Celebrating Tradition
By Dr Agnes Tan During this time of the year, our church celebrates a service called A Festival of Lessons and Carols. Let me share with you the story behind this special service. In 1880, Edward White Benson, the first Bishop of Truro in Cornwall, England and later the Archbishop of Canterbury, created a new service called The Nine Lessons with Carols for…
“Be Like Christ in His Incarnation”
By Rev Dr Clive Chin An important message of Christmas is that God is with us. Jesus Christ came into this world and became one of us. The evangelist writes in Matt. 1:23, “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). For followers of Jesus Christ, that means we are to be like Christ in his incarnation.…
The Shalom of God
By Not Known Today marks the second Sunday of Advent when we light the candle of peace. It reminds us once again of the peace that comes through Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The Bible tells us in the Gospel of Luke 2:14 that when Jesus was born, a great company of heavenly hosts proclaimed the glad tidings for all people, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth…
The Blessedness of Staying Faithful
By Rev Dr Edward Goh On this first Sunday of the Advent, we light the candle of hope, in remembrance of the Old Testament prophets, especially Isaiah who foretold the birth of our Saviour. What should this hope inspire in us? May I suggest faithfulness? This call to faithfulness in the light of the Messiah’s coming was the message of Malachi as he saw from afar the Lord…
The Blessedness of a Godly Marriage
By Rev Dr Edward Goh We just had our Marriage Enrichment Retreat over the weekend of 8 to 10 Nov, Rev David Burke was the speaker. The key message impressed upon us is the constant need to work on our marriage regardless of our life stages, and to do so in accordance with “the Maker’s Manual”. Three reasons are given. 1. We must work on our marriage because God has…
A Call to the Heart of True Worship
By Pr Herna Kong False worship comes in two main forms. The first and easiest to identify is the worship of false gods. The second is the worship of the one true God in a manner that He does not approve of. The second, which is subtle, is difficult to identify at times. What is worse is when the strongest proponents of worshipping the Lord in ways that He does not approve…
Great is God’s faithfulness
By Rev John Chew Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lam. 3:22-23) This is my last pastoral message before I officially retire. I praise and thank God for guiding me through 34 years of full-time service to Him. Glory be unto His name! Time indeed passes speedily.…
Reflections on the Word Incarnate
By Ps Ho Wei Liang As we draw close to the season of Advent, let us look full upon the miracle that John attempts to capture in these word, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made… The Word became flesh (emphasis…
“Christ’s Call for Church Renewal”
By Rev Dr Clive Chin To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: … I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name… Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the…
Let Us Be Thankful
By Rev John Chew Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe (Heb. 12:28). Christians express our thanks to God in worship, prayer, adoration and in many other ways as we reflect on our lives. The Spirit of God moves us to repentance of our ungodly words and deeds and…