THE BIG CELEBRATION

I recall reading prior to coming here, an American author describing Tet (Vietnamese celebration of the Lunar New Year) as being like Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years - and maybe July 4th, all rolled into one. It is certainly the huge celebration in Vietnam. This year it arrives on Monday the 23rd.
On many major roads we now see numerous kumquat trees for sale or loan. They look almost artificial with so many small orange fruit balls hanging on thickly leafed branches. They are available in sizes from 2 feet to 6 feet tall. No matter the size, they are delivered to your house or apartment on a motor bike. (Sorry no photo.) As well there are apricot (yellow blossoms) trees in blossom and peach (pink blossoms) trees for sale or loan.
If you cannot afford a tree or perhaps you have no room, there are branches with blossoms for sale (kind of like we Canadians sell Christmas trees that have been cut but will stay green for a few weeks.) The branches come in all sizes from two feet long to five feet with many smaller branches growing off the main branch. There are also a large variety of flowers available at temporary shops stocked only for these two weeks leading up to Tet.
One tradition at Tet is the giving of small gifts of money in (usually) red envelopes. These are given especially to children but also to those who serve you well. We will give a few to the security guards and receptionists in our apartment foyer. Then there are the year end bonuses. We are told that many companies provide the equivalent of one month's salary as the standard bonus.
Starting next Monday, most companies and stores will close for three days, and many will close for a week or even two. Since a huge number of people return to their home town for a few days at Tet, they need the travel time that a week or two of vacation provides.
You can understand that this is an interesting and busy time to walk shop in stores; to walk on sidewalks - the number of sidewalk venders has doubled or tripled; to observe the motorbikes carrying loads of flowers, branches and trees; and to wish people Chuc Mung Nam Moi (but you'd better get the tones right: down on Chuc, up on Mung, flat on Nam and up on Moi.)
Happy New Year!

LISTENERS

Jan and I had lunch today after our Sunday service with two lovely Vietnam expats who have been here for years. The restaurant is in a modern mall. As we walked through the mall following lunch we bumped into a Japanese woman from our fellowship. She told us she had just come from a Bible study (must have been over lunch) with two other women. They had been discussing my morning sermon and she showed me her two pages of notes from this morning's sermon.
I preached today from James, including James 1:19: "Everyone should be quick to listen" and 1:21: "humbly accept the word planted in you." I mentioned how God wants us to listen well to the Word of God, for it is meant not just to inform us but to transform us. So I was delighted to bump into this Japanese Christian just two hours later, who evidenced the fact that she indeed was quick to listen to God's Word and to humbly receive it.
Too often I have not listened well because I already knew (I thought) the answer. Humble listeners are the best learners. They know that they don't know all they could know. So they listen well, they learn and they grow.
I hope we have more people in our fellowship who are listening to the Word like the woman we met in the mall. I hope you are one of those kinds of Christians. I hope I am.

JOSEPH, GOD, GIVING

I read Joseph's words again today, (and marvelled again) words of wisdom and faith as he talks with his brothers. After 22 years (he was 17 when sold into slavery and he is now 39) absence, their reunion is bitter sweet and the brothers fear well deserved retribution from their brother.
Twice Joseph is quoted "God sent ahead of you" and then again says, "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God."(Genesis 45) Of course unbelievers would say that this reunion was just a shocking, amazing coincidence. But Joseph, a man of strong faith, sees the sovereign hand of God directing his life and providing for his extended family.
In a small way we would echo Joseph's words. The church in Canada sent us to Saigon, but unknown to them and to us, God was actually sending us to Hanoi. We had a great conversation over dinner last night with a young couple who have been here now for six years. We were able to listen, to encourage, counsel and pray with them. And again were grateful to God for placing us here.
We've also talked with several young adults who have come to Vietnam to contribute in a small way to what God is doing in this country. Life here is not easy for them. There are many challenges to face. They receive financial support from those at home. Sadly they shared with us that they love Vietnam and would like to continue to serve here, in spite of the challenge. However their support is dropping and they may need to return home.
If you've made a commitment to support those serving around the world, please remember how important your faithfulness is. Serving in a different culture and different language presents enough challenge without having to wonder if there will be enough money to eat well next month.

WHAT CAN YOU SAY?

Actually you can say a lot about the life of Joseph. But what can you say that has not been said, and said eloquently by many others? Nevertheless, the story of Joseph continues to challenge and encourage us at a variety of levels. Here are several that I reviewed today as I read Genesis.

1. God can take the worst things - even almost being killed and then being sold into slavery, and turn them into ultimate good. It was good for Joseph, good for his family and for the nation of Egypt and others.
2. We can rest assured that God is at work even when it does not appear that way. Surely there were many times when Joseph must have felt forsaken by God. Perhaps never more than when the King's cupbearer is released, as Joseph foretold when he interpreted the dream accurately. Don't you think Joseph thought that it would only be days, weeks at the most before the cupbearer would help Joseph since Joseph had helped him? And instead he is forgotten for two long years!
3. What a great example of purity in the face of aggressive sexual temptation Joseph provides. Potiphar's wife aggressively pursued him for days if not for many weeks. Yet he remained faithful to God and adamant in his stand against her blatant seduction attempts.
In this day of "in your face sexuality" - from advertising with sexual overtones, to Victoria Secret and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit editions, to increasingly crude television programs and absolutely explicit sex in movies, to pornography for free or being sold on computers and telephones (by any means available) - it is a huge challenge for men and women to stay pure in mind. In regard to sexual relationships, casual yet intimate sexual connecting is now so common. Among even evangelical young people and young adults, the idea of two virgins coming together in marriage, very common 50 years ago, is tragically rare. Modern day Josephs are difficult to fine.
We all need prayer to aim at, and live out sexual purity. We need to pray especially for those who are growing up in this sex saturated culture and for those Christian singles who remain committed to celibacy until marriage.  

CONNECTIONS

We invited two young couples from our fellowship for dinner last night. One couple are from the state of Arkansas in the USA. The woman in the second couple is from Portland, Oregon but the young man is from the north east tribal area of India. Both couples are teaching English in universities here in Hanoi.
We like to ask questions about people's background and to hear their life stories. The young man, who I will call Keith, shared how he comes from one of the tribes that are highly Christian - perhaps 70% or more. As we talked Keith began to tell the spiritual history of his people. He mentioned the first missionary to there area, a man by the name of Roberts who was led of God to first bring the Good News 100 years ago.
Imagine his surprise when we told Keith that Mr. Roberts son, Dr. Paul Roberts, was a part of our Bayview Church congregation in Toronto. How interesting for two older people from Canada to meet a young Indian in Vietnam whose Christian faith is a heritage from the work of the father of our Toronto friend.
This morning I received an email from a young Filippino couple whose wedding I officiated in Toronto years ago. The photo in the email showed them proudly holding their newborn, while their first born looked on proudly.
This afternoon I rode home from our church office on the back of a motorbike - much faster than travelling in this city, especially in rush hour. The driver was my colleague, a pastor from the Philippines. He and his family just returned from three weeks in the island of Mindenao where terrible flooding took place in the week prior to Christmas. He is tired from being with all of their extended families, plus ministering humanitarian aid (our fellowship sent a large financial gift with him) and spiritual aid to hundreds of people who lost everything in the flood. His mother and sister were among those whose house was swept away.
International connections - one of the great joys we experience as we live and serve here in Vietnam.

TITHING AND CHRISTIANS

I have never believed that tithing is a command for Christians. As a strong believer in grace, love and freedom, I just never understood why many teach tithing as a command for Christians. Nowhere in the NT letters are the early believers being taught or commanded to tithe. Even in the Gospels, the most we could say is that Jesus may imply that tithing should continue.
So I stay away from teaching Christians to tithe. On the other hand, giving a tenth, a tithe to God is something that occurs twice in Genesis, long before the nation of Israel is formed; long before the law and regulations about tithing were given through Moses to Israel. It is most interesting that we don't read anything about tithing; no teaching, no indication of its origin, until it simply appears in Genesis.
The first occasion occurs when King Melchizedek meets Abraham after Abe and his men have won a victory and rescued his nephew Lot. The King is described as "a priest of God Most High". He blesses Abraham in the name of God and Abe gives a tenth of his "spoils of war" to Melchizedek. (14:20)
The second time we see the tithe is after Jacob's dramatic dream at Bethel. (28:22) Jacob is overwhelmed by his encounter with God. He pledges his commitment to God (that appears rather conditional), and that as part of his commitment, he will give a tenth of what he gains to God.
My conclusion? Giving a tenth of our income to God is not a law for Christians nor is it taught in the NT. However these examples in Genesis plus the teaching on tithing in the OT should cause us to ask ourselves: should Christians ever settle for less than giving 10%?
If Abraham and Jacob with no Scriptures and no knowledge of the blessings Christ gave 10% - how could any serious Christian give less? If the people of Israel who had never heard of being by grace through faith in Christ gave at least 10% to God, can any Christian properly give less?
Presently in our fellowship we are teaching about giving from II Corinthians 8 and 9. This I believe provides the most comprehensive NT teaching for Christians today. However we do well to follow the example of Abraham and Jacob and the example of generous giving of the Macedonian Christians mentioned in II Corinthians.

A FATHER'S LOVE

Did ever any man long more or wait longer for a son than Abraham. Puzzled by God's promise to make his "seed" more numerous than all the stars he could see, yet growing old without even one son. Promised that his heirs would occupy the "promised land", yet having no heir. Past the age with his wife when they could possibly expect to get pregnant, and still waiting.
Then comes the specific promise in Genesis 18 and the arrival of baby Isaac a year after. How much did Sarah and Abraham love Isaac? If ever a couple were tempted to totally dote on their new born son, surely it was these two. Abraham must have loved Isaac as much as any father has ever loved his son. How he must have treasured his days as his infant son began to grow.
Then God tells him to take Isaac, his young son to Mount Moriah and kill him as a sacrifice. Abraham does not question or delay. The very next morning he obeyed God and began the terrible, heart wrenching journey to Mount Moriah. God allowed Abraham to go through all of the preparation, even to tying his son on a makeshift altar and holding the killing knife in his hand. Finally, at the last minute, God tells him "No. You don't have to kill your much loved son." Abraham had proved that he indeed loved God more than anything and anyone else.
What faith, what obedience, what a sacrifice Abraham was prepared to make! Has any father ever loved his son more or been asked to make a greater sacrifice?
Only at the manger and at the Cross do we recognize Abraham's "almost sacrifice" as a forerunner of the amazing sacrificial gift of Divine love. Father God so loved that He gave "His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Again this morning as I read Genesis 22, I was deeply moved by Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his greatest love. And I shall forever live in awe of our Father's love in sending Jesus to die that cruel cross death for you - and me.