Shalom

Today’s reading for the Wesley 40 days of prayer guide spoke about the full meaning of Shalom and referenced Jeremiah 29. God told the Jews who were exiled to Babylon to settle well, do well and work for the welfare of the city.

This resonated with me, not because I’m in exile! Or maybe I am and nobody told me haha. But I am far away from home and understand what it feels like to be in a city where many seem to be rejecting God or perverting what our faith should be.

I’m probably paraphrasing the guide’s message poorly but in essence it tells us that shalom isn’t just individual and personal but its full meaning is in the collective welfare of the community you live in. And to do that, we must be the salt and light that helps others, that cleanses and uplifts.

Put simply, we are to be a loving testimony to Him and this is where I had a further reflection about how I can do this. In one of my previous reflections I had spoken about how after service one day, I was blessed with opportunities to help others in need. Given the context today where the media keeps painting China as a threat, I think that when I help them, I plant a seed. Or perhaps I am nurturing a seed that someone else has planted and that others will come along subsequently to do more.

I hope that at some point, there is an opportunity for me or someone else to show our love as a Christian and be a testimony. But it isn’t just about non-Christians. 

There are also opportunities to help brothers and sisters who may be struggling. I prayed for a brother who reached out as he had some trouble at the workplace. I sent a book “Mere Christianity” to a sister and her husband who are trying to strengthen their faith. That book by the way, should be essential reading for believers. And I had a conversation last night with a believer about faith when we discussed the suicide of a famous singer - turns out the singer may have had some real health issues but I took the opportunity to talk about Timothy Keller’s book Counterfeit Gods.

And which brings me back to today’s reflection. Sometimes it seems like this country is rejecting faith -  an irony given John Wesley started the church here that brought faith to Singapore. But just maybe, many here may have been let down by believers who were not the salt and light that they were called to be. And so they drift away, to find a new ‘faith’, be it trans rights, or that perversion in which believes trans people or others of a similar ilk should be attacked and excluded rather than understood and engaged. Or climate change or animal activists.

And so our duty is to shine a little light where we can, to frame the discussion better. We should not become self righteous and split the world into us versus them for we are all sinners. We need to start looking at ourselves and ask how we can do better.