Luke 19

Tradition is defined as the transmission of customs from
generation to generation.

Dear KY family,
We are one week from our nation’s 61st birthday. As I reflect on how far Singapore has come in terms of wealth and success, even being recognised on the international stage as a model for urban growth and development, I cannot help but feel blessed to live in this land reaping the benefits that the generations before me have sown. And yet, I wonder what will future generations have to say about my generation?

He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Cor 3:6)

Similarly, as I reflect on the history of Kum  Yan told to me by older ones, I recognise that we as local church has been immensely blessed. The older generations have left us story upon story of God’s faithfulness and great power, and traditions of how to do life together. What are the stories and traditions that we will leave for generations to come?

Tradition is defined as the transmission of customs from generation to generation. While most traditions start out well, some may get tainted along the way if not passed down well.

At the end of Luke 19, Jesus enters the temple courts and begins to overthrow the tables of the moneychangers and dove-sellers. He explains the reason for His anger, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’” (Luke 19:46) In the bible passage just before this one, Scripture tells us that Jesus wept over Jerusalem for they did not know “the things that make for your peace” (19:42).

In essence, Jesus’ accusation against the Jews was that they took the letter of the Law but did not understand the spirit of the Law (2 Cor 3:6). They took the traditions that were passed down from generation to generation but without understanding, and as a result, turned those traditions into barriers for entry into the Kingdom of God. The house of prayer for all nations became a house of business and commerce.

I wonder, as the newest pastor to join this spiritual family, whether our children’s generation will say of us that we were a people of prayer and that Kum Yan Methodist Church was truly a house of prayer for all nations. Let us pray fervently that we may be so, because it is through prayer that God will revive us, empower us, and send us forth. Amen.