Isaiah 8:23 – 9:3 / 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17 / Matthew 4:12-23
Today we begin the first day of the Chinese New Year or the Lunar New Year with much rejoicing and gladness.
For the past 2 years, there were restrictions to observe, but this year we can move around and run freely like rabbits.
We already had our family reunion dinner last evening, and today we are here in church as the family of God to give thanks, to celebrate God's love and to pray for blessings as we begin the new year.
As in every celebration, there will be an abundance of food and goodies, exchange of Mandarin oranges (later we will be receiving the blessed oranges), and for the children, it is also a time to collect ang-pows.
As in every celebration, it is also about the renewing and the reunion of relationships. In fact, the joy and meaning of any celebration of a festival is about the renewing and reunion of relationships.
It is about the relationship between God and us, and about our relationships with one another.
In the midst of the New Year celebration, the church has also designated this Sunday to be the “Word of God Sunday”.
And that leads us to a reflection and meditation of the Word of God in our festive celebrations, in our lives and in our relationships.
In the gospel, we heard that Jesus began His ministry with the message of repentance, and that the kingdom of God is close at hand.
Then He called His first disciples, Peter and his brother Andrew, and also James and his brother John.
So, four of His disciples were brothers and the rest will develop a relationship with one another along the way.
So, the Good News of Salvation began with the message of repentance and built on relationships and on the building of relationships.
The mission of Salvation is built on relationships. God sent His only son to be our Saviour, and in Jesus we become children of God.
And as children of God, we want to go to heaven to be with God, but we are not going there alone.
We also want to tell others about heaven, where God is waiting for us to come home.
We also want to help others go to heaven. That is our mission as children of God.
So, as we go about celebrating the new year, let us remember that over and above the food and the ang-pows, it is also about the renewing and the reunion of relationships.
We will be receiving the blessed Mandarin oranges in the specially designed carrier bags, (more is available at the entrance of the church).
With the subtle colours of the Chinese New Year theme, there are also Christian symbols.
There are words of blessing in Chinese and in English.
There is also the ancient Christian symbol of the fish, the fish in Greek “ICHTHUS”, which stands for “Jesus, Son of God, the Saviour”.
And the fish is not swimming sideways but upwards, to mean that Jesus is leading us to heaven.
And then there is the little rabbit (Year of the Rabbit) looking at the fish that is swimming upwards. All this info is available at the Parish Facebook page.
So, in receiving the blessed oranges in these carrier banks, we go forth to share the message of God's love and salvation.
And as a topic of conversation, we can share with our relatives and friends and tell them about Jesus.
Let us go with Jesus to celebrate and to renew and to reunite our relationships with one another.
May the Chinese New Year celebrations also be a celebration of God's love and a celebration of the joy and the blessings of salvation.
