Another week of ECQ flew by. It's funny how, during the first week, the hours seemed to stretch on forever despite the countless things I needed to do for work--online classes, conversion of regular classroom teaching materials to online class-friendly ones, etc. As the ECQ stretches on, however, I realized that my adjustment to this abnormal situation is not as drastic as the others'. Once I've come to think of my stay-at-home days as a replay of my homeschooling days (except for the fact that I'm the teacher now), things are easier to get used to. I've reverted to the same routine, and now we're "getting the hang of it." We also started having more Zoom watch parties, which of course are featured in this week's snippets. :)
We watched this Sunday night, after our worship service, when the Youngles had a Zoom watch party. The American Gospel: Christ Alone is a documentary film that examines in detail the issue of the prosperity gospel and how this heresy spreads not just in the US, but is being exported abroad as well. I was brought up in a reformed church and has never left (thankfully, by God's grace) it since. One of the sad things I've seen from this film is how there are really a lot of people who are truly blinded not just because of these false teachers, but because of their own desires too. But if there's anything that this film highlights the most, it's that the light of the gospel is so graciously bestowed upon us not because we deserve it. We are all vile, self-seeking, God-hating creatures. But we encounter and believe the message of salvation because God is merciful, and because He showers us with grace upon grace. The AG series is more than 2 hours per film, but they do have a 1-hour version for this one. If you'd like to watch it first, click here. (I recommend renting/buying the full version at Vimeo, though. It's definitely worth it.)
Since early this year, Tita Vangie has turned over to Hapi and me the hymn selections.On Tuesdays, we would meditate on the readings for the following Sunday and select the hymns appropriate to the messages. This turned out to be one of our "silent ministries" in the church that I am so, so, so grateful to do. Most of the time, I can't help but think that I'm the one being ministered to while choosing the hymns. Our hymns speak such precious truths and poetically reiterate the Word that's already lovely in itself. We chose "Jesus with Thy Church abide" as the last hymn for the first Sunday of ECQ. We both weren't there to sing it with SGC (she's in Antipolo and I'm in Cavite), but ever since then and more so as the ECQ challenges went on, I kept thinking about this hymn. This week, I learned that our brethren in Cebu also sang this during their first Lord's Day under ECQ. Indeed, what a fitting hymn to sing "while on earth [the Church's] faith is tried." Well could we say with the poet when he said,
Save her love from growing cold, / Make her watchmen strong and bold, / Fence her round, thy peaceful fold: / We beseech thee, hear us.
Another Zoom watch party. American Gospel: Christ Crucified is the next film in the AG series. This time, it talks about more theological issues found within the Christian religion. As they put it in their official website,
The gospel message of "Christ crucified" has always been offensive. In our culture it is common for preachers to soften the offense of the cross, and the attributes of God that are displayed in the person of work of Jesus Christ. "American Gospel: Christ Crucified" explores how the paths of post-modernism and progressive Christianity lead to a different gospel, and a god created in our own image.
This film extensively explains how the lack of love for the Word and for God Himself has brought all these dangerous schools of thought into the Christianity we know today. This sequel is longer than AG: Christ Alone. It runs for about 3 hours, and every part of the film is crucial as it keeps going back and forth from the post-modernist perspective and to the true Christian, biblical perspective on the issues touched. I suggest that you watch this with careful attention, maybe even take down notes. Watching it with friends could also be beneficial so you could have post-film discussion afterwards. And again, it's worth the buy. :)
One of the things I'm discovering while having to stay 24/7 in the house is that, the situation we find ourselves in hardly affects the ring of truth that our hymns have. True, when sang with the entire congregation, it is more glorious--and what more when we all get to sing them perfectly in Celestial City! But the truth that the speak (or sing) to us is ever the same. It is always wonderful. It is always beautiful. And this hymn is no exception. When Hapi and I chose the hymns for this week, I couldn't help but feel the excitement already in singing "Blest be the Tie." It has always been beautiful before, but now this new situation even gave a stronger sense of truth to it. How we all long and hope to meet again! And how we all long to worship together once more, not just physically here on earth, but we look forward all the more to that time when our assembling together will never be broken again, and we will all finally be with the Lord and see Him as He is.
This book by Alistair Begg is a tremendous help to me in this life's season. There are so many lessons to ponder upon, and I do encourage you to read the book yourself. I have always admired Joseph and his resilience, but through this book it is made even clearer to me that his life, simply put, is an evidence of God's active work of grace in the lives of all His people.
Week 3 of ECQ witnessed my going back to my most loved series of all time--The Chronicles of Narnia. There is just unexplainable joy to always go back to the series. For those who haven't heard of the series before, it's a children's book series written by CS Lewis about a land of magic, Narnia. But of course, it's not just that. The entire series is, more than being just bedtime stories for children, an allegory of the Christian life. See, I have first read Narnia when I was in third or fourth grade. I loved it then. But I read it again when I just got saved (around 13 years old), and when I was in college, and I'm rereading the entire series now. And it's really just amazing how the series is the same old story you've grown up loving, and yet something different too, for every life season. This quote from the first book, The Magician's Nephew, struck me anew. How many times have I been unsure of my acts of obedience toward Him? And yet, like Diggory, Christ's tears and evident care and love for us must assure us every doubting moment that we are heading towards the right direction.
April 4, Saturday - Day 21
As a kid, I didn't like The Horse and His Boy. It felt like it was written as an afterthought, like CS Lewis suddenly realized he needed to tell something more about the Golden Age of Narnia after he finished telling all the stories, so he needed to write another book. But the Chronicles of Narnia is that one series that always gets sweeter the next reading. This line from the third book simply resonated with me this time around. I guess if we have been in the faith long enough, we get to start getting distracted from looking straight ahead, to where our faith's Lion is. Instead, we begin to look at our left and right, begin to ask with Peter's line, "Lord, what about this man?" But God tells us our own stories, not others'. He may even choose to not completely reveal the whole plot to us! This book reminded me that we are to be content with what God is revealing to us. Well did the psalmist say in Psalm 131 when he said,
Reading (and, recently, watching) has always helped me shift my mind's and heart's gears back to the right direction. I have always said this to my friends before, but it rings louder now, that the things with which we feed our mind are truly crucial in the renewing of it. This ECQ sure is hard, and not being with my local church will always be heartbreaking. But at the same time, I'm grateful for these extra moments that I could spend to read, and to remind myself of the things that really matter.
O Lord, my heart is not lifted up; my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and marvelous for me.It will do us good to be content like a child in the arms of our loving Father, even when there are innumerable things that we don't understand. For indeed, we will never understand everything--not until we cross that River.
Reading (and, recently, watching) has always helped me shift my mind's and heart's gears back to the right direction. I have always said this to my friends before, but it rings louder now, that the things with which we feed our mind are truly crucial in the renewing of it. This ECQ sure is hard, and not being with my local church will always be heartbreaking. But at the same time, I'm grateful for these extra moments that I could spend to read, and to remind myself of the things that really matter.
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