Hello from Macau. This coming Sunday is known in the church year as “Pentecost Sunday”. Fifty days after Easter, the Church’s birthday as told in Acts 2. In the telling, the Good News of the Kingdom goes out to people from all over the Mediterranean world resulting in a new community of people. Ever since that day we have found ourselves struggling to form healthy community where there is neither “Jew nor Greek, Slave nor Free, Male nor Female” being favored over another.
Recently read this quote attributed to Jüergen Moltman: “So the homogenous community is not really a natural community at all. It is a community for the common suppression of fear through permanent self-corroboration — which means that it is a highly *un*natural community.” This highlights a struggle faced by the church in Macau, and the church the world over. Due to language (learning Cantonese is hard) and culture, the churches tend to segregate along rigid lines. Not all churches, but most. Some do it intentionally holding to “A Chinese church for Chinese people”. Others with less intentionality. In our opinion, this holds the Kingdom back in Macau.
Please pray for …
Church leaders who will reject fear and the desire to control in order to embrace the other in our city.
Church members who will open their eyes to see the mosaic of people from all over Asia and the world who live and work in Macau.
Models of multi-cultural, multi-lingual worship and service that can be embraced and explored by churches large and small in Macau.
As we celebrate the anniversary of Acts 2 this week, may our vision be: “After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb.” Revelation 7:9 (NLT)
Local Ficus Tree’s Roots