happy again

cupcake
Originally uploaded by neonangel.

things to make you feel better after a moody funk:
1: watching young christians pray fervently and rejoice enthusiastically at Fest of Praise.
2: Thanks Rust for just listening without prejudice :)
3: watching johnny depp ham it up in charlie and the chocolate factory with HKGirl.
such a fun show :)
4: a really sweet prayer/encouragement email from AgentOrange, all the way through the tapped
wires of Beijing.
5: national day frolics - ultimate frisbee, captain's ball and a really good dinner

Ever since meeting Tissueaunty, I have been thinking about the homeless people who kinda stay around my office area. I wonder what stories lie behind their over-browned weather beaten skins. I realise that if you smile at them, they drop their mask of suspicion and quite readily smile back.

Been reading Good News For the Poor by Tim Chester also. Stirring stuff that helped shift my focus away from memyselfandi back to God's plans. The wisely written book puts together a very strong case for Gospel-centred Christian social action - which is a cheem way of saying why anyone who calls Jesus Lord ought to start actively looking out for the lepers, poor, sick, downtrodden and heartbroken all around. No hiding behind excuses like 'Faith is a private thing', 'the poor we will always have with us so why bother' etc. escapist nonsense.

Was surprised and saddened to find out in the book that at the time of Rwanda's horrific genocide, Rwanda was considered the most Christian African nation, the one with the "most successful evangelising movement". Tim Chester's point was that many of Rwanda's converts were not clear on the impact of the gospel on their lives. They felt the private faith and the private salvation but did not make the connection to public action or public demonstration of their beliefs. Hence, one too many Rwandan Christians stood by as Hutus slaughtered Tutsis and Tutsis avenged themselves on Hutus. Not unlike how one too many German Christians stood by in silence as Nazis first discriminated and later slaughtered Jews by the millions.

There were many good Rwandan Christians and German Christians of course who took political action but unsurprisingly, the world chooses to remember those who stood by, blinded by their arrogance and pride in their own saftey. How could people who read about the good Samaritan ever doubt the call to action? Jesus was the Christ who kneeled to wash the feet of his disciples, supped with the marginalised and fed the poor.

Chester cited a beautiful quote from GK Chesterton about the worth of every human being.
Chesterton declared that human beings were not equal like the way human rights activists imagined.

Human beings are equal the way pennies were equal. Some were bright, some dull, some used, some fresh, some scarred. But irregardless of their individual state, their worth came from the fact that every one of them bore the stamp of a King, a sovereign who vould vouch for their value.

We all, like coins, bear the stamp of a King to end all Kings.

The begger in the alley way, the aunty who sells tissue packs to pay the rent, the friend you treasure, the mother you quarrel with, the waiter who wipes your table, the fellow church member you sit beside...the faded imprint of His Majesty is there. In some, the imprint is far more discernible than others.

So What are you going to do about it once you see the mark of God on someone?

And can others see the indentation of Christ on your face when they look at you? Or does your face resemble every other person's look of indifference?