not hatred or discrimination, and to make this a better place than when we found it.
WSSF is an acronym I created for my children, stands for “Wisdom, Strength, Stamina, and Flexibility”. It is both a noun and an adjective. It is simply an encompassing prayer: “May God give us the WISDOM to tell right from wrong and to uphold justice for all; may God give us the STRENGTH to execute the action that God have asked us to carry out; may God give us the STAMINA so that we have the energy to complete the tasks God have planned for us; and may God help us to have the FLEXIBILITY to be able to adapt and adjust to situations, and to understand others’ perspectives.” The enlightenment came across when I was in karate, that it is the ancient martial art philosophy that a martial artist must acquire WSSF, and that the martial art grandmaster is WSSF.
If we can be WSSF, we shall be happy when the time comes, for our lives on Earth have fulfilled the purpose. When the time comes, God just need us to move on to another project.
Just want to share with you. May we all have another 40 years to celebrate. Happy Anniversary!
Eric
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